Encouragement for Moms

31 days to clean week 2

2011-05-14T15:40:00.001-04:00

I won't bore you with all of this week's cleaning details. Instead I'll give you a quick easy iced coffee recipe (if you want to call it that). While I was cleaning out my pantry, I found a box of Folger's coffee sticks. I was throwing away quite a few things and this box almost made it to the trash, but I restrained myself. The coffee has a few more months until it expires, so I figured that is enough time to enjoy them. I don't drink coffee regularly, but sweet cold coffees are nice.

The instructions are simple. Empty the coffee stick into a tall drinking glass. Add only a tiny bit of hot water (enough to dissolve the coffee). Fill the rest with your choice of milk, then add chocolate syrup to taste. Stir and enjoy.

See? I told you it was easy! Instead of chocolate syrup (and sometimes even with it) I Will add some yummy international delight creamer on occasion.

Kid's Activities and Crafts

2011-05-11T20:56:00.000-04:00

Summer is right around the corner! For many of us that means having kids around for 6 extra hours each day. I've compiled a list of fun crafts and activities that may come in handy...

Painted Rock Bees by Crafts by Amanda

Cardboard Tube Farm Animals also by Crafts by Amanda

or try Paper Roll Birthday Crowns by Creative Jewish Mom

Pom Pom bouquets also by Creative Jewish Mom

Friendship bracelet with homemade loom by Homemade Gifts Made Easy

Tic Tac Toe on Tile by Rainy Tuesday Morning

Lily Pad Hop game by Toddler Approved

Activity Bags by Walking by the Way

Other ideas:
Trails in local parks
outdoor scavenger hunts
let them run through sprinklers
playing with sparklers (if they're mature enough)
playground
a bottle of bubbles
sidewalk chalk

My coupon organizer

2011-05-09T23:36:00.000-04:00

The other day I shared some couponing blogs with you. Today I'd like to share my coupon organizer.

When I decided to start clipping coupons I knew I had to have a good way to keep them organized. I have dipped into couponing off and on and have tried various methods, but none of them worked for me.

I found Money Saving Mom's organizer and I tweaked it to fit my own needs. The first thing I had to do was resist buying a new container. I could have easily gotten a new one for under $3, but I really didn't want to spend any money at all. At home I found my green basket, which is perfect for me.

This is what it looks like when its filled and ready to go:

These are the papers that you saw on top:

I always keep my latest copy of Costco coupons in my basket. Inside of that I keep any restaurant coupons, car repair deals and other like things.

Other than that I keep circulars (this week I have two) and right now I have a booklet that goes to a specific store.

Inside of the up-to-date circular I keep coupons, like so:

When I get a new circular I look through it, then I try to match up coupons. If I find some good deals, I keep all of the coupons inside of my folded up circular. When I get to the store, I take the full circular along with the inserted coupons (sometimes I just take the whole basket in). Some stores have advertisements, but then you can't find the info in the store. I find it helpful to be able to look in the paper while I'm shopping.

Some weeks I may find more deals than others. Last week, for instance, I shopped at four stores, because I was able to match up lots of good deals, but this week I'm only going two places. In other words, I'm not loyal to any one place!

Ok, so if you are at my basket and you lift up that section of papers this is what you will see:

Crystal uses envelopes with a piece of cardstock sticking up. What I decided to do was use a half of a sheet of paper and fold it into a file folder shape. I like things to be more open and an envelope seemed to constricting to me! :)

Crystal was so kind as to write out all of the categories she uses. I think there's over 50! I combined a few, so I don't have quite that much, but it is definitely useful to have them broken down and alphabetized.

If you take one of my packets out this is what you will see:

This particular section (hair under the hygiene group) has quite a bit, but most of them just have a few. When you have just a few it makes it easy to find what you're looking for without taking too much time.

A few extra notes:

When I get coupons ready for a shopping trip I double check expiration dates.
At the end of each month I go through all of my coupons and recycle the expired ones.
I file store coupons under their proper category. For example: if I get a Pampers coupon that is only good at Target, it goes in the diapers section NOT a special Target file.
I usually keep a pair of scissors in my basket.

I think that's it! Let me know of any tricks you have, too!

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T21:08:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of you! I wouldn't enjoy this day without these guys:

Tabitha, our perfect child, with her mom (that's me!)

Seth, the one who has taught us the most in life.

Patricia, the biggest helper I can find.

Ian, our joy bringer.

Couponing

2011-05-07T11:39:00.001-04:00

Recently I've posted info on our frugal Easter gifts, Buzz Operation deal and even our trips to hardware stores for kid's workshops. Can you tell we've been trying to spend less?

Enoch and I would really like to get out of debt, so I've been trying to cut corners on our expenses. I started subscribing to the Sunday paper for the great price of $.59 a week. It is most definitely paying for itself as I easily use upwards of $10 a week on coupons.

I use blogs and the weekly circulars to find the best deals. I was so excited to walk into a Rite Aid last week and come out with 2 pairs of nail clippers (which we needed) and tweezers. I only paid 39 cents out of pocket. These sort of scenarios are happening more and more.

I thought I'd share with you some of the blogs I keep in my Google reader. They help me find lots of good deals. They also inform you of freebies that companies send out, which are great to get in the mailbox, but on top of that, they even come with great coupons.

Here is a starter list of blogs worth looking into:

Do you have any good websites you'd like to share?

31 Days to Clean Week 1

2011-05-06T15:10:00.000-04:00

This week started off strong for me... as do all new projects! I love the flexibility Joyful Mothering is giving us. We can do 5 days a week or we can do the full 7. I aimed for 7 and made it to 5 (maybe 6 if I get to do it tomorrow.)

Some of the tasks were easier, thanks to some recent cleaning. None of the jobs were difficult although I started losing steam a couple of days ago, making microwave cleaning a little more difficult than it should be.

Pictured is my list of reasons that I want a clean home. It is hanging inside a cabinet door... a place I can see it often.

And my list is....

         1. Hospitality
         2. Hygiene/Health
         3. Happiness

I wanted to keep it simple, so I could be reminded often... and so I can memorize it!

I'm linking this up to Joyful Mothering.

6 Composting Tips

2011-05-05T11:14:00.000-04:00

I've been trying to get the hang of composting for a little while and I've learned some tricks along the way.

Ian thought he'd taste the new dirt. It's not very good!

1. Don't use an indoor compost bin. The idea of reusing the same bin over and over without giving it a good scrub everyday makes me queasy. Instead, I keep a little dish (or a big one if I have a lot of scrapes) next to my work area and dump it in the compost bin 1-3 times a day. The dish goes into the sink and gets washed with all it's relatives.

2. Its ok to throw food away. When I first started composting I used to salvage all food scraps. Then we had a raccoon visitor, so I stopped composting for a while. Nowadays, I basically just use fresh fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grinds and tea bags. All leftovers still hit the trash can. I even take breaks from composting. This week I threw away scraps for about 4 days. Then I picked up where I left off. The world still moves on!

3. Easy ways to keep your bin moist. I have two "tricks" for keeping my compost moist. Sometimes I fill my bowl (from tip #1) with water before I add it to the bin. Other times, I take the lid off on rainy days and let the rain do its work. See example:

4. Keep a stash of fall leaves. I gathered a lawn bag full of dead leaves in the spring. :) When there is a thin layer of food scraps in my compost bin, I cover them with a thin layer of the leaves. Compost bins are supposed to have layers of green and brown, so this makes that step much easier.

5. Have the kids help. They think its a fun chore! Even this tip can't be used all the time though! Notice where my daughter's face it? Well, we currently have lots of fruit flies in the bin (because the food scraps weren't fully covered with leaves!). When a child opens the bin you don't want them to have such an unpleasant surprise! Thankfully this isn't the case all of the time!

6. DON'T compost weeds. If you weed your garden, do not add the weeds to your compost bin. If you do, then you will have weeds growing in the dirt that you took the time to cultivate!

Composting gives me a little peace of mind. I feel like I'm adding just a little less to the landfills. I also look forward to a nice bounty of dirt... maybe one day I'll even grow something! What a concept for such a black thumb as myself!

I am linking this post to Smockity Frock's "How does your garden grow?"

Laundry lessons

2011-05-03T11:30:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was one of those crazy "gotta-find-clothes-for-everyone" mornings. Believe me I do lots of laundry (usually at least two loads a day). But over the weekend I hadn't had much time to keep up. Sunday night I was able to wash one load.

Come Monday morning this is what I was thinking:

There has to be a clean pair of underwear for Patricia somewhere in this stack of clean clothes.
Seth can wear the same pants twice, right?
I'm sure glad kids don't mind wearing mismatching socks these days!

All the while I was kicking myself for not washing a "better" load of laundry the night before. Most of the load was bedding and not very useful on a frantic school day! Washing sheets almost made me feel like I needed to apologize. Have you ever felt like that?

These verses popped into my head:

Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread." But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?" Matthew 16:6-9

The disciples forgot bread and they were afraid that the Lord would reprimand them for it. He didn't. Instead He basically said that He would supply all of their needs, even if they forget things sometimes.

The thought of it gave me peace during my rushed morning. The Lord wasn't mad at me for doing the "wrong" load of laundry. In the end everyone got off to school just fine and I was able to get quite a bit of dirty clothes cleaned throughout the day.

Its nice to have Scripture in your head and heart so the Lord can bring it to mind just when we need it.

HOMEmaker's Challenge

2011-04-29T09:44:00.000-04:00

May is right around the corner, which means the "Try it" challenge will be ending. I decided to find something else, not only to occupy my time, but also to cause growth. I'm happy to be partaking in the Homemaker's Challenge during the entire month of May!

I purchased my e-book yesterday for a mere $5. Basically the book is divided into 31 "chapters". Each day there is a short "encouragement" followed by two challenges:

Mary challenge- this is an internal challenge. They help you evaluate your motives and focus on the important things in life.
Martha challenge- As it implies, this is an actual task in the house that will have you feeling like you accomplished something when you're done. (Like wiping cabinet doors and washing curtains)

By the end of the month I'll have completed a good house cleaning and have a better idea of what I want to accomplish with my house.

Will you consider joining the challenge? Head over to Joyful mothering to link up. You can purchase the book at Amazon: 31 Days to Clean - Having a Martha House the Mary Way

Testimony time

2011-04-28T09:35:00.000-04:00

My brother had an opportunity to share his testimony in this neat video. I know its a little long, but its worth listening to.

My favorite words happen at the end:

"Jesus is alive and real, and He wants you to know Him."

Please share this video if it has encouraged you.

Easter weekend

2011-04-27T18:22:00.000-04:00

This past weekend our family drove approximately 9 hours each way to and from Michigan. While there we spent our time at a Bible conference. I've never been to one quite like it. It began Friday morning and ended Sunday afternoon. The bulk of the time was spent in meetings with very little free time. It was tiring, but it was also very good for our spiritual well being. I'm very glad we went and I'd like to share some pictures with you.

You'll notice that most of the people are Indian. It wasn't an Indian conference, it just so happens that the majority of the church members are Indian.

The captions for each photo are below the photos.

This first one shows a sweet reunion. Last May we went on a road trip. My daughter, Patricia (left) met Zaneta (center). They are the same age and they clicked immediately. In September Zaneta's family visited us for a day and their friendship grew. Patricia was SUPER excited to see her again. Joseph (on the left) is a new friend we met this weekend (he's from a different family). He made it clear to Seth that he wanted to be his best friend. Too bad we live so far!

There was LOTS of singing this weekend! It was great! The children performed in front of the adults several times.

Patricia and Zaneta in the group of kids. See how they love each other?! Notice the girl's outfit on the left. Beautiful isn't it?

My first viewing of a live cricket game. :)

Enoch, my handsome hubby on the left, played cricket on the side with the kiddos.

On the way to meal time! This is Sunday afternoon. The morning meeting was supposed to last 3 hours (no breaks in between!). But, guess what. It went over. By one and a half hours! It was supposed to end at 12:30, but it was closer to 2 when the meeting was dismissed. After that everyone headed straight for lunch! No one tarried around the meeting hall!

Try It Challenge- Week Three Review

2011-04-26T16:05:00.000-04:00

Week three was a breeze! I'll admit that I didn't do anything fancy, except drink a cup of green tea every day. I think I tried 5 different brands/varieties. I must say that it was enjoyable.

I used to drink green tea more regularly, but I've fallen out of the habit. Enoch and I have been enjoying a line of tea from Tetley. It's catered more towards Indians. We have three flavors at home: Masala, Elaichi and Ginger.

Anyway, back to the Green Tea! My very favoritest kind that I had all week was Lipton Green Tea, mixed berry flavor.

Tea is easy to make but I like to follow the steeping times given. Green tea is generally supposed to be steeped for around 2 minutes. If you steep any tea too long, it can get bitter. If you steep too short, it'll be weak and we don't want that!

I like to add a scant teaspoon of sugar to my cup. I don't like the way milk tastes with green tea, so I skip that!

Spiritual challenge: We were to do the plank three times each morning and pray while doing so. You can read about it on Peak313's blog. I did it. I don't like it, but I do like the way it makes my stomach feel. It feels like my stomach muscles are actually getting fit. I need to do lots of them in order to actually get fit!

This coming week our food challenge is avacado and the spiritual challenge is to pray scripture. I plan on trying Clare's avacado/black bean dip for sure!

This is the last week of the challenge... I guess I'll be on the look out for something else!

Easter Time

2011-04-23T14:36:00.000-04:00

Can you believe tomorrow is Easter already? I love seeing spring unfold with new life. Flowers that burst out of the ground and broken egg shells in the grass. It reminds me of Christ's resurrection. Rising from the dead is a form of new life. And His resurrection allows others to have new life in Him. That is the true meaning of Easter~ Christ rising from the dead.

However, like most kids, my children expect something at Easter time, preferably a large basket of candy. I wanted to give them something, but I really didn't want to spend tons of money or fill them with junk. Instead I gave them two things. I bought them a $5 movie ("The Little Rascals") and plaster eggs for painting.

Do you remember the plaster that the kids painted 3 years ago? I can hardly believe its been that long! Ian is showing Patricia's bug off here, even though he wasn't around at the time:

I bought 1/2 a dozen plaster eggs for the kids to do this year. It came with one "difficult to use" brush, so we each took turns painting ours.

We're spending our Easter weekend at a Bible conference in Michigan, so we were able to paint our eggs early. The kids were slightly disappointed that they didn't get loads of candy this year. But I'm happy that we get to spend our time learning about our Lord who gave His life for us and then took His life back again.

Deal of the week

2011-04-22T14:15:00.000-04:00

I can't write much, but I wanted to pass this deal along to you. I bought Toy Story's Operation game two days ago. The price is $5 at Walmart. It doesn't even look like its a sale, that's just the price they're selling it for.

Also, if you buy any Hasbro game before April 30th (just a few days away), you can send away for a rebate for a free frozen pizza. A classic game and a free pizza all for $5. That's a good deal in our house!

Seth was occupied with the new game.

How to clean the fridge

2011-04-20T19:50:00.001-04:00

This weekend I was cranky! Actually, I spent the last few days trying to be UN-cranky. Guess what I did while I was in a temper. Why, yes, I did stamp my feet and snap at my kids, but I'm talking about after that.

After I let everyone have a piece of my mind I cleaned out my fridge.

Not your average run of the mill wipe down some of the shelves cleaning. It was a DEEP cleaning. A cleaning which my fridge has never seen. Well, not from me, anyway.

The very first thing I did was open up a clean trash bag.

Then I filled it up.

With probably 30 pounds of food.

Wanna know what I found? Sure you do! Here is a partial list:

an unopened pedialyte that expired 2 years ago
a fuzzy package. YIKES! The whole thing went into my bag
all of my lost containers
2 egg salads
3 dishes of black beans...

Wanna know HOW I cleaned the fridge afterwards? Sure you do!

This may seem like common knowledge, but I'll write it with the hopes that maybe I may inspire just one person out there to clean out their own fridge.

When I started I had a minimum amount of food in the fridge. Then I followed these steps.

Start at the top. Its always best to work from the top down. If you start at the bottom you'll probably create crumbs when you're on top!
Empty your current shelf. Even when you clean your fridge out you still have some things in there that'll need to be temporarily moved around.
Take your shelf out of the fridge. This allows your fridge to stay cool and for you to find a comfortable spot to work in. If your shelves do not come out, make sure you let the refrigerator rest for at least 10 minutes between cleanings.
Tools required are simple. I had a bowl with soapy water and a rag. I kept my scraper handy - this was an essential tool, so please read about it! I also kept a kitchen towel handy to dry things.
Don't cut corners. Take your time thoroughly cleaning each shelf, drawer and wall. I couldn't believe how disgusting some areas of my fridge were!
Categorize. When everything is clean, you now have the liberty to set your fridge up the way you want to. Condiments in one section, drinks in another. You really only need one section for leftovers and it shouldn't stay full!
Soak rags in vinegar. I don't know how yours will be, but my rags needed a good cleaning themselves! I covered them in vinegar overnight then washed them in the morning.
Don't stop in the middle. If you start it, make sure to finish that very same day! I started cleaning my fridge around 5 pm (dinner time!) I worked for 2 hours, then we went out to eat dinner. When the kids were in bed I finished up.

My after pictures are of very poor quality, but I'll show them to you anyway. Please share yours with me if you clean out your fridge!

"Try It" Challenge - Week Two Review

2011-04-18T11:10:00.000-04:00

I made it through week two of the Peak 313 challenge. I must say up front, that on Wednesday and Thursday I was sick with a stomach bug and wasn't eating. After that my stomach was still weak, so eating was still very light. I only was able to manage eating quinoa 3 days. I tried it a fourth day and couldn't stomach it!

As far as the spiritual challenge went, I listened to three podcasts! One on biblical finances, another on sharing Christ with others and the third was on modesty.

The basic way to make quinoa is straightforward. Add one part quinoa to two parts water into a pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. I covered mine, but I'm not sure if you're supposed to.

Day One

Day one was fun for us. I made basic quinoa, but instead of water I used chicken broth. Then I served it topped with sloppy joes. Yes, you read that right.

It was really yummy. Before we ate it I was afraid it might taste like couscous. I knew the kids wouldn't like that, but its not like couscous! Quinoa is not actually from wheat, so it tastes different. And it does pair nicely with sloppy joes. LOL!

Day Two

My friend, Randa, passed a recipe along to me. It had three layers. Bottom layer is quinoa, middle is a carrot slaw and the top layer is honey flavored tempeh.

I didn't have tempeh in the house (I've never had it in the house, actually). So, I made just the first two layers.

I was the only one who ate it, so its hard to say how it really tasted. My kids are really the best at telling me if something is good or not! I am pretty sure the honey tempeh would've added nicely to the flavor. However, all in all, it was a filling lunch with an okay flavor.

You can find the recipe here.

Day Three

On Friday I made black quinoa according to the basic method. To make cereal I mixed the following:

1/2 cup prepared quinoa
1/4 cup milk
1 tbs brown sugar

My two year old took a while to get over the looks of it, then downed two bowls. Two of my other kids decided they didn't like it after one bite. I thought it was pretty good and my husband said its a "poor man's breakfast".

Like I said earlier, my stomach recovery really made this challenge, um, challenging. I'd like to incorporate quinoa in the future. It gives the grain part of meals a nice variety. (Am I the only one who gets tired of rice and pasta?)

This coming week the new food is green tea. The spiritual challenge is to do the plank (something I usually try to avoid) and pray while doing them!

Check out Clare's blog if you're interested in seeing how others used the new food.

Kashi Ingredient Decoder

2011-04-16T15:58:00.000-04:00

I came across this handy dandy ingredient decoder from Kashi in a magazine yesterday. They have a PDF you can download, print out and keep handy.

Kashi is definitely one of the companies I can trust when I buy food. The only thing I ever have to look out for is nuts, but that's something I can easily live with!

Basically the list they give includes ingredients that you will (green thumb) and won't (red thumb) find in their products. Next to each ingredient they give a two or three line snippet.

Some examples of green thumbs include acacia gum, oligofructose and glycerin. Some of the don'ts: BHT, Calcium perioxide and sodium benzoate.

I was able to cut mine out of the magazine and keep it around for reference. I hope you find their website useful. My list was rather incomplete, so I thought I'd share Kashi's "a little more complete" list with you. :)

Teach by example

2011-04-15T11:10:00.000-04:00

Today I caught Ian "reading" a book. It was a board book... you know, the ones with cardboard pages. I noticed that before he turned the pages he would give his finger a quick lick.

It was SO cute I had to take his picture.

I had to laugh, knowing that his finger licking wasn't doing a lick of good! You only need to wet your finger if you're turning a regular sheet of paper.

It immediately brought a Bible verse to mind:

"But be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

I Timothy 4:12

I never once told Ian he had to lick his fingers if he wanted to turn a page in a book. As a matter of fact, I didn't even know I was doing it so frequently! Ian didn't know why he was doing it, he just saw me do it and thought that is how you're supposed to read a book.

If he's learning how to turn pages in a book by watching me, what else is he learning? Ian is two now and we noticed that his "terrible two's" have started. He likes to break out in screaming... especially when we walk into stores. Where did he learn that? Maybe I'm not always in control of my actions, so he hasn't learned to be in control of his.

This verse in I Timothy is a gentle reminder to me of how to teach others. I don't have to tell everyone (namely my kids) what they should be doing, but they will learn if only I will live the way Christ has taught us.

How can we know and live what Christ taught us? There is no short answer. In fact, the answer is long... we have to spend lots of time with the Lord in prayer and reading His Word. Lots of time is the key. I'm trying to learn this.

Children's Workshops

2011-04-12T10:39:00.000-04:00

Just a couple of months ago I found out about Home Depot's and Lowe's free workshops that they host for children. Since then I've realized that many people don't know about these programs. The information is not easily accessible on their websites. So please read on...

Lowe's

Lowe's program is called Build and Grow.

You DO have to sign up in advance. They only accept the first 50 applicants so if you live in a busy area, you need to sign up early!

The Lowe's Build and Grow is aimed at children in grades 1 through 5. Although I sign Seth up for this even though he's only in kindergarten.

Basically what they do is hammer nails and follow instructions. The parents are the ones who guide the child, not the instructor.

The kits/programs are FREE. If your child really likes them then you can purchase other kits they have available in the store.

Every child receives a certificate of completion and a patch. The first time you go, if you let them know its your first time, your child will receive an apron and goggles.

Lowe's Build and Grow occurs every 2 weeks on Saturday. You are supposed to arrive at 10 o'clock am.

The kids really like it and they are learning an important skill.

Home Depot

Home Depot's kids workshop runs just a little differently.

On their webpage they show painted end products, so it can be a tiny bit misleading. I have Tabitha's planter box featured here with her beloved cactus! The on line version was pink, yellow, purple and so on. Our's is...wood!

You do NOT have to pre-register for Home Depot. Its a first come, first serve kind of deal.

Home Depot holds their workshops on the first Saturday of every month. You can drop in any time between 9 and 12 to complete your project.

As with Lowe's, Home Depot's workshop is FREE!

The projects are geared towards children ages 5-12, although even younger children can go. They provided glue for those who were too young for nails.

Home Depot provides children with an apron on their first visit and a pin for each completed project.

I hope I didn't forget any details. You can search around different stores and see if there are any fun things for your kids to do!

What kind of activities has your family discovered?

"Try It" Challenge - Week One Review

2011-04-11T09:55:00.000-04:00

Last week's challenge, Greek Yogurt, was very easy for us to implement into our days. I was able to use it 6 out of 7 days!

Day One:

16 oz plain Chobani Greek yogurt
1/8 to 1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup crushed strawberries

Mix all ingredients and enjoy around 4 servings.

This was yummy! The thickness does take some getting used to, especially if you're not used to eating yogurt at all, but it is filling and delicious.

Day Two:

Popsicles

12 oz Chobani strawberry banana Greek Yogurt

Spoon prepared yogurt into popsicle molds and freeze. Makes 4

I'll admit that I wasn't crazy about this one, but then again I'm not too big on popsicles. The kids, however, devoured them. Their actions told me that they liked them!

Day Three:

Chobani Champions very berry Greek yogurt.

This is the first greek yogurt made especially for kids. It's yummy... aren't all kid's foods???

Day Four:

5-6 oz Stonyfield Oikos Vanilla Greek Yogurt
2 oz (about 1/3 cup) granola

Stir and enjoy one breakfast sized serving.

A couple people suggested eating yogurt this way. It was a great breakfast!

Day Five:

Apple Dip
For this I used Tammy's Recipe for cream cheese apple dip, substituting plain greek yogurt for the cream cheese.

I thought it was WAY too sweet. I liked the flavors, but I really need to tinker around with this recipe to get it where I'd be happy with it.

The kids liked it after I added more yogurt. They ate theirs with a spoon and not as a dip.

Day Six:

(Not sure why I can't write next to this pic!)

I used Alton Brown's recipe for blueberry muffins. They turned out great although I think I used too much flour. It calls for 12 1/2 oz, so I used 3 cups. I think 2 1/2 cups would've been better.

My batch yielded 15 muffins and they were gone within 24 hours, so they were a success.

Ian (our 2 year-old) was calling the berries "blue strawberries"... too cute!

Spiritual challenge: It was a good exercise to pray for our elders. Hopefully I'll remember to do that more often!

This week's food challenge is Quinoa. I'm a little nervous about this one, but I'm ready to eat!

The spiritual challenge is to listen to podcasts that edify.

Both quinoa and podcasts are things I've never tried, so this will truly be a new challenge for me. :)

Link Love

2011-04-10T21:08:00.000-04:00

Just three for ya today!

Vinegar uses - Sharizat lists over 20 ways you can use vinegar to clean your home. She does a great job with details. In fact, I think I'm going to use some on my windows tonight! By the way, her blog is amazing. I like to think of it as an undiscovered gem. Check it out!
Financial help from a 3 year old - Short and funny, especially if you're a Dave Ramsey fan. We know Money Saving Mom is!
Article: Was Facebook making me a bad parent - Did I write this? Oh, it couldn't have been me, because I haven't learned to balance things yet! This article was an eye opener, I could definitely relate! I'm trying to limit my on-line time now.

2011-04-08T09:12:00.000-04:00

"And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."

After my big read I had to find a portion of the Bible to study. This morning I began with First John. There are two main reasons that I decided on this particular book.

The first is that its small enough. Small enough to read in one sitting and small enough to study in a reasonable amount of time.

The second reason is my fascination with love. The love of God has always amazed me. That's what brought me to Christ as a teenager... I was searching for love. I knew that First John spoke quite a bit about love, so that played a part in my choice.

ANYWAY, all of this to say that when I started reading this morning I was thrilled to read the above verse: "These things are written that your JOY may be full." I John 1:4

I feel like joy has been missing in my life lately and I've been looking for it. I know that if we seek, we shall find and so, I am excited to study First John and restore the joy in my life. The deeper I dig the more joy I will find! (Today I just read through the book once to start with.)

Where are you studying?

The (crayon) writing on the wall

2011-04-06T14:01:00.000-04:00

Have your kids ever taken a crayon to the wall?? Mine have! When I first became a mommy I used to keep up with the marks pretty regularly. But lately... things have gotten out of hand. Marks like this are all over the house:

To demonstrate the power of baking soda I first tried cleaning the area with a damp rag and soap. In the end the crayon was lighter, but it was still totally there.

Like I said, when I was a younger parent I would take care of such things fairly quickly. I tried all of my cleaners back then and none of them worked. If you've ever heard that magic erasers were made from baking soda, then you've heard correctly.

All I do is take a damp rag, dip it into baking soda and scrub the marks off the wall:

It does take some arm muscles, but you're a mom... you've got those! I'm not going to admit how many marks I took off the wall this week, but I will admit how very good it feels to have them out of here!

Bonus pictures

To show you the power of baking soda, you may see my kitchen sink before picture:

I sprinkled the sink with baking soda. I wet my rag in a different sink, then scrubbed away.

See how nice and shiny?:

What kind of things do you use baking soda for?

A lesson in trust

2011-04-05T09:41:00.001-04:00

Does this hair clip scare you? It doesn't scare me... I actually like it. My 2 year-old son, Ian, doesn't agree with me. Maybe opening up the clip and looking at its claws can appear frightening!

Yesterday I spent a good 5 minutes opening the clip in front of my son. At the beginning he was pretty shaken up. He would cover his eyes and try to hide from it. I never let the clip touch him, but I did keep opening it and assuring him that I wouldn't hurt him. I wanted to gain his trust.

My kids are taught from an early age that there is no Santa Clause or Easter Bunny. (They don't actually believe me, but that's a different story!) Some people may think I'm stifling their imagination, but its very important to me that they can trust me and what I tell them.

So, back to yesterday, by the end of our little encounter, Ian still wasn't crazy about the hair clip, but he did learn that I wouldn't hurt him with it.

The lesson I needed to learn was very apparent. We need to trust God. We may not always understand why we go through things, but God always has His reasons. Some things may actually hurt (just like when we give our kids immunizations), but its always for our good.

The other day I was on the phone with my dad and he, too, brought to my attention the importance of trusting God. Sometimes, as humans we try to take things into our own hands, but if we truly trust God, we should take our concerns to God in prayer... and trust!

This is linked up to Mom's Mustard Seeds weekly Seed planting.

"Try It" Challenge - Week One

2011-04-04T09:45:00.001-04:00

I'm excited to start this new challenge for the month of April. Clare over at Peak313 is hosting a "Try It" challenge. The idea is pretty straightforward. Each week for four weeks we're encouraged to incorporate a new food 4 out of 7 days. This weeks food is Greek Yogurt!

Our family LOVES yogurt, but we don't each much of the Greek variety. Actually, we haven't eaten much yogurt lately, because I have started making my own (it's way cheaper!). I haven't made any in a while... maybe I've been blogging too much?? SO, it'll be nice to buy Greek Yogurt and find fun ways to eat it! I'll update you at the end of the week on how we ate it!!

Also, Clare includes a spiritual challenge along with the food item. This week we're supposed to pray more fervently for our elders. Didn't I just mentioned that I wanted to pray more? What a great way to be egged on. :)

Spring is on its way!

2011-04-03T11:03:00.000-04:00

On March 20th we were informed that Spring has sprung. Since then the weather has been quite cold. In many areas people had snow storms. In our area we missed lots of snow this year and it even managed to stay away during Spring so far. This past week seemed to be particularly cold. Some days, when the wind blew it was bitter cold.

But you know what??? When the cold was making me want to run inside and snuggle under a blanket, I often found myself smiling. A true joyous smile even. Why? Ultimately it was because of the hope that I had set before me. Not hope in the sense of something I think may happen, but hope in something I know will happen, but just hasn't happened yet.

Listen to this scripture:

"While the earth remains,

Seedtime and harvest,

Cold and heat,

Winter and summer,

And day and night Shall not cease."

Genesis 8:22

Just about a month ago Japan suffered from a terrible earthquake and tsunami. Now the whole world is

wondering and possibly fearing, what is going to become of the nuclear reactors. As of right now there is highly radioactive seawater that is leaking out of one location and they are trying to plug it up.

When natural disasters of this magnitude strike its easy to get caught up in irrational fears. I am SO thankful I have the Bible to turn to. Global warming threatens many things, but the Bible is clear that as long as the earth is around we WILL HAVE summer and winter. So, have no fear, it won't be too long before we find ourselves seeking relief from the overbearing heat.

This verse was written after the flood, which occurred about 5000 years ago (correct me if I'm wrong on the date!). I think its interesting to note what this verse doesn't promise.

It doesn't say that the land as we know it will remain or the mountains. Think about it, the earth's land masses do change over time. Islands are formed, coasts are taken off the map, mountains erupt.

It doesn't say that the animals we know will still be here. Species go extinct, others are discovered and others adapt and change over time.

It doesn't even say the stars as we know them will remain. Did you know that over a 70 year period the whole stars as we know them slowly shift one degree? (So, it actually makes sense that the wise men saw and new star and were able to follow it, because the stars that we see shifted at that point.) Anyway, my point is that even the stars change.

It does say, however, that seedtime and harvest will remain. Famines have come and gone and yet during the dust bowl, when it seemed as though things would never grow, they were growing in other parts of the world and they started growing again in the USA later. The potato famine? Did you know there were other crops growing in Ireland at the time, but they had to deport them to England?

It does say cold and heat, winter and summer will remain. All these thousands of years later and it has still remained. God IS faithful who promised.

It does say that day and night not shall not cease. Joshua made the sun to stand still for one day, there was darkness over the whole land for three hours during the Lord's death and at a time during Revelation there will be darkness at one point, but do they cease, end forever? No.

Take heart in God's promises which will NEVER fail!

Bible in 90 Days

2011-04-02T01:23:00.000-04:00

I am ecstatic right now, so forgive me when I SHOUT WITH JOY in this post! I haven't told many people that I was doing this, but now that I'm DONE... on-time even, I thought I might be able to encourage others out there to take time to read their Bibles. Amy, over at MomsToolbox, hosted a challenge to read through THE ENTIRE BIBLE in 90 days. I finished less than an hour ago. She's currently hosting a "celebration" and she has asked some questions. Here are my answers:

Why did you read with us? I was saved 14 years ago. Every year for the first 4 or 5 years, I read through the Bible. After that life seemed to be constantly changing (read: kids kept taking root in my life) and I couldn't seem to finish the Bible. I still read, but just not all of it. My most recent attempt was a one year Bible plan. By the end of the second year I still hadn't made my way through. That's when I saw this plan. I tend to do well at tasks for a short period of time and then taper off. I figured three months was a short enough time frame for me to attempt. I also started off thinking that I don't have to finish in 90 days, I can do it in 100 and still be happy, but somehow I managed to do it in 90!!!!

How has it impacted you? I feel like I have a better understanding of how the Bible fits together. Currently, I also feel JOY, which hasn't been around in quite some time. I just finished reading Revelation, at the beginning and the end it says, more or less, that he is blessed who keeps the words of this book. Ending with that gives me a renewed desire to serve the Lord with all my heart.

I want to know how you kept reading: Not sure how to answer this one. I guess it was all God. When I first started reading I kept questioning why I was even trying. Was I trying to prove something? Wouldn't I be reading too quickly? Didn't I have housework to do? By the end, though, I realized that God sacrificed all for me. Why can't I sacrifice some of my time to get to know Him? That can't possibly be wrong. God wants us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice and this is an opportunity to do that. (BTW- each day's reading takes just about an hour.)

How did you catch up? I guess Amy asks this, because most people must fall behind at some point. I know I did. When I was finishing up the OT I was about 2 weeks behind and I was going to give up. Then Amy wrote an inspirational post that was just enough encouragement to keep me going. I started reading two readings a day in the NT. Some days I only did one, but that allowed me to finish just in time!

What got in your way? Taking care of sick children, too many outside activities, sleeping in and some days I just didn't feel like reading for an hour!

What did you overcome? I guess I overcame my own doubts. And I overcame my handicap of not being able to read through the Bible in recent years.

What are your next steps? Now I know that I can spare an hour a day. I'd like to go back over some areas that I took note of and study them more in depth. I'd like to pray more fervently. I'd like to put to practice a lot of what I read (in particular showing love to the brethren in practical ways). I'd like to read through the Bible at least once a year.

Anything else? Reading the Bible fully in 90 days has made me appreciate some pillars of the faith. Off the top of my head I can think of George Muller and Charles Macintosh... both of whom read through the Bible over 200 times (I think!). They were used mightily of God and maybe that has something to do with the fact that they gave their time to God. Now I don't want to suggest that every mother out there try this challenge, but I do want to encourage you to try to read and pray MORE. We can all benefit from more time with our Lord.

Link Love

2011-04-01T20:03:00.000-04:00

I just have three sites for you today:

Day 83 out of 365 - My sister-in-law has undertaken a difficult task of taking one picture a day for the year. (Its more like 60 pictures a day, but anyway!) On this day you get to see my brother and nephews.
Snack Girl - I found this site the other day. It ties in with my theme for the week. She's got LOTS of info. I haven't looked through all of it yet. She even has a packaged snacks tab. I think its quite different from my list, so make sure you check it out.
Smooth, Shiny Beauiful - My friend, Maggie, wrote an excellent post on having the right perspective. I struggle with this so much. Our house is old, we're not handy and I'm too busy doing nothing to keep up with the daily chaos. I urge you to read her post!

List of snack foods

2011-03-31T10:12:00.000-04:00

I've compiled a list (that's not exhaustive) of snack foods that you can feel a little less guilty about when you feed them to your family. Many of these may be familiar, but I'd like to steer you in the direction of a better decision. I'd love to hear what you serve!

Prepackaged/Salty

Lay's Classic Potato Chips - Plain chips, generally, are pretty safe. I like Lay's. They have Potatoes, oil and salt.
Natural Cheetos White Cheddar Puffs - These are yummy. I'm SO glad they decided to make this Natural's line of products!
Tostitos Tortilla Chips - Again, I say it's usually safer to go with the plain variety. This is such a versatile product (think of how many dips or nacho combos you can have).
Anything from Sensible Portions - Doesn't the name say it all? Its ok, in sensible portions. My kids really like the veggie straws. To tell you the truth we haven't seen many of their products. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled.
Indian Mixtures - In our house we shop at a Patel Brother's Indian Food Store to pick up Indian snack foods. We have found a few that have fake colors, but for the most part they are preservative and additive free. See if there's a location near you.

Prepackaged/Sweet

Cascadian Farms Chewy Granola Bars - Should be given as a treat and not as a meal. :) Actually, any of their cereals can be eaten dry as a snack.
Fruit Roll Ups Simply Fruit variety - Do your kids love fruit roll-ups? These are a "healthier" option. You kids will love them!
Apple Crisps - two things to note: 1. They're a little bit pricey. 2. The kids may not like the texture.
Trader Joe's Joe-Joe's - the best alternative to Oreo's that I've found. I like just about everything from Trader Joe's though. More about that in the future!

Other quick and easy's

Apple slices with peanut butter.
Nuts or sunflower seeds (for those with nut allergies) - be sure to read labels! Believe it or not, a lot of nuts have all kinds of crazy things added in.
Crackers and cream cheese.
Fruit or smoothies.

Ok, that's it for now!
How my week turned out...

Some big contenders - Food additives

2011-03-30T10:33:00.000-04:00

Continuing with our current theme, I have put together a list of some things I avoid when buying groceries. I hope this list of food additives will give you useful information if this is a new subject to you.

Sodium Benzoate- A preservative that causes hyperactivity in some children. Is not carcinogenic on its own, but in combination with asorbic acid or vitamin C, it is a carcinogen. This is found in MANY products including soda, soy sauce, some frozen foods and salad dressings. Note to ponder: Coca-cola has taken it out of its soft drinks... they have reasons.

MSG (aka monosodium glutamate): I’m not sure what is true in all that I’ve read, but symptoms for MSG are pretty bleak! Some of the symptoms I’ve read: headache, hyperactivity, becoming flushed, depression, brain damage (!) and obesity to name a few. Yes, MSG is found in Chinese restaurants, but it is also found throughout your grocery store, including lots of boxed dinner options. I know you can’t believe everything you read, but if you’re interested in reading more here are some websites: Truth in Labeling and MSG myth.

Aspartame: This is a sweetener found in many diet sodas and “sugar free” products. I came across many possible symptoms on this one. Some of them include: anxiety, dizziness, seizures (!), premature birth for pregnant ladies(!) and many more. Here is just one website.

High Fructose Corn Syrup: Another sweetener found in most all things that are sweetened. I hear its cheaper than sugar. There are mixed results on possible risks with this one. It is possible that your body doesn’t process the chemical, thus obesity may be an issue.

Artificial Food Dyes: Found in many colored foods (even white marshmallows!). It is possible that food dyes cause hyperactivity in some children. The FDA is currently reviewing some of these colors. Some European countries require warning labels on foods that contain them.

Sodium Nitrate/Nitrite: This is a color preservative found in most bacons, hot dogs and lunch meats, although you can find these products without the added nitrates/-ites if you look hard enough. The basic problem with them is that they may cause cancer. Most companies will say that you don’t consume enough to cause cancer, but.... limiting it would seem wise.

I know that the above information can make most people feel overwhelmed. I presented it to inform people, not to convince you that you need to take drastic action. Fresh food is always going to be the best and healthiest, that’s common sense. However, making everything fresh is just not practical in most of our lives.

Come back tomorrow and read a list of some of our favorite “safe” junk foods!

A Healthy Diet

2011-03-29T11:40:00.000-04:00

I really want to follow up yesterday's post with something of greater importance. I think we can all agree that what you eat can directly effect your health... for the good or bad. I'd like to propose, that likewise, what we feed our minds and souls, directly effects our spiritual health.

Note: this post is written for those who have already put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to be their Saviour. If you haven't but would like to, you can leave your e-mail in the comments section or read this article.

Let's look at three aspects of health:

1. Weight: In our day to day lives we want to see people that are at a healthy weight. The same holds true in our spiritual walks. Healthy people can eat a lot of food... as long as they choose healthy options and exercise enough. Job said, "I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food." (23:12) Imagine hungering for the word of God like that?? Job had a healthy spiritual weight indeed! In order for us to have that same healthy weight we need to feast on the Word of God throughout our free moments. And tell others about what we have learned (that's the exercise part)!

2. Overall health/cancer: If we hear of someone who has advanced stage cancer, generally we would say they are in poor health. Can you think of spiritual cancer? What about sin? Sin, just like cancer, starts off small. But if it is left alone it has the potential to ultimately kill us! Only the Lord Jesus Himself was able to lead a perfect life. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:8, 9

3. Behavior: Some people may not agree with me on this, but I believe that what we eat, can at times effect our actions (hence yesterday's post). Most of you are probably familiar with the fruit of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." (Galatians 5:22, 23) Just because we have the Spirit dwelling in us does not mean that these fruits will be manifested. If we fill our mind with "junk food" on a regular basis, we aren't leaving much room for the Spirit of God to shine forth. Again, reading the Word is essential as also is praying without ceasing.

The Lord Jesus Himself said, "Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? (i.e.- the toilet gets it!) But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man." Matthew 15: 17, 18

I stated yesterday that food is important to me... and it is, but what is MORE important is what goes into my spiritual walk. Some days feel more junk filled than others, but that should motivate me (and you!) to keep pressing on.

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." Phil. 4:8

How I became a label reader

2011-03-28T14:56:00.000-04:00

Food is very important to me. Three and a half years ago I first discovered information about food additives that I had never known about. I reported my findings on my blog. As of today, the Time magazine article I cited is still up and running! Since that time, I have been nothing short of confused. I go between being convinced of my findings to wondering if I'm making things up.

Today I ran across another article, which confirmed the things that I first thought. Let me lay out what I've discovered and hopefully bring some points for you to ponder.

1. I would know nothing if I didn't have my son, Seth. We love him dearly. He is a very active child who cares about people. But some days he can try the gentlest person's patience. When I first read the Time article mentioned above, I took him off sodium benzoate. I saw an immediate difference. He no longer had "anger issues." I should also note that at this time and all future happenings, I made a change to the family's diet, not just Seth's.

2. After a couple of years he seemed to be on the verge of ADHD. Some days he would act normal, like every other kid, but most days he would be full of energy and seem unable to focus. I decided to meet with a nutritionist last May and get further advice. Her advice was to take him off of ALL preservatives, food colorings and other additives. She also suggested going gluten free, drastically increasing fruits and veggies, maybe even cutting out dairy. This was all so new to me, but we "tried to try" it for 3 weeks. It was hard and there were many "slip ups." In the end, Seth did seem more attentive and mellow though.

3. Keeping up with all of the nutritionists advice was way too much for us. However, I started keeping preservatives, colorings and other additives (MSG, high fructose corn syrup) out of our diet. There is a catch though... we don't live in a cave. It seems candy shows up at every corner when we're not at home. In the end I feel that Seth (and the rest of us) still get too much in us.

4. Where do the doubts come in? From people of course! You see, I put all my faith in Christ Jesus and Him alone. If someone said to me that they think Jesus was just a good man and nothing more, that wouldn't waver my faith at all. I KNOW that my Redeemer lives and that He shall stand upon the latter day upon the earth. But with food... when I tell people that Seth reacts to food and they say, "well, couldn't that just be his personality to be hyper?" I don't trust in my research and observation. I think, maybe they're right and I forget all the good I've seen come out of Seth's diet changes. I have a hard time standing up for my choices. Its much easier not to rock the boat!

5. I have learned to read labels on just about everything I buy. This past week on my grocery trip two things worth noting happened. First, I bought lemon and lime juice and didn't read the labels assuming they had nothing but lemon and lime juice in them. Lo and behold, when I got home I realized they have sodium benzoate. :( I guess I'll use the lemon juice for cleaning purposes and I'm not sure what to do with the lime juice. Second story: we haven't had chocolate syrup in a while. I thought it would be nice to have some in the house. Since I haven't made any in a while, I figured it would just be easier to buy some. The only ones this particular store carried had red#40 and probably a preservative or two. Maybe I will have to get in the kitchen then! That brings me to number 6:

6. Some days it is just easier to make my own food then try and find "safe" foods... it's also cheaper most of the time. This experience has allowed me to spend many joyful hours in the kitchen. Even if I'm having a bad day, I usually cheer up when I start baking/cooking.

These are just some things that are on my mind. I'll probably write more later. If you've made it this far, I congratulate you! (Sorry for being so long winded!)

Orange Muffins

2011-03-26T21:20:00.000-04:00

How fun does "March Muffin Madness" sound to you??? The Kid Can Cook is hosting the madness this week and I thought it would be fun to join in.

I really like these muffins. My kids like them, too (I'll even share a story with you!) My husband likes them! That is incredible, considering there is fruit in these muffins. My husband DOES NOT eat fruit, but he eats these muffins. :)

Ian couldn't wait to sink his teeth in:

Patricia, our 4 year old, has made up her mind that she wants to have nothing to do with raisins or anything that slightly resembles them. As a matter of fact, on St. Patty's day, she didn't even try the Irish soda bread I baked even when the other kids were oohing and aahing over theirs.

This morning, when she saw me add craisins to the muffin batter, she started crying and telling me that she would only eat cereal. She was still crying 30 minutes later when I was serving the muffins. Her "no" was very clear. "I don't like craisins!" My husband was able to convince her to try 1/4 of one. If she didn't like it she could have her cereal. Before I knew it she polished the whole thing off and was asking for more!

Without further ado, I share the recipe...

Orange Muffins

1 whole orange (including peel)
3/4 cup craisins
1 cup sugar
2 tbs melted butter
3/4 cup milk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Grease your muffin pan and preheat oven to 400°. Wash your orange really well. Peel off a thin layer of the rind and chop finely (you don't have to be very thorough with this step). Slice the orange in eighths or quarters. Discard as much of the remaining rind as possible and any seeds. Place the orange sections, chopped peel and craisins in a food processor and pulse until coarse.

In a large bowl, mix sugar and melted butter until crumb-like. Add milk, flour, baking soda, salt and vanilla all at once. Mix just until combined (You don't want to over mix). Add orange mixture and mix until moist. Feel free to add a tablespoon or two of milk if the orange didn't produce much juice.

Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes until center is done. (Even at this high heat it could use the full 20 minutes.) Makes 12 full sized muffins.

If you have any questions about any techniques used, I'd be happy to try to help. :)

Link Love

2011-03-25T21:25:00.000-04:00

Food related

American-Irish soda bread - I'm not sure what makes this American, maybe because its a sweet bread?? It is the first Irish soda bread I made and it was the hit of our St. Patty's day dinner. Gotta love King Arthur Flour!
Homemade Ricotta - I never knew cheese could be SO SUPER easy to make. This is on my schedule within the next couple of days. Thanks for the easy tutorial from One Couple's Kitchen.
Bean and Rice Burritos - I always hear how cheap and easy burritos are to make. I'm glad Tammy posted a recipe for me to follow!
Saving money by doing without - Queen bee coupons gives practical tips on how to save money at the grocery store.
Prayer Needs - Are you familiar with Bakerella? She has been undergoing some health issues lately.

Craft related

Spring wreath - Who knew lentils and glue could look so good? Obviously Katie from Little Things Bring Smiles.
MYO Easter story eggs - Over at We are that family you are given ideas for each of the 12 eggs.
Japanese Lanterns - Wow! I think even I can make these! Dollar store crafts posts one affordable craft a day.
An egg made of buttons and a couple of bunnies - I just want to gobble this craft up, its so cute! Auntie Lolo knows how to make something special.
10 books about children from around the world - After yesterday's post, I'll end today's with this list from Delightful Children's Books.

4 Good Reads

2011-03-24T20:10:00.000-04:00

The kids and I make good use of our libraries. There are 3 of them within 15 minutes of our house. Sometimes I'm scheduled enough to get us to story time, but even if we don't make it we usually come home with a stash of books that keeps us occupied.

Recently, I borrowed 3 books on Japan to let the kids know a little bit more about the country. I found this to be a great way to "connect" with the Japanese. Below are other books we are glad came through our house.

"The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig" was adorable in more ways than one. In the end of the story, it is the weakest house that keeps the wolves safe. Its detailed enough to entertain my 7-year-old, but the pages are short enough to keep my 4-year-old's attention.

"Earl the Squirrel" was written by Don Freeman (the same author of "Corduroy"). The colors you see on the front are the three colors that are in the book (black, white and red). The simplistic coloring offers opportunities to discuss art with your preschooler. There is nothing complicated in the book and yet it is a "feel good" book.

Its interesting to note that "Earl the Squirrel" was published many years after Don Freeman's death. Apparently many publishers politely rejected the transcript during his lifetime. His son tried again recently and it was a hit! I'm glad they printed it.

About a month ago the kids and I have started using a compost bin. My mom found this book for us: "Garbage Helps Our Garden Grow: A Compost Story". This is another easy to read book, but very enjoyable. The pictures are clear, the concept is well laid out and the kids (and I) learned a thing or two about composting.

Did you know President Obama wrote a children's book? Neither did I until I saw "of Thee I Sing" staring me in the face! This book includes many famous Americans throughout history who have made a difference. The artwork is pleasant to the eyes. There is plenty to learn about those included, but the info is not exhaustive. It gives you a desire to explore the library more!

Do you have any suggestions of good books I can read to my kiddos?

God's provisions

2011-03-23T21:53:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had the privilege of reading several chapters of Matthew's gospel. One concept that I kept noticing was God's provision.

"Ask and it shall be given you." (7:7)

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (7:11)

"Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you?" (6:30)

My husband and I are at a point in our life where finances seem overwhelming. We're always wondering where our money goes. So, after reading these portions I prayed that the Lord would provide our needs and that we wouldn't get into debt over things. Is it any surprise that the Lord answered my prayer?

It was brought to my attention that Ian's shoes were starting to split in the front. I had seen a good deal at Walmart the day before, so I thought I'd pop in and see if it was still available. I didn't find a pair of sneakers for Ian, instead I found four pairs of sneakers for all of the kids. Get a load of this:

The total came to $22, as opposed to the $59 it would've been at full price. I love coming across good deals. I usually always walk away feeling like I accomplished something. But in this situation it wasn't just a good deal I walked away with. It was a clear answer to prayer. Yes, the Lord would provide my needs... for these, I didn't even need to spend coupon clipping time.

Patricia is showcasing three of the pairs that the kids are crazy about:

All of them fit perfectly. Ian doesn't want to part with his. Last night and tonight he cried when I got him ready for bed, because I had to take them off:

Have you proven God lately? It is a wonderful feeling to do so. Find a promise given by God in His Word. Pray, with faith and with pure intentions, that the Lord give/show/reveal His promise to you. Let me know!

He died a poor man...

2010-12-21T14:41:00.000-05:00

Last week I finished a book about George Muller, often remembered for running orphanages by faith. He didn't have a regular source of income for the 2000+ orphans that lived in the 5 orphanage homes. It was his desire to show people that God really can supply all of your needs. I venture to say that he succeeded.

There was more than one occasion when they didn't know where the next meal would come from, George would pray and the Lord would ALWAYS provide food. I'm talking about for hundreds of kids here, not a small family that can gather together a meal from the pantry.

After I finished the book I did a little more on-line research about him. I came across a non-Christian website that states: George Muller died a poor man. I can't help but think on that saying. It runs through my head multiple times a day.

I read his life's story. I can't think of a man who died richer. His life makes this Scripture real: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." He lost his life for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the end he found it. He found true peace, joy and happiness. He found favor with God AND man. He found fulfillment in providing for the means of countless souls.

He was not a poor man. He stored up his treasures in heaven and is now reaping the benefit.

Notes from the Meeting

2010-09-19T21:22:00.000-04:00

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. I Corinthians 1:10

There are four things that we should judge as Christians:

Ourselves. At least every week we should be examining ourselves. I Corinthians 11: 28-31
Things which are excellent. We should pray for spiritual discernment for the Lord's will in our lives. Knowing what is the good and best things for us. Phil. 1:10; I Cor. 2:12-15
Doctrine. How can we believe everything we hear? We need to search the scriptures daily, confirming or rectifying all that we hear. Acts 17:11, I Cor. 14:29
Unconfessed sin in the local church. This is important for the health of any church. I Cor. 5

There are four things that we should not judge as Christians:

A person's motives. That's a tough one! I Cor. 4:1-5
Physical appearances. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. I Sam. 16:7, John 7:24 and I Cor. 8:8
Another man's liberty. Romans 14:4-12 clearly defines this principle. Sometimes we feel very convicted about things in our own lives. If that's the case, then we should hold to that conviction, but we shouldn't hold others to that same feeling. See also I Cor. 10:29
Anothers actions when we're doing the same thing. Think about the well known verse: Judge not, lest you yourself be judged. Matthew 7:1-5 goes into a little more detail. If we notice the speck in our neighbor's eye, but neglect the plank in our own, then maybe we should go back to the beginning: judging ourselves.

The most interesting thing I found was that there really is only one instance (in this given message) where we're to judge other people. Most of the judging is inward and refraining from inappropriate judging of others. And that is the "same judgment" we're supposed to have with the local believers. There is definitely a lot for me to ponder.

Disclaimer: I get the ideas for this during my time at church meetings on Sunday. I am not writing everything exactly as I heard it. Some of my own thoughts may be thrown in. (A special thank you to the sharer) May you be encouraged in your walk as I am in mine. :)

Saturday Stumbles

2010-09-18T22:24:00.000-04:00

Saturday is almost over, but I'm sneaking in to post some neat finds from this week.

I've been looking for a new chocolate chip cookie recipe. I can't wait to try Savour Fare's version with the sea salt!
This video is a must see for all mom's with girls. Smockity Frock shows how to quickly and straightly cut girl's bangs.
In the beginning of Oct kicks off the Cake Pops Book Tour. Bakerella will be traveling the US signing copies of her new book. She's not really coming near us :( .
I love this news article about a bibliophile's home transformation .
Last but not least, I found this great site called Dollar Store Crafts. All of their mostly nice looking crafts can be done with items costing around $1. You may need more than one item, but they are still relatively cheap.

For other links be sure to check out It's Come 2 This.

bubble painting

2010-09-15T19:15:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we had some friends over. We had fun and did a craft! Have you ever heard of bubble painting? Me neither, not until a week or so ago. You should read the instructions yourself, because I had the hardest time getting the right proportions. I think my cups were too big (8 oz, not 16!).

Tabitha finally figured out the trick to getting a nice looking circle on the paper. Mind you, by this point she was about the only child still interested in doing the craft. She held the paper over the cup and blew at the same time.

I tried to insist on the adults being the only bubble blowers, but the kids insisted. We only had two kids accidentally suck the straw, instead of blow. I think that's when most of the kids decided to play instead.

The final product. Isn't it the most exciting thing you've ever seen?

Today, after school, kind of right around dinner time, Tabitha decided to make her three sheets of paper into bookmarks.

The fun didn't stop there, though. Next she insisted on sitting outside, with a table. You know what's coming next, don't you?

"Bookmarks for sale!" Tabitha was a little discouraged at first, because nobody was stopping. But after 15 minutes she made $2.00.

I had to convince her to come back in the house, because we needed to eat that dinner I spoke of earlier. She was a little worried that while she was at school tomorrow she may miss some sales. "Mom, can I stay home from school tomorrow so I can sell bookmarks?"

Menu Plan Monday

2010-09-13T21:57:00.000-04:00

Can you believe we're in the middle of September already?! Just a few short weeks until October hits us. Time is gliding swiftly by...

I feel tired so I tried to make a simple menu this week.

Breakfasts will be smoothies, cereal, pancakes and muffins or something to that effect.

Lunches will be various types of sandwiches and a leftover meal or two.

Suppers:

Frozen pizza - told you I was going for simple!

Black beans and rice

Maybe an easy gumbo if I can come across a decent looking recipe

Philly cheesesteaks- good ole frozen food section

Grilled cheese sandwiches with Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Soup. I wanted to do something fancier than a regular grilled cheese, so I searched and found The Grill Cheese Academy. I plan on making the Flatiron (#6).

And leftovers

For other Menu Plan ideas check out "I'm an Organizing Junkie".

Goodbye Brother Garnes

2010-09-09T16:30:00.000-04:00

Today we attended a funeral. "Garnes, who drinks only water." He was mocked by classmates many years ago. I wonder how many of those classmates lived to be 98.

Brother Garnes was the first African-American to become a plastic surgeon in the US. Imagine achieving that! Yet most of all, he was known for being a great Bible teacher with his actions living up to his preaching. He married Enoch and I almost 8 years ago. At the funeral we met a man that he married 35 years ago. I wonder how many couples he brought together.

Several years ago he and Tabitha had the following conversation:
Tabitha: Brother Garnes, how old are you?
Garnes: How old do you think I am?
Tabitha: One MILLION years old
Garnes (smiling): Not yet.

He hasn't reached a million yet, but now that he's with our Lord, he will.

This morning in the car, Tabitha said, "I'll always remember him saying, 'It's THE Book, not A book. THE Book' "

Seth also had a memorable thought. I'm not sure what to think of it or why everything in the world is so unjust, but I'll let you make of it what you will: "It's no fair everyone else gets to die, except me."

Friendly reminder

2010-09-07T16:04:00.000-04:00

My son came home from school today and without having a second thought he threw his school bag on the table. Apparently I need to have a talk with him. In the meantime I thought I'd have a talk with you.

In years past I've heard the importance of remembering the germs on our purses. One thing that I'm always careful about are public restrooms. I don't put my purse on the floor in them. I hang it on the provided handle. If there isn't one, I just hang it on the side of the door itself.

When you come home don't put your purse on the kitchen counter. (Do you see how disgusting public restrooms and kitchen counters look together?) Remember even if the bathroom floors are avoided we still tend to put them on floors in general.

That brings me to my next point. Our children aren't usually as careful with their belongings. Their backpacks are thrown who knows where and they are then put on our eating spots. Germs, germs, germs and more germs. Remember our hidden friends when it comes to our bag carriers.

And in other totally unrelated news: Did you know that Cockroach brains could be rich stores of new antibiotics?

Why I love my student planner

2010-09-02T11:23:00.000-04:00

Continuing with the back to school theme, I thought I would share a little about my favorite tool. Your average Student planner. I'll dive in with my reasons. :)

1. Its portable. You can technically take it with you when you go to the doctors, but just being able to sit at the computer and jot in important dates is better than standing in the kitchen. It is also nice to have when you travel so you can have your schedule with you or write down the things you did.

2. Design that fits your year. There are so many styles and designs that you won't get bored from year to year. This year I went with a pattern that reminds me of Indian styles.

3. Week at a glace. This is probably my favorite and most helpful reason. Sometime during my current week, I will take a few seconds to peek at the upcoming weeks to see if there is anything significant coming up. The weekly time frame is perfect for the perspective that fits me.

4. Plenty of daily space. I'm not a business executive with tons of meetings. I don't homeschool my children, therefore needing daily curriculum information isn't necessary. So, the 6 or so lines per day gives me enough room to write all kinds of stuff. I will often write addresses of events, things I need to bring to pot lucks and other pertinent info.

5. The pocket is just right. There's a pocket in the back that works for me! I usually hold the library receipt there, so I know what books we owe them. Other times I'll put a paper that I need to bring to some event. It's always where I need it.

6. Small enough to keep. I am a memory keeper! This is a great size for me. I can keep all of my old ones for memories. :)

7. Great for remembering. No, this picture isn't an announcement of any sort (although that would be kind of cool). But it is nice to be able and look back to days gone by. If Tabitha wants to know when she lost her first tooth, I can just look it up!

Finally:
8. It goes along with the school year. Being a student planner and all... When the kids school year begins I take the school calender and plug in all the dates. Sports, dance classes, singing, they all fit perfectly and all at once.

For other Works for me Wednesday tips visit We are THAT Family.

Mom's Visit

2010-09-01T19:32:00.000-04:00

My mom visited us for a couple of weeks. The kids love spending time with her. We didn't have any fancy adventures while she was here, but we did enjoy each others company.

She loved spotting the two deer that often glean from our back yard. These two siblings used to come with their mother, but I haven't seen her in a few months.

They kind of trust us. Even when we're outside they just look, but continue eating. Aren't they cute?

One day we went on a walk just for Patricia. The other two had started school, so we made sure she had something special just for her. (Ian was there, but he stayed in his stroller)

Here are the two Patricia's enjoy some time along the walk.

While she was here I did lots of baking. Everyone enjoyed that!

The kids even got to play in dirt. Ian is the first one who has done this and the others have followed suit. I try to prevent it, but they never listen to me!

Ian even got to taste it. Yuck! It didn't take him long to learn that.

And of course, the kids got off to school during her time here.

Bye mom! Come back soon!

Quick and Easy Breakfasts

2010-08-31T12:11:00.000-04:00

With the start of school, quick breakfasts are more than welcome. In our own family we undergo the typical morning rush. For several years I served mostly cereal. My kids got tired of it. As a matter of fact, this morning I served them cereal and they moaned. I honestly tell you that I haven't served them cereal in over a week, so they have no excuse. Crazy kids, what are you going to do. :)

So, without further ado, I will give you some ideas. If you plan ahead you can serve your kiddos something different every day of the week!

Smoothies. There are tons of recipes on the web. (Check out Allrecipes.com, Cooks.com and Tasty Kitchen just to get started - these are linked to their smoothies pages)

Frozen waffles or pancakes - if you have time you can make your own, but I prefer buying them.

Toast with toppings - some ideas: cream cheese, peanut butter, jam, gouda cheese, nutella, plain butter. Here is a special treat that my Dutch friend taught me: butter with chocolate sprinkles (it is most delish, but ssshhh. We don't want the kids asking for that all the time.)

Muffins. You can make these the night before so they're ready for your morning. Here is a banana muffin recipe I have recently fallen in love with.

Mini bagels with cream cheese

Scrambled eggs or hard boiled eggs you've boiled the night before

Parfaits. I love these. First place fruit (fresh or thawed frozen) on the bottom of a bowl. I like berries the best. Cover with your favorite yogurt. Top with your favorite not-too-sweet cereal or granola.

Instant oatmeal if you're into that kind of thing. :) Try to add fruits or nuts.

English muffins topped with pasta sauce and cheese then toasted. Mini pizzas. They'll love it. :)

I hope this gives you some pointers. Please let me know if you have any others.

Take a few minutes to check out my other back to school posts if you haven't done so already. ~Michelle

Menu Plan Monday

2010-08-30T10:15:00.000-04:00

The kids completed their first week of school already. Now we're back to the routine of things.

Our menu last week went well. I think out of everything we ate, my favorite thing was the smoothie. It was a strawberry banana pineapple smoothie that I found at Cooks.com. It made quite a bit, but it was all finished within minutes.

On the menu for this week:

Breakfasts: cereal, smoothies, muffins, scrambled eggs, mini bagels and frozen waffles

Lunches: grilled cheese, pb and j, tuna sandwiches, lunch meat sandwiches, leftovers and mac and cheese

Dinners:

Tortellini

Black eyed peas, rice and some veggies

Jen's frozen beef enchiladas

chicken thighs, chili cheddar pasta and green beans

eggplant parm

main dish tuna salad

leftovers

For more menu planning ideas make sure to check out I'm an organizing junkie's weekly feature: Menu Plan Monday.

Lunch Packing Ideas

2010-08-29T21:34:00.000-04:00

It's Sunday night and I just finished making a batch of Marbles Cookies. With the kids back in school I find this the perfect evening of the week to make a batch of cookies.

When they are cool enough I put two at a time into baggies. (I usually prefer plastic wrap, but mine is giving me issues lately!) For this week I made 12 little packages. That's enough for 5 school lunches for two kids and 2 husband lunches.

I keep them all together in one handy place, so they're easy to put together when I need them.

It's also easy to do this with pretzels or veggie sticks. Whole fruits can be put aside. Canned fruits, yogurt or applesauce can be put into containers if you don't buy the individual cups. When your morning flurry of activity begins, the lunches are put together so much more easily with these short cuts on hand.

I am no where near being an organized person. Planning ahead and keeping up with things before they occur does not come naturally to me. However, I can assure you that simple short cuts such as this one will save you lots of time and stress in the end.

Take a few minutes to check out my other back to school posts if you haven't done so already. ~Michelle

Thank you Mrs. Fields for this recipe. :)
Marbles Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 cup (4 oz) sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300° F.

In medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Combine sugars with electric mixer at medium speed. Add butter and beat until batter is grainy. Add egg, sour cream and vanilla. Beat until fully combined. Add the flour mix. Blend at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix!

Melt chocolate chips in double broiler or microwave according to package directions.

Cool chocolate for a few minutes then pour over cookie batter. Using a wooden spoon, lightly fold melted chocolate into the dough. Do not mix chocolate completely into the dough as you are trying to create a marble effect.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Do not brown. Quickly transfer cookies to a cool surface.

Notes from the Meeting

2010-08-29T17:55:00.000-04:00

Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:26, 27

Nothing is too hard for The Lord. Not even allowing a way for sinful humans to enter a sinless heaven. The Lord God of heaven, Jesus Christ Himself, came to earth. He allowed us to hang Him on the cross in order to take the punishment for our less than perfect actions away. He freely offers this gift of eternal life to everyone. However, like all gifts, it must be accepted. As painful and difficult as it was for the Lord to die in our place, it was not too hard. Is it too hard for us to accept this wonderful gift? Just something to think about.

For those of us who are true believers, the Lord has only a few simple commands in the New Testament. One of them is "Do this in remembrance of Me" Luke 22:19. Do we take the time to remember Him who remembered us?

Disclaimer: I get the ideas for this during my time at church meetings on Sunday. I am not writing everything exactly as I heard it. Some of my own thoughts may be thrown in. (A special thank you to the sharer) May you be encouraged in your walk as I am in mine. :)

Space saving desk

2010-08-28T16:37:00.003-04:00

Tabitha is happy to be using her desk for the first time this year. I bought all the supplies for it last school year, but only got around to putting things together the week before school started this year. (Seth also has one that is baseball themed.)

One of the supplies from her hanging pencil pouch along with an animated expression:

The cork board thingies for future use:

This was simple enough to make. If you're strapped for money or space this is a good answer. I keep mine folded and off in a corner. The kids like that they can have their own privacy and all the supplies they could possibly need for their homework.

I read about this in Family Fun magazine. They always have lots of fun ideas.

Take a few minutes to check out my other back to school posts if you haven't done so already. ~Michelle

Supplies

one tri-fold poster board cut in half
small cork board and thumbtacks
plastic hook
magnet friendly ruler and magnets
extra strong double sided tape
pencil pouch filled with student's needs
paper decorations (cut outs from magazines, children's art, memorabilia from a day trip, etc)
decoupage glue, paint brush and bowl

Directions
Attach ruler and cork boards in desired locations with double sided tape. Apply plastic hook making sure to leave enough room for the pencil pouch to hang.

Have your pictures ready to go. Paint the decoupage glue in the area for your first picture, place picture on top, then paint liberally with more glue, making sure it all looks even. Continue doing this until you are content with the outcome.

Set the poster board aside for 4 hours or so, laying it flat so everything dries nicely. Now you can hang your full pencil pouch. Place magnets on ruler and push thumbtacks into the cork board.

Time: 30-40 minutes or work. 5 hours til usable.

Here we go again

2010-08-25T11:22:00.000-04:00

Today was Seth's first day of Kindergarten. He was excited, although he shows it differently than Tabitha. He's just not as giddy.

All morning Tabitha was giving him tips about school. "You can't scream like that in school, Seth." "You have gym in kindergarten, but they call it PE." "You get to take your own books out of the library EVERY WEEK." "Don't hit anyone or yell at them or you'll have to go to the principal's office." There was no end of advice.

I could not get him to stand still for pictures, so I had to accept his funky dance moves.

He's got some rhythm, like I haven't seen among the other kids.

Spiderman backpack:

Happy face.

Cluster of acorns. Our backyard is full of them.

And they're off. Patricia is always running.

We had the whole family with us today. Hi Enoch and Ian! (No pictures of the photographer, please and thank you. :) )

Now he's at school and has on his stoic look that must run in the family.

There's his teacher. Seth gets his own locker... how fun!

I'll end with Ian our future ball player. He puts a smile on my face. He's wearing a baseball outfit. He insisted on the baseball cap and he cries when he doesn't have a ball in his hand.

School binder

2010-08-24T20:04:00.004-04:00

I am a BIG collector of memories. I think, in part, its because I have such a bad memory. Storing things away helps me remember them when I look at them. For my children, who I know will forget much of their early years, I feel like I have to store their memories for them.

For a couple of years now I have stored "special" school papers in a big closed folder type thingy. One for each child per year kind of thing. I think that system works ok, but the folder can get ripped if it's handled too much and the contents can get all out of sorts, so I am trying something new this year.

Behold, The Memory Binder:

Da, da, da, dun:

Inside I store all sorts of things (obviously). Today I'll be demonstrating Tabitha's Kindergarten binder.

When you open it up I have her class picture in a page protector. Easy to see and not so easy to bend or smudge. Well, I suppose with kids it will still be easy to destroy, but hopefully it won't be too bad.

Enoch saw this picture hanging in the school office and asked if he could have it when they were done. They said yes! I glued the glasses she's wearing in the picture on top. (Tabitha is the one with her head turned in the yellow shirt and overall dress)

I like to keep at least one copy of papers that she does regularly.

This is a certificate she earned during the year.

Larger art work gets folded in thirds and hole punched in.

Some pieces were too small to be punched or I just wanted to keep them whole. For those, I glued them onto construction paper and added them to the book.

Right now they are sitting on my book shelf, but they'll eventually make their way to a more secure storage location. Assuming I do this until about 5th grade for the four kids I should have about 24 binders. YIKES!

Do you have any good memory storage ideas I should know about???

For other tips, check out Works for me Wednesday at We are THAT family.

Take a few minutes to check out my other back to school posts if you haven't done so already. ~Michelle

Kitchen Tip Tuesday

2010-08-24T10:05:00.000-04:00

Does it bother you to throw things away instead of using them? I came across this tip a few years ago and I love it. You know the plastic tabs that close your bag of bread, potatoes or onions? We save them in our house. I use them to scrape off dishes that has food stuck to it.

For instance, this here pot, my mom tried using the scrub brush for, but she couldn't get it clean. My handy dandy tab did the job in just a few short minutes.

I used to use my fingernails a lot, but that can hurt! Let me know if you have any other methods of getting stuck on food off of your dishes.

To see other tips, visit Tammy's Recipes. She is a faithful sister in the Lord.

First Day of School- Tabitha

2010-08-23T21:57:00.000-04:00

Tabitha has been waiting for this day all summer. Sure, she enjoyed our sporadic outings, but she missed being in school all day every day. She's a social girl, what can I say?

Today, she was totally ready to enter 2nd grade. She was dressed within 5 minutes of waking up and begging to leave right away. I had to convince her to eat something, anything to fill her little belly. When she was fed, she begged to leave again, but it was still too early.

The power of packed lunch. She got upset, because something in her lunch leaked. Every year something ruins her lunch bag early on. Hopefully this year she can hang onto this for the whole year.

This is the best pic I could get of all four kids together. They rarely ever cooperate for group shots. Seth makes sure that he looks upset in all group pictures, but he really is happy. Just another of his attention getting techniques, I suppose. (He gets to start school in two days, so you'll see another set of pics then, Lord willing.)

This is the view from our front door. As you can see, we don't have far to go.

Tabitha wasted NO TIME. She rushed ahead of me, I barely had time to take the camera out of the bag to capture this shot. :)

When she finally got in her class room, she was suddenly quiet and nervous. By the end she had a great day and made some new friends as well as connected with the old ones.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-08-23T14:22:00.002-04:00

In October, Enoch and I will have our 8th wedding anniversary. Time sure does fly! Well, for about the last month I've been making weekly menus. I'm not sure what's taken me so long to finally do it, but it has helped me tremendously.

Not only do I now make menus, but now I get to share them with you. Isn't that exciting???!!! :)

Breakfasts: muffins, smoothies and toast, pancakes, cereal, dosai with sambar, and yogurt parfaits.

Lunches: PB & J, egg salad, leftovers, lunch meat sandwiches, pot pies, quesadillas, grill cheese sandwiches and leftovers.

Dinners: Chicken drumsticks with carrots and potatoes.

Mexican shepard's pie

Sausage in spaghetti sauce with rotini and coleslaw

Hotdogs with chili sauce, chips and veggies

picadillo

kabobs

leftovers night.

With menu planning I end up having more than enough food for the week. Whatever meals we don't end up cooking, make the follow week that much more easy.

For more menu ideas hop over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Splashing fun?

2010-08-22T17:52:00.000-04:00

Is this a face only a mother could love? Yes, it is... if you knew where he had just been. I will start off by saying that he is our first child who has repeatedly gone to this place for fun. I don't know how long he was there, but he was found at the toilet getting soaked. I'm sure you're just as disgusted as I get each time I find him in that area of the house.

I don't have any action shots, thankfully. This picture was taken after I scrubbed him down and put clean clothes on him.

What kind of yucky situations have you found your kids in?

Afternoon Amusement

2010-08-21T17:55:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we bought this puzzle at Target in their dollar spot section. It's a 100 piece good quality puzzle.

Tabitha enjoyed spending her time making it. I like it. On the box they tell you what planets are what. Anything to quietly occupy children and teach them something at the same time sounds like a good deal to me.

Here's the coolest thing about the puzzle, though. You can imagine how much the kids liked the glow in the dark part:

Have you found any great $1 finds lately?

Side trip to Oregon

2010-08-20T16:49:00.001-04:00

During our visit to Seattle we took a couple days to drive down the Oregon coast. Welcome to Oregon!!!

From this picture one would think that our kids really enjoyed the ride. Everything we saw was breathtaking, but the kids mostly complained about being in the car.

I guess in this case the kids were glad to be "out of" the car. :) Here they are with their abba.

This is from a 415 year old tree. Posing with the grands.

A cool piece of driftwood.

It wouldn't be complete without a climb, now would it?

The beaches are beautiful, although a little too chilly to go into.

"Be careful Patricia!" :)

My seagull friend.

Look! A picture with just Enoch and I together. Haven't seen one of those in a while.

This is what we went on the drive for- to see all these beauties. Too bad the kids couldn't understand that this is what its all about.

I loved the rocky cliff thingies.

I really think we should have gone on a nice hike. That really would have completed the trip, but it just wasn't in the agenda. Next time, right?

Abba and Jeji themselves.

I think these are cows, but I kind of forget.

The man, abba, himself, just a few short weeks after his heart procedure. Already braving an adventure with 4 rambunctious kids.

Just lovely.

Beach in the morning.

We looked for sand dollars, but we couldn't find any.

Ian and Jeji.

We stopped by a family friend's house on our way back to Seattle. Lovely visit for lunch.

Goodbye Oregon. See you next time!

Farewell Summer!

2010-08-19T10:25:00.000-04:00

We've had a fun summer and at times it was difficult. Already school will be starting within a few days! We had lots of fun adventures. Our summer started off with a two week trip to Seattle, WA. We did lots of fun things, but most of our enjoyment came from spending quality time with my in-laws.

I won't use many words, I'll just show a few pics from our time.

The kids loved playing at the playground near their grandparents house. Tabitha learned how to do the monkey bars finally! She is very excited about that.

Enoch taught everyone, including Sam, a bit about basketball. (I can't seem to figure out the new picture ways of Blogger!)

One day we went on a safari adventure. Here are some moose (I think).

Enoch carrying around Seth.

This pond was covered in a green moss thing.

Ian with Seattle's backdrop.

A big leaf we found from a tree.

We had almost daily trips to DQ. There burgers aren't as good as they look in their pics.

Everyone out there has beautiful gardens with many different types of flowers.

This was my favorite flower:

Our most lasting memories come from the bonsai collection we saw.

The bonsai forests were pretty amazing to think about.

Next up: our drive down the Oregon coast!

Are you in the club?

2010-05-05T22:03:00.000-04:00

Have you ever heard an angry child use the "H" word? The thought of one of my kids saying, "I hate you" makes me cringe. I'm glad my kids haven't picked up that habit from their surroundings. No, they are much more creative than that. Well, at least in this regard.

Instead of the not so nice word, I tend to hear the kids saying, "you're out of my club, then!". They say it all day long. Believe me I've been kicked out of the club more often than not. I do give them some credit though. On more than a few occasions Patricia has told me that I'm in her club. That's usually a result of some kindness that's been shown to her.

I asked them the other day what kind of stuff they do in their clubs. Tabitha said, "Like, we do fun crafts and other fun stuff like that." That seemed like a good answer to me, because I know she likes to think she does that with the other two at times.

Seth never did answer me. I guess it was too girly of a question.

Patricia, who never fails to amuse, started jumping around and told me that they get to color and do Irish dancing in her club. I'm pretty sure its all in her head, but at least she made me smile.

I hope that when my kids grow up I'm "in the club" and not kicked out for being too overbearing.

$50 tacos

2010-04-29T23:09:00.000-04:00

Last week we all went on a diet. I don't think I've ever been on a diet my whole 31 years, but now I am on one and so is my family. We are trying to go gluten free, cut out all preservatives, eat way more fruits and veggies than you can shake a stick at and cut down on good ole sugar. We're doing this to see if the behavior of a certain boy in our family changes for the better in some ways. It's a three week trial.

And trial it is. It's been so tough in different ways. One of the most noticeable ways is financially. I never realized how expensive it is to keep your house stocked with fresh produce. It's only been a week, but I've been to the store about 4 times and each time I spend way too much money. Produce really adds up!

I went grocery shopping on Monday and I told myself and Enoch that we were good for the rest of the week. Well, today is Thursday and I didn't have anything to serve us for dinner. I was given permission to run to the store.

I planned on getting stuff to make tacos. Nothing harmless in that. While I was there I figured I'd pick up some more bananas, since we just ran out... "maybe a couple of potatoes, too. They will go to good use within the next couple of days. Oh yeah, that applesauce is on sale, let me just grab a couple of those. Well, that's right next to the canned fruit. Since we do seem to keep running out of fresh fruit so quickly, what's the harm in a couple of cans???" In the baking aisle I saw that Betty Crocker now sells gluten free brownie mixes for a mere $3.79 a box. That's not too cheap, but compared to the usual $5 a box for gluten free stuff it is an improvement. I do have some self control though, I didn't purchase any. Small victories do happen sometimes! While I was getting the cheese for the tacos I threw a couple of ice cream cartons in the cart (on sale, of course). Negative $50 and positive guilty feelings later I was on my way home.

Does anyone out there have tips on how to keep well stocked produce in the house without breaking the bank? I could really use some advice!

A Walk with God?

2009-12-14T22:51:00.002-05:00

Today I went on a three mile walk. It was a beautiful day and I've been wanting to walk for sometime now. So, I packed the two kids I had in the car (yes, a car ride to walk, that's Michelle style). When we got to the starting point I put them in the stroller and started off. These quieter times in my life tend to be good times of prayer and pondering life in general. Today was no different.

About a mile into the walk we encountered another mom with a stroller. We were able to walk along and talk for a nice little clip. There was nothing unusual about our conversation. After we parted ways I realized something very interesting. Everyone has tons of "names" in their lives. I'm sure you can easily think of 15 people you know and interact with fairly regularly. Well, the three names that she disclosed to me have left a mark on me. It wasn't long before we shared our kids names with each other. Her son in the stroller is named, CHRISTIAN. When I told her my name is Michelle, she gave that surprised look and told me that MICHELLE was her daughter's name. Then she told me her name: PAZ. I translated it right away: PEACE. Lovely name.

So, as I continued on my walk, which happened to have steep hills I pondered those three names: Christian, Michelle, Peace. Some hills were steep on a downward slope, making them easy to accomplish. Others were so steep upwards I didn't think I'd be able to continue (no thanks to the stroller!).

Then I met another lady. She was a mom or grandmom, not sure which. We were going opposite directions, so we only talked for a couple of minutes. She encouraged me strongly to enjoy my children because they grow up fast and then I won't have them any more. I thanked her profusely. It was such a pleasant thing to hear. People normally snicker and say things like, "you sure have your hands full!"

I wasn't expecting God to clearly reveal Himself today, but He did. He promised me peace through difficult and easy times of life. Of course, none of this would be possible without first having received the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. Having entered into the family of God, I can now enjoy the peace of God which passes all understanding.

before and after...

2009-11-25T22:53:00.003-05:00

Where do I begin? That's what I've been asking myself for several years now. I've been so totally overwhelmed with everything all the time and I just never knew where to begin. Ian is 8-months-old now and I still haven't felt like I've bounced back like I have with all the others. I have felt stressed beyond normal and my house has become a disaster. I never liked it and yet I didn't have the energy or the know-how to change it.

A couple of weeks ago I checked out five books from the library on organizing and storage. I figured that I was never really taught how to keep things orderly, so I'm sure I can learn a thing or two from these "experts". I didn't think they would have such a big impact. A lot of the things I read were things I used to do, but have fallen out of the habit of doing. The major thing I learned is to make sure everything has a home and to put everything in their home. I honestly think that half the stuff in my house is homeless! Poor things. :)

Well, I've written up a personal list of over 30 areas I'd like to declutter in my home. I took before and after pictures of the first project, which I refuse to show you. The before pictures are just too cluttered. I forgot to take pictures of projects 2 and 3. But after those three our bedroom is now relaxing! I am already not as stressed as I was a week ago. Enoch was able to tell the difference. He also said he now likes to stay in the bedroom because its so clean. He even gets on my case if something is out of its home!

I've always envied "organized" people and knew that I wanted to be like them. Well, I think my time is coming. I still have many areas to conquer, but I have made a strong start and there's no going back! From my first three "projects" Enoch has said that he's never seen me organize like that before. Sure, I've cleaned up these areas in the past, but this time is different somehow.

Ok, I'll stop jabbering. These pictures are from my fourth decluttering project. This is the top of the piano. Unfortunately this is how most of my house has become. Things piling up like crazy without anywhere to go. You'll notice there is really no empty space.

Here is the after shot.
I finished framing Ian's six month picture, so he could join the others. This wall space was begging to hold them, so I obliged. I cut out a rectangle to scale of the wall and four small ones to scale of the frames. Enoch and I fiddled with them until we came up with this layout. Our wedding picture was on top of a tall desk with some other pictures. They were really too high to notice anyway. My friend passed the candle holder on to me about a year ago. I finally took it out and purchased candles for it. As a finishing touch I added this iron basket of mine. I didn't know what to put in it, so I put the flowers Enoch brought home for me the other day. Does the red look too out of place?

I know many of your houses look like this, but this is a major accomplishment for me. I'm excited to embark on this adventure!

Since we're doing before and after I must include Ian's first haircut. Everyone used to think he looked like a girl, so we had to cut off his curly cues, even though we loved them to pieces. Here he is, unsure of what's going on:
I like his handsome new look, but am still looking forward to some curls coming back:

First day of school...again!

2009-10-09T11:24:00.003-04:00

On the day of October 1, Seth started preschool. It was a last minute decision, but we all feel that it was a good one. At home Seth was getting bored and I haven't had much energy to do much with him. Next year he's supposed to start kindergarten and I wanted him to have a head start. So, the new schedule is M-F 9-3. All day, every day. I'll write stories throughout the pictures.

With our new schedule Tabitha is now a "car rider". We drop her off and pick her up with the mini van. No more walking to school for her these days! Every time I drop Seth off at school he pleads with me to let him go in by himself. The way his school is set up, I kind of have to go in with him. I have to disappoint him every day by not letting him be such a big boy!

On the second day of school when I picked him up, I was trying to converse with one of his girl classmates (there are only 7 students total). The teacher told me that Seth tried to kiss her that day. I told her he must think she's beautiful! On the way home I asked Seth about it. He said he wants to marry her, but he can't. I asked why not. His response: "I asked her if she wants to marry me, but she said, 'NO!' "

Next Tuesday Seth has a field trip to a pumpkin patch. I've been talking to the teacher and due to Tabitha's school schedule that day all three of the other kids and I get to tag along! Wouldn't you know it, I had to "break the news" to Seth. He was upset, he wants to go with his friends by himself and not have us there. I've been realizing more and more how much he wants to not communicate. I think it's a boy thing, I don't know!

birthday boy

2009-09-12T22:45:00.003-04:00

He's not a full year yet, but he's halfway there! (Don't worry, I don't do half year birthday parties, we were celebrating another person's birthday above.)

Ian has been such a joy to have in our family. He has a hearty laugh that usually only comes out while rough housing. That must be a fourth child thing. :)

Ian is our slowest teether and our biggest gainer. Tabitha and Seth got their first teeth and 3 1/2 months, while Patricia was around 5 months. Ian still hasn't popped his first tooth! What's he waiting for?? Being toothless has not prevented him from eating, though. I don't remember any of the others being too interested in food until about 8 months or so. Ian was ready and waiting at 4 months. At 6 months I am amazed at the amount of food he can get into his little belly. He has three full meals of solids a day. At his check up he weighed 18 pounds 7 ounces. That's around how much his siblings weighed at one year. I guess he's showing his individuality!

He is quite good at sitting. Of course he still falls backwards at times, but for the most part he's pretty steady. He grabs at everything and anything that is within reach. I don't like watching him shove papers in his mouth, but it happens quite a bit. We went out to eat at a restaurant the other night and he chewed all the placemats around him. Right now his reach is pretty well contained, but he's been trying hard to crawl. He pushes himself backwards at times. I don't think it'll be long before he starts moving forward.

Can you believe six months has passed already?!

Soap making lessons

2009-09-08T23:11:00.002-04:00

The other day Seth came to the dinner table ecstatic. He was going on and on about how to make soap. After a few minutes we all listened carefully to what he had to tell us. It took a couple of questions and rolling things over in my mind before I figured everything out.

Here's what he told us: when the soap is empty, you fill it up with water, then you press on it a few times, you wait a little while and when you come back, it makes soap!

He was CONVINCED he had a scientific breakthrough. I tried convincing him that the "little while" when he was waiting, happened to be when he was out back playing. I came into the bathroom and refilled the soap. He would have no part with my explanations. No, no, you fill it with water, squirt it a few times and then wait a little, that's the real way!

Date Night

2009-09-02T22:39:00.002-04:00

My mom is in town, so Enoch and I asked her if she could watch the kids for us while we slipped out to have a cup of coffee. Enoch and I have been talking about going on a date for months and we finally got the opportunity. We ran over to Barnes and Noble to enjoy a cup of Starbucks. We chatted leisurely, mostly about the kids, of course! Then we strolled the store until they practically kicked us out. There was the 15 minute store closing warning and then the "The store is closed" announcement. It still took us another couple of minutes to get to the door where the worker was holding the door open for us.

We didn't buy any books, but we came across some interesting finds:

*There's a series of books I may check out of the library for Tabitha. The Judy Moody series is meant for ages 6-8 or 9.

*I searched for the "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" for Seth, but they didn't have it in stock. I'm probably going to order it on-line someday very soon!

*I saw the cutest game for Patricia: The Ladybug Game. I may get it for her birthday.

*Enoch was looking at Sci-fi/fantasy books. I don't even understand how someone can enjoy those! As for myself, I was eyeing the Shakespeare section. They had a good chunk of his works in an easy to read format. The old English is side by side with modern English. Maybe one day I'll get to those. I'm currently reading "Emma" by Jane Austen. I may read other of her works before I move on.

Two funnies I came across in the store:
*In the middle of the U.S. you can find: "Ingles en 100 Dias/English in 100 Days".

*Puzzles for Dummies. They have 1000 piece puzzles with numbers on the back so you know where to put them! What's the fun in that?!

When we came home from our outing the kids were all sleeping on our couches. They didn't want to go upstairs without us. :)

Are you secure?

2009-09-01T06:16:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I had to call my bank to order a new debit card. I had lost mine.

I was pretty impressed with the security measures they have to make sure you are who you say you are. They first asked for my driver's license number. I didn't even know they had that information! He assured me that it was right in front of him. I ran to get my purse and I gave all the numbers in the correct order! Next up was my home address and d.o.b. Easy enough. Social security number. I've had it memorized for years. The state and city the account was opened in. Hmmm, Enoch opened the account well before we even knew each other. I got the state right on the first try. I had to give him a couple city names before he gave me the go ahead. Lastly he asked how many checking and savings accounts I had. I had to take another guess (pathetic, I know!).

Finally, I was verified! I was glad I passed my own test. I wonder how an imposter would do. He told me the last time the card was used and he immediately canceled the card so no one could use it if they got their hands on it. I didn't tell him that I'm pretty sure my card is just stuck in a pair of pants some where and I just haven't run across it yet. I use all my time for other things, like taking care of kids and trying to keep up with blogs, don't you know. I can't spend it searching high and low for a simple card!

The incident got me thinking about security. My finances are secured in information. As long as no one knows my info, no one can steal my accounts. Oddly enough, the man on the other end of the line has access to all of my information. Why should I trust him? I think I would be very worried if my life was caught up in my money, because it's really not that secure.

My heart is set on heaven and my eternal security. The Bible is clear on the way to heaven. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." Acts 16:31

"For God so loved the world that He gave us only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

"God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8

Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" John 14:6

There are many, many other verses that make the way clear (leave a comment if you'd like more). Salvation is simple. I know I am going to heaven, because I have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and repented (or turned away from) my sins. When I stand before God, I have full assurance that I will "pass the test", not because of what I have done, but because of what the Lord Jesus has already done. I am so glad that its easier to get into heaven than it is to verify my finances.

If you do not have the peace of God, please consider reading the book of John in the Bible and asking God for understanding.

"Little house" fun

2009-08-29T23:14:00.005-04:00

Today we went to West Virginia. Our neighbors/friends invited us out to their "little house", their home away from home. We had loads of fun doing... nothing much. That's why they like their second house so much.

Ian was trying on grandmom's sunglasses:

I tried awfully hard to make a face with Enoch's inspiration and help. It's a little fuzzy, but I think you get the gist. Haley served us coffee made with his new eSpresso machine. My guess is that those cups hold about 32 oz. They were HUGE!

The kids enjoyed hot chocolate. This is Lily:

And this is Joel: (they're twins)
Carol and two of mine playing a game:

Tabitha and Seth running into the house:

Patricia:

Seth, cutting himself on barbed wire:

Joel gives everyone rides on the Kubota. He is a great driver! You should see him reverse:
Enoch and Haley on four wheelers. Enoch was not comfortable on that thing. I also gave it a whirl. I could drive it, but I did not feel safe. I concluded that it was not my cup of tea.

Grandmom and Ian:

Ian pics

2009-08-28T21:56:00.004-04:00

My mom thought this one was Patricia, but no, it's just Ian with his long hair. I'm waiting until he gets his 6 month picture before I cut it off.

I couldn't pick between the next two. I love his smile in both. His upper cheeks are so extra smiley.

These next two were taken by my sister-in-law at Tabitha's birthday party. Two cute expressions if I do say so myself. :)

He's five and a half months old now.

New year, new leaf? Maybe

2009-08-24T09:31:00.005-04:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted. Maybe I can get into some sort of habit now. We'll see.

Anyway, today, August 24th, is Tabitha's first day of 1st grade. Can you believe they started that early this year? Here is last year's post.

Isn't she just too cool?

Her new backpack:

Patricia kept insisting that she, also, was going to school. I asked if Seth was going to go. She said no, because he doesn't have a backpack. Notice she has hers.

All four kiddos. Yes, Ian is getting big. He's already 5 months old. Strangers think he's a girl because of his long locks and eyelashes. I'm waiting until his 6 month pic before I cut his gorgeous hair.

Her teacher is in the background. Tabitha is putting her things into her desk.

Yes, her school has lockers for all grades.

Monumental Event

2009-05-17T20:44:00.003-04:00

This monumental moment happend to take place two months ago, but I think it's still worth blogging about. Ian Joseph joined our family on March 11, 2009. He weighed in at 7 lbs 10 oz.

Sleeping like a baby.

I still have fun with the others, too!

Tabitha, big sister, little mom.

The parents!

(Hanneke, I finally got it done!)

Monumental Event

2009-02-26T05:31:00.002-05:00

It's a little hard to tell, considering Tabitha's front gap is just about as big, but TABITHA LOST HER FIRST TOOTH!
She didn't even need the dentist's help ;). She noticed it was loose Tuesday night right before bed. And then in the morning it was suddenly in her hand. She said there was no pain and there wasn't even really any blood.
I enjoy telling my kids the truth about things. Immediately Tabitha started talking about the tooth fairy. When Seth asked if the tooth fairy lives in the stars I replied, "Well, since he's fake, he can live where ever you want him to live." Tabitha pouted and said that he isn't fake and I was hurting people's feelings by saying that. Later Enoch told me that I should just let her be a kid.

I did put a dollar under her pillow (is that the going rate?), and I will "allow" her to believe, but I can't bring myself to say he's real.

Do NOT try this at home...

2009-02-18T21:34:00.003-05:00

Many of you are aware of the "100th day of school". It's the latest thing to celebrate. Usually children bring in a project of some sort. Maybe 100 pennies glued into the shape of the number 100, or 100 pieces of candy. Well, for Tabitha I came up with this brilliant idea (I'm being sarcastic here!) to take photos of her trying on 100 different outfits. When I started I didn't realize how time consuming of a project this would be. Today was the day. Here she is holding her complete album. She told me she didn't have to smile for this picture, because the album did it for her.
The following are a few of my favorites. Oddly enough I don't think they're my favs because of the clothes, but because of Tabitha's personality which shines through! Enjoy. :)

If you do dare to try this at home, I must ask: What are you doing with 100 outfits at home?? Maybe you should consider downsizing. :) We did most of these photos in store changing rooms.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T22:39:00.002-05:00

True love:

Seth's big question

2009-02-13T22:10:00.003-05:00

Every once in a while Seth asks me when I'm going to take my costume off.

Any day, Seth. Any day. :)

She's 2!

2009-02-06T11:30:00.003-05:00

Patricia is a big 2 year old now! She easily brings a smile to those around because of her oh-so-pleasant personality.
Sometimes Enoch and I say she's our Latin American daughter. She loves to dance, clean and take care of baby dolls. What more could we ask for? :)
If you ask me, I'd say Patricia is doing quite well with her vocabulary and communication in general. When she puts on a dress shes says, "princess". She says, "thank you" and something along the lines of, "nice to meet you." She greets everyone and readily asks for "more" of what she wants.
Having two older siblings, Patricia picks up older behavior. She tells us she's going to school. When she goes she makes sure she has a bookbag and usually a pair of princess play shoes. She lets us know that she has her lunch and she always asks for her keys, because she needs to take the car. Before she "leaves" she wants a hug, a kiss, a high five and to shake your hand.
The other day she made me very proud and made me realize that she understands more than I give her credit for. Tabitha was coughing at night. As a last resort I poured close to 2 tsp of cough medicine into a medicine cup for her. She was too tired and apparently the coughing bout was over so she didn't take it. I left the cup on the nightstand. The next day Enoch asked me why Patricia was giving him cough medicine. I flew downstairs and inspected the cup. She didn't drink any of it, she knew what it was and made sure it was given to an adult. She may sneak candy on occasion and swallow her toothpaste on purpose, but she knows the boundaries.

Patricia is a delight to all who know her and we're happy that she's a part of our family. Happy Birthday, Princess!

Do everything without complaining

2008-12-19T15:09:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I was listening to a message on the radio. As a side note, the preacher touched on complaining. He said that people who complain are people who do not understand the sovereignty of God. He used Joseph in the OT as an example. His brothers sold him into slavery and while in Egypt he spent years in prison after being wrongfully accused. Yet, he is never seen taking revenge nor complaining about his circumstances.

I've been contemplating the preacher's view of the sovereignty of God. Ultimately, God knows what's happening in our lives and why. He knows that ALL things work together for the good to them that love God. I really needed to hear this. I'm always trying to teach the kids not to complain, since they whine at the drop of a hat (Seth literally would!).

Yet, I wonder how different their attitudes would be if I were a better example. I try to imagine myself not rolling my eyes every time the kids call my name, because they want something. What would it be like if I didn't yell at them when a drink was spilled? Couldn't I just graciously accept the spilled drink instead of complaining through my upset attitude? Even discipline would be so different. Usually I get so frustrated when they disobey. I frequently remind them that they "never obey". That doesn't seem like a complaint free behavior. Oh, and housework... I can't help but hang that one over their heads. Complaining about the mountain of laundry and sinkful of dishes, the toys all over the place and my inability to keep up with it all comes through on a regular basis. Imagine if I could just grasp the concept of the sovereignty of God during those daily moments. I guess I have a lot to learn!

Projects

2008-12-16T21:53:00.004-05:00

Does this look like the face of a scientist to you?

A mad scientist perhaps, but a scientist (in the making) none the less. Ever since Tabitha's science fair, Seth has been talking about projects quite frequently. I didn't realize how thoughtful his little mind can be until one day...

I was exhausted and I needed to sleep. I dozed off on the couch knowing full well that Seth was making a mess. He kept talking about his project and I knew there was water involved. When I woke up I asked him to clean up his mess. I was in no mood to find out more about his project.
The next day, however, I remembered and so I asked him what exactly he did the day before. He brought me the white piece of chalk and told me that this piece was the only one that didn't change color. His experiment: he kept filling up a little play teacup with water then individually dipped each piece of chalk in. He noted whether the water changed color or if the chalk changed color. All of them did, except for the white piece and I believe all of them made bubbles. After each "test" Patricia (I suppose she was the lab assistant) graciously dumped the cup of water on the table.
I must say that I was quite impressed with his science abilities. Science is not one of Tabitha's strong points, so it's nice to start seeing areas that Seth is better at.

2008-12-05T09:31:00.001-05:00

Having four kids ages five and under sounds like a lot.

Tabitha's first word

2008-12-04T05:11:00.003-05:00

Yesterday something finally clicked with Tabitha in her endeavor to read. I have tried over and over to teach her to sound out words. Well, the concept sunk in at long last. She was able to totally sound out a word without any help from me. I chuckle at the word she chose: smack.

Pilgrims and Indians

2008-11-27T09:34:00.004-05:00

The following conversation took place during lunch yesterday:

Me: So, Tabitha, at school did you learn about pilgrims?

Tabitha: Yes.

Me: And who else?

Tabitha: Indians!

Me: Ahh. And are these Indians from India?

Tabitha: Yes.

This was followed by a half an hour dissertation from mommy that included, but is not limited to: how the peach people killed a lot of the native Americans and made them move; why Mexicans are tan, but Cubans are not; and why the land sections, called reserves, don't have to follow all the laws of America. The kids kept asking, "then what happened?!" I'm glad they love to learn, but I know most of this goes right over their heads.

"You are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28

Picture post

2008-11-25T22:14:00.004-05:00

Not a very good picture, I realize, but it was our first snow. It snowed for about a half an hour and about 30 minutes later it melted.

My big eyed Patricia.

Tabitha with her "sea turtles" science fair project.

Seth trying to do an angry face. No, he never really could make one. Patricia loves to give us her angry face. She'll say, "Seth, Seth" (all smiles) until he looks, then she gives him the angry face. I couldn't get her on camera, because she insisted on saying, "cheese". But have no fear (or maybe you should), because the last picture, we have Tabitha demonstrating to Patricia how she should give an angry face.

What do you think? Are you running the other way? Seconds before and after she was laughing.

My thoughts

2008-11-10T22:39:00.003-05:00

"The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." Revelation 21:23

This verse speaks of heaven. Imagine how bright heaven will be and the only light will be from the Lamb, Jesus Christ Himself. I think of this passage sometimes on sunny days. I am convinced that the Lord gives us plenty of symbols in our day to day lives to try and understand heavenly concepts.

Daytime is like heaven. The sun is so bright you can't even look at it without damaging your eyes. So, if daytime is like heaven, then what is nighttime like? Well, when we see the moon, it's not actually light from the moon, rather it is reflecting the sun's light. I imagine nighttime to be earth, which is dark with sin. The moon is Christ's presence on earth. Sometimes it's more visible than others (full moon verses crescent moon). An amazing thing for me to ponder is the stars. Jesus Christ, speaking to His disciples, said, "you are the light of the world." Imagine how dark the night sky would be without stars?

Well, I think the Bible gives us a glimpse of what it will be like. One day Christ Jesus will come back to the earth and bring all believers with Him back to heaven, more commonly referred to as the rapture. Many, many Christians look forward to that day. So, according to my thought process, it will be like nighttime without the moon or stars. Listen to these verses in Amos: " 'Behold, the days come,' says the Lord God, 'that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the Word of the Lord, but shall not find it.' " Chapter 8 verse 11, 12

Nasi Goreng

2008-11-09T21:26:00.004-05:00

This week, for Happy to be at Home's Scrumptious Sunday Swap I wanted to do a main dish.

First let me give a little background on the Nasi Goreng that our family has grown to love. I was first introduced to this dish through my best friend, Hanneke. She is a Dutch immigrant to Canada. Apparently, at some point in history, the Dutch had colonized Indonesia. In the process they learned some of their foods. Hanneke's mom makes this dish with a spice packet. I was disappointed to find that they don't sell the spice packet in US grocery stores. It made my day to find the recipe in my "More with Less" cookbook. It is just as good as I remember.

Ok, enough talking, here is the recipe:

Cook 2 cups of rice according to their package directions.

Saute 2 large onions until golden brown in 3 tbs vegetable oil.

Add and saute for one minute:

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp lemon grass (specialty spice)

1 1/4 tsp salt
Tabasco or crushed red pepper to taste

Meanwhile brown a pound of ground meat.

Add cooked rice and sauteed meat to spice mixture. Saute over low heat, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors (about 10 minutes).

Beat with a fork:

3 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

dash pepper

You can fry the egg in a separate pan in several thin layers, turning each layer once and rolling each as you take it from the skillet. Cut into strips and add to rice mix. However, I tend to not want to dirty another dish, so I add the eggs directly to the rice and mix well over low heat until it's cooked through.

Enjoy!

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Hebrews 13:2

True citizenship

2008-11-06T20:33:00.002-05:00

"I can't wait to meet Obama and McCain!" That's what the kids were saying as we walked to the voting location. I chuckled to myself as I tried explaining to them that we will probably NEVER meet them. Their innocence got me thinking about the truth of that. Even if by some slim chance, I get to meet the president one day, I will probably not be known very well by him.

YET, I am a part of a kingdom and the King not only knows my name, but He knows me more intimately than I know myself. The Bible says that if you are a Christian, your citizenship is in heaven. The Lord Jesus is referred to as the King of glory four times in Psalm 24. It has given me such joy over the past couple of days to realize how important I am to my King.

While on earth, I will obey those who have the rule over me and realize that the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. But I am looking forward to the day when I will not be "just a citizen" of a kingdom, but an integral part of it.

"Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle." Psalm 24:8

Something all his own

2008-11-01T21:29:00.003-04:00

Today, Seth had his first ice skating lesson. He's in an 8 week course. Seth reacted in an unexpected way, which I'll touch on later.

The kids were only on the ice for about 10 minutes. They came on the ice sitting down and had to try to stand up. Seth is here in his red coat. He stared at this girl, whose name happens to be Michelle, most of the time. She cried the whole time she was out there. I think Seth was confused, maybe wanted to help her, but didn't know exactly what he could do.
He fell a couple of times, but he didn't get discouraged by it.
At the end, when everyone was getting off of the ice Seth stood there and waited. As soon as they got him off the rink he kept saying to us, "but I didn't get to skate." Poor kid, I tried explaining to him that he has to learn how to stand first and the skating will eventually come.
Seth's unexpected response came on our way to the car. Tabitha kept saying how much she wanted to learn. Enoch even said he'd like to take a few lessons. Seth became quite adamant that no one else was going to learn ice skating. In the car, Tabitha kept going on with how she was going to learn. Seth even got angry and shouted "NO!" at her. Later I asked him if his baby brother will be allowed to learn when he's old enough. Seth smiled ever so slightly and shook his head yes. I realized that he just wanted to have his own little thing without his sister getting involved.

Tabitha does have her own little thing. Sure, she may not practice as much as she should, but she'll eventually get there. She is in an Irish dance class. I insist that she stays with it throughout this year and then next year she can decide if she wants to do something different. Whenever she goes, she enjoys herself, but throughout the week she tends to lose interest.

"Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." Ephesians 6:24

A mom's perspective

2008-10-30T22:25:00.002-04:00

At night when I'm putting the kids to bed, I usually tell them a Bible story. Last night's story was the wedding at Cana. I realized how my take on the account has changed over the years. For those of you who don't know this passage, it tells of the Lord Jesus' first miracle. He was at a wedding and He changed water into wine.

Well, when I was explaining things to the kids my emphasis was a little different. I really focused on the servants who were obedient without questioning the Lord about anything. First the Lord asked them to fill the waterpots with water. They didn't ask why or complain, they just filled the waterpots. And when I say they filled the waterpots, that's not an exaggeration, they filled it to the brims.

Next the Lord Jesus asked them to take some of that same drink and serve it to the governor of the wedding. Can you imagine? They knew that it was only water in the pots, yet they obeyed. They didn't resist even though they could've had severe consequences from the "master of the wedding" as I referred to him as.

I ended by telling them how the governor thought this was the best wine. Not only did the Lord change the water into wine, but it was better wine than normal.

Obedience was what I wanted to stress to my children. I wanted them to realize how important it is to obey at times without questioning. After they quieted down I was thinking the story over and realizing how much I could learn from that same lesson. How often do I obey without kicking and screaming? I often find myself complaining about doing what I know needs to be done. I sure am glad I have kids to teach me these things. :)

No school today!

2008-10-20T17:35:00.008-04:00

Tabitha has already missed her fair share of school considering how early on in the year we are. However, today I didn't even think twice about keeping her home. She really only started getting symptoms yesterday, but they came in quite rapidly. Tabitha maintained a high fever beginning in the evening and lasting through the night. Her cough was a little more labored than normal and she just wasn't herself. Even her breathing seemed to be a bit difficult while she was sleeping.

The doctor listened to her lungs for quite a while and couldn't hear anything out of the normal. She said her heart rate was faster than normal and her breathing was a little on the quicker side, so she ordered her to get a chest X-ray anyway. I'm glad she did, because it turns out that she does have a small bout of pneumonia.

A bit of info on the illness: it's an inflammation of the lungs. Tabitha's happened to be on her lower right lung. It can be either a bacterial or viral infection or even from a physical injury among other things. Its generally treated with antibiotics. There is usually always coughing and high fever, which are the most tell tale signs. An X-ray is often the sure way for diagnosis. Pneumonia can occur at any age is needs immediate medical attention. There is a vaccine available, but I have never tried that method of prevention.

info obtained from Wikipedia

Thanks for letting me ramble!

"O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for His mercy endures forever." Psalm 136:26

bird watching walk

2008-10-18T14:05:00.003-04:00

This morning I went for a two hour walk near my house with the Audobon Society. The funny part about it was that before I left the house I checked my blog reads on reader. There I read my sister-in-law's experience with bird watching. My experiences are also very limited.

On the walk a kind older couple lent me a pair of binoculars. I couldn't believe the difference they made. The above picture was taken with my 200 mm lens and still it's hard to capture a good shot. But the binoculars allowed you to see the birds like they were right in front of your eyes. They move quickly and often, so keeping up with them is a bit difficult.

I must say that I enjoyed the walk more than I thought I would. It was relaxing and beautiful. Also, being able to see some of the birds with bird watchers who could tell me what I was looking at or hearing was enlightening.

I'm sure I'll never be an avid bird watcher, as I'm not really an avid anything, but I think I'll appreciate the little fliers a smidge more.

The moon forgot to go to bed this morning!

"Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped." Psalm 124:7

Corn Maze

2008-10-17T23:06:00.005-04:00

The kids and I went to a little fall festival, which includes a corn maze. Last year we went with our neighbors. I think it's fun to look back and see how things have changed in one year.
The kids enjoyed it, as did I. This is one big corn maze. It takes a while to get through. I was tired by the end. :) So was Patricia, so she had me hold her. She was so cute. Whenever there was a little stump in the road, she tried to sit on it.
When you get out of the corn maze they have different things for the kids to do. They had a blast throwing the hay around. We didn't take the time to go see the goats or cows, but we definitely saw and experienced enough.
Before we headed home we took a hay ride to the pumpkin patch. There weren't many little ones to pick from, but we all went away happy. I'm glad this is becoming an annual trip for us.
"As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honor is not seemly for a fool." Proverbs 26:1

6 years, 3 1/2 kids later...

2008-10-12T20:52:00.004-04:00

Some friends invited us over for lunch today. We had a good time of fellowship and the kids all played nicely. Today is also our 6 year anniversary. The family was kind enough to watch our kids for a couple of hours, while Enoch and I went on a walk around a lake. Enoch and I had a wonderful time. I think it's been about 6 years since we've gone on a stroll!

Thank you Mike, Cindy and kids. It means a lot to us.
"His merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise ye the the Lord." Psalm 117:2

Princess Party

2008-10-11T20:09:00.004-04:00

This afternoon, the girls and I went to a princess birthday party. For reasons, which I'm sure don't need explaining, Seth was not invited, even though he is the closest in age to Emma.

I snuck Patricia into the party, though she wasn't formally invited. I don't think anybody minded. She was sleepy the whole time, so she wasn't in the best of moods.

Here is the birthday girl herself. She is celebrating four years. This girl is a natural born princess.
Tabitha stops at the end of the runway for a pose. She really enjoyed her time there.

Seth, though he didn't make it to the girl's event, had an event all his own. As I type, he and Enoch are enjoying a Capitals hockey game. Last I checked the Caps were down by one.

"For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him and for Him." Colossians 1:16

19 weeks and growing!

2008-10-09T23:58:00.004-04:00

The first three months of pregnancy I barely gained a pound. Well, today I went in for my 19 week check up and within the past month I put on 8 pounds! The baby is finally starting to show him/herself. I've felt tiny movements off and on, which is exciting. All in all, things have been very uneventful. I am so very thankful for uneventful pregnancies!

"I will praise Thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14

Today's kitchen creations

2008-10-06T21:38:00.007-04:00

The coloring is off on the food. It has more orange/red in it.

For supper tonight I served Andhra Chicken Fry. Usually I feel overwhelmed when I read Indian recipes. They tend to take a lot of time and many ingredients that I don't typically carry. This one, on the other hand, is quite manageable. I did cut down on the pepper and the chili powder, because I wanted my kids to eat it. The pepper seems to be the main seasoning in this dish, so for us adults it was yummy, but seemed to be lacking that little something. This was my second time making this particular recipe, so I'm sure it was the pepper.

A couple of things that may be helpful: to make garlic-ginger paste, take equal amounts of garlic and skinned ginger. Blend them with a tiny bit of water or oil. Also, 200 grams of chicken is actually a pretty small amount. From what I can tell it's just under half a pound. So, you may need to triple the measurements. Don't be afraid to do it, either. Indian foods use much more seasoning than what we're used to using. I ended up using two good sized onions for our "little" family.

Patricia is enjoying her dinner!

This afternoon I also had the privilege of baking these pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. They are pretty yummy if I do say so myself. The batter was more liquidy than I'm used to having muffin batters be, but the end result is great. The only thing I changed was using cinnamon instead of pumpkin pie spice, because that's what I had available. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's breakfast!

"To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever." Romans 16:27

New camera!!!

2008-10-05T23:33:00.004-04:00

Enoch got me a new camera for my birthday. What a sweetheart he is to me. It's a Nikon D40. I'm looking forward to learning lots more!

Precious moments

2008-09-18T23:06:00.005-04:00

Tabitha and Seth had an accident tonight. Seth wasn't exactly looking where he was running then crash, bam, BOOM, Tabitha is shrieking. Seth also got hurt, he hit his head on her mouth. She did have some blood coming from her lip and it took a while to quiet her down (we were out in public, so we tried to do this as quickly as possible).

Shortly afterwards Tabitha asked if she could give thanks for our supper. Instead of just giving her usual spiel, she also added, "and I'm sorry that I got mad at Seth for bumping into me." The eating commenced. About five minutes later, Seth turns to Tabitha and tells her in all sincerity that he was sorry he bumped into her.

I didn't praise the kids for their actions, but I tell you, it warmed my heart so much. It really is a wonderful feeling to see your children making correct decisions.

"Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

First Day of School

2008-09-04T21:03:00.005-04:00

Well, now that she is five, she goes off to school. Actually, she went last week, but I'm a little late. Has anyone else been noticing my trend of lateness lately? She went in for one day and then we flew to Seattle, WA for a week, thus she missed four days.

Tabitha LOVES school. She really thinks its ok to enjoy being away from me. I don't know what's wrong with her! Truthfully, we are also happy with her school. It's right across the street from our house and they have a wonderful program. When she first got home we asked her how it was and she said, "I don't remember." We didn't pressure her, because we knew the details would come later.

Can you believe they get their own lockers in kindergarten? I know she doesn't look thrilled in any of these pictures. She's a little nervous, but that quickly dissipates after the camera is gone. She loves bringing in a packed lunch. She corrected me today. She said it's not called a lunch box, it's a lunch bag. I apologized for being so old school.

My favorite part of her description of her day was when she told me with much excitement, that they had recess. She was practically jumping up and down to tell me. Then she says, "What is recess, anyway?"

Ya gotta love that kid. Welcome to the real world, Tabitha.

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1: 1,2

Happy Birthday, Tabitha!

2008-08-08T20:08:00.004-04:00

Well, with Tabitha I'm only a few days late to wish her a happy birthday. My big girl turned five on Tuesday. I think Tabitha is about as adult like as a five-year-old can come. She knows just about everything. Asks questions in every new situation and retains all the information. You give her an explanation and then the new thing totally makes sense. She'll then turn to Seth and explain to him why touching a frog is not a good idea, because you may get diseases from it.

She has always been a happy girl. Her giggle is just like a little girl's giggle should be - almost fake, but real enough to make you smile. She loves to spend time with people. Her most favorite activity is making up plays, as she calls it. You each get a "character" (stuffed animal) and act out an adventure. Lots of times she will tell you the plot before you begin.

Tabitha has a heart of gold. She always wants to help out where ever we go. She cares for those around her. The other week when she found out that the salesman was Indian, she asked him if he bowed to a different god. She went on and on about it, as I tried to discreetly tell her to stop. Since then she has been learning that there are gentler ways to telling others about Jesus. Sometimes she'll whisper to me and ask if it is an appropriate time to tell someone.
The oldest of three (almost four) and still very much a child. She loves to frolic around and play on her bike. The three of them play a lot together and also do their fair share of fighting. Tabitha tries her hardest to obey, but she still needs to be corrected on occasion. She is a sweetheart and we love her so very much. She makes a great friend and a wonderful daughter.