He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all we need?
~Romans 8:32
A good friend of mine posted this verse, and I just wanted to share it with you all. This time of year, many people get so wrapped up in the material things. I myself am guilty of this from time to time. We hear so many people talk about the reason for the season, and that Christmas isn't just about presents but the Love of Christ and the sacrifice he made coming to earth for us. But the reality is that people are only talking the talk. They say that, I think because it relieves their consciences a bit. Or perhaps we really do mean it, but only on the surface. We don't want to sound greedy, after all. So if we talk about God sending his son to Earth, we can feel a little better about spending a lot of money on that new Iphone. Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that people who celebrate Christmas by giving gifts are bad or greedy. I think giving gifts is a fun way to shower those we love and show them we care. I won't criticize anyone else who feels convicted to tone it down either. I am big believer that we each have to live by the convictions we feel called to, as directed by God and his word, the Holy Bible. But I am not going to give up my family traditions of gifts and giving just because some people have left God completely out of theirs. I guess my point is that we ought not to focus on what we WANT, but the bigger picture of who Christ is and the real meaning behind Christmas. I know some people choose not to acknowledge this, but the reason many of us give gifts as Christians, is to remember the one who gave us the Ultimate gift. The gift of selfless love, coming to earth with a plan to save us from ourselves. We are, in fact, only human. We desperately NEED him to be a part of our life, and he promises to meet our needs. Maybe we aren't guaranteed that new e-reader or the 3D TV, or that the relationship we hold so dear will work out, or the car we so desperately *have to have* to make our life more convenient, or that new job to help our family keep the house from foreclosing. We aren't guaranteed those things. We aren't guaranteed that if we trust in God enough, he'll give us what we want. We are however, guaranteed he will give us what we need. And truth be told, the only thing we REALLY need, is his love. He gives his love, unconditionally, and the only thing he wants us for us to love him with all of our being in return. From that love, comes a desire to love our brother, give to others, spread the Gospel, and serve him with every fiber of our being. But it all starts with the gift. He gives the gift of love to us, the one thing we really need. Will you except his gift?
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Oh what fun it is to......
So, getting busier and busier it seems like. 3 more days until Christmas Eve. So far today, I have done 3 loads of laundry, two loads of dishes (although that is the extent of the cleaning), snuggled up with the kids and watched cartoons, fixed lunch and got dinner prepped and in the fridge, played around on the computer looking at stuff on Pinterest (I'm telling you that site is great to kill a few minutes!) and now Hannah and I are back cuddling on the couch while Joshua plays computer games again. Jonah is playing with a large storage tub, and at the moment, it is apparently the most interesting toy we have in the whole house. I love how babies can take the most seemingly boring thing and that is what they have the most fun with. I can almost guarantee you that this weekend, he will have more fun tearing one piece of wrapping paper to shreds than he will with the presents themselves.
It's so funny how different all the kids are in personality. They are totally typical of their birth order too. Hannah is a typical oldest child. She's a little mommy, and she thinks she is the tattle police. Anytime she catches anyone doing something she feels that they shouldn't be doing, she isn't afraid to let everyone know. Regardless of if they are intentionally being naughty or not, she's gonna tell me about it!
Joshua is a typical middle child. He is content to hide out in my office, playing game on the computer or playing with blocks or transformers. He really just seems like he wants to blend in most days. I take special care to make sure he doesn't get left out-from not being the oldest or the youngest-and to spend some time now and then just me and him.
And even though Jonah is only 1, he is already showing that he's going to be the instigator. He is always the one one wants to get into things and do what the bigger kids are doing, or play with what they are playing with, even if it's obvious he can't do it. He is at the age where he wants to roam around the house, but it's not entirely baby proofed yet, so I have to be in whatever room he is in to keep an eye on him. We had blocked off all the exits to the living room with makeshift "baby gates". (A pack n play turned caddy corner blocked off the front hallway, a large storage tub toy box blocked off the office/kitchen, and we pushed the couch up against the doorway to the bedroom hallway.) Of course, now that he is 14 months old, he is much more mobile. He does his best to crawl, climb, push, run to, or maneuver his way over/around/under/through whatever obstacle is in his way. In the last month, he has destroyed the pack n play beyond repair, and now he has figured out how to climb up onto the couch and drop himself over the side of the arm, essentially escaping into the hallway. Of course when he ignores the stern look on my face, he gets a firm NO which he also ignores, usually followed by a swat on his thigh. Sometimes he stops after I yell "No!" and drops to the floor making a dramatic scene to let me know exactly how much I hurt his feelings. (Mean mommy!!) Still other times, he ignores me completely unless I come and get him and move him to a different area. Other times he is just such a happy baby, laughing and playing. He has the most precious little face with a sweet smile and 2 huge buck teeth and fine, thin hair that is slightly too long on the sides and back that resembles Bill Murray. My point being, even though he gets into stuff a lot, I can never stay mad at him because he's just so darn cute. Of course, I am biased, but I bet I can name at least 10 other people that think he's super cute too! I have a feeling his cuteness is going to save his hieney on many an occasion. In fact, as we speak he's gotten awfully quiet behind the Christmas tree and I am thinking I need to get off here before he starts declaring today Christmas morning. :D
Be blessed!!
It's so funny how different all the kids are in personality. They are totally typical of their birth order too. Hannah is a typical oldest child. She's a little mommy, and she thinks she is the tattle police. Anytime she catches anyone doing something she feels that they shouldn't be doing, she isn't afraid to let everyone know. Regardless of if they are intentionally being naughty or not, she's gonna tell me about it!
Joshua is a typical middle child. He is content to hide out in my office, playing game on the computer or playing with blocks or transformers. He really just seems like he wants to blend in most days. I take special care to make sure he doesn't get left out-from not being the oldest or the youngest-and to spend some time now and then just me and him.
And even though Jonah is only 1, he is already showing that he's going to be the instigator. He is always the one one wants to get into things and do what the bigger kids are doing, or play with what they are playing with, even if it's obvious he can't do it. He is at the age where he wants to roam around the house, but it's not entirely baby proofed yet, so I have to be in whatever room he is in to keep an eye on him. We had blocked off all the exits to the living room with makeshift "baby gates". (A pack n play turned caddy corner blocked off the front hallway, a large storage tub toy box blocked off the office/kitchen, and we pushed the couch up against the doorway to the bedroom hallway.) Of course, now that he is 14 months old, he is much more mobile. He does his best to crawl, climb, push, run to, or maneuver his way over/around/under/through whatever obstacle is in his way. In the last month, he has destroyed the pack n play beyond repair, and now he has figured out how to climb up onto the couch and drop himself over the side of the arm, essentially escaping into the hallway. Of course when he ignores the stern look on my face, he gets a firm NO which he also ignores, usually followed by a swat on his thigh. Sometimes he stops after I yell "No!" and drops to the floor making a dramatic scene to let me know exactly how much I hurt his feelings. (Mean mommy!!) Still other times, he ignores me completely unless I come and get him and move him to a different area. Other times he is just such a happy baby, laughing and playing. He has the most precious little face with a sweet smile and 2 huge buck teeth and fine, thin hair that is slightly too long on the sides and back that resembles Bill Murray. My point being, even though he gets into stuff a lot, I can never stay mad at him because he's just so darn cute. Of course, I am biased, but I bet I can name at least 10 other people that think he's super cute too! I have a feeling his cuteness is going to save his hieney on many an occasion. In fact, as we speak he's gotten awfully quiet behind the Christmas tree and I am thinking I need to get off here before he starts declaring today Christmas morning. :D
Be blessed!!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Yummy recipes to Share!!!
So I thought now would be a good time to share some of my family's fave recipes. I love to cook, and I love playing around with different foods in the kitchen. One of our favorite things to eat is fried chicken strips. It's one of those foods that is sure to please everyone. After years of toying around with different ingredients, I have found what we think is the best way to make fried chicken, and I'm going to share it with you!
The secret, in my opinion is in the breading. I start with something like an egg wash. I use an egg and some milk (similar to how we make scrambled eggs here...I don't measure it, but it's hard to mess it up, trust me) Whisk really well and set it aside. Now for the breading. Again, I don't measure, but it's more about the ingredients than exact quantities. I take some flour and put it in a bowl or deep dish. I add some season salt, pepper, garlic powder, regular salt, and....crushed up frosted flakes (roughly about half as much as the amount of flour). If it's easier, you can put the frosted flakes in ziploc baggy first and crush them up, and then dump it in. This came from a recipe I found to copycat ChickFilA's sandwiches, and they used corn flakes. Well we didn't have corn flakes in the house, only frosted flakes. I figured I would give it a shot, and it turned out fantastic. And guess what-later on when we did finally use some corn flakes, we decided the frosted flakes recipe was better!!
Now, with this recipe, you can do chicken nuggets, chicken strips or chicken sandwiches. To do a Chick Fil A style sandwich, all you need to do is follow the same recipe, but take a chicken breast and split it in half long ways. Add pickles and whatever toppings you like, and top with a bun. If you want a spicy chicken sandwich, take some Tony's creole seasoning and mix a good amount into the flour/frosted flake mix with the other seasonings.
The next step is completely optional. My younger kids are happy with plain chicken nuggets. But I like to take it a step further and turn them into "boneless hot wings". First, in a sauce pan, add 2-4 tablespoons of butter and allow it to fully melt but not burn. The amount you use depends on how many strips you are making. If you are doing just enough for one person, 2 tbsp is fine. Then, add in some hot sauce. The regular cheap hot sauce works just fine. Add enough till it tastes good to you. I made some for my daughter today, and then added more sauce to the ones for me. Remember if it is too spicy, add some more melted butter. If it's not enough heat for you, add another dash of hot sauce. Then, add some of the chicken to the sauce and toss in it a few times.
The secret, in my opinion is in the breading. I start with something like an egg wash. I use an egg and some milk (similar to how we make scrambled eggs here...I don't measure it, but it's hard to mess it up, trust me) Whisk really well and set it aside. Now for the breading. Again, I don't measure, but it's more about the ingredients than exact quantities. I take some flour and put it in a bowl or deep dish. I add some season salt, pepper, garlic powder, regular salt, and....crushed up frosted flakes (roughly about half as much as the amount of flour). If it's easier, you can put the frosted flakes in ziploc baggy first and crush them up, and then dump it in. This came from a recipe I found to copycat ChickFilA's sandwiches, and they used corn flakes. Well we didn't have corn flakes in the house, only frosted flakes. I figured I would give it a shot, and it turned out fantastic. And guess what-later on when we did finally use some corn flakes, we decided the frosted flakes recipe was better!!
Now, with this recipe, you can do chicken nuggets, chicken strips or chicken sandwiches. To do a Chick Fil A style sandwich, all you need to do is follow the same recipe, but take a chicken breast and split it in half long ways. Add pickles and whatever toppings you like, and top with a bun. If you want a spicy chicken sandwich, take some Tony's creole seasoning and mix a good amount into the flour/frosted flake mix with the other seasonings.
The next step is completely optional. My younger kids are happy with plain chicken nuggets. But I like to take it a step further and turn them into "boneless hot wings". First, in a sauce pan, add 2-4 tablespoons of butter and allow it to fully melt but not burn. The amount you use depends on how many strips you are making. If you are doing just enough for one person, 2 tbsp is fine. Then, add in some hot sauce. The regular cheap hot sauce works just fine. Add enough till it tastes good to you. I made some for my daughter today, and then added more sauce to the ones for me. Remember if it is too spicy, add some more melted butter. If it's not enough heat for you, add another dash of hot sauce. Then, add some of the chicken to the sauce and toss in it a few times.
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| Serve with your favorite creamy salad dressing. |
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| Hannah tried the hot wing sauce and loved it! |
On the 19th day of Christmas....
Oh my goodness! It's hard to believe we are less than a week away from Christmas, and less than 2 away from a brand new year. That is a lot of excitement for the Harrison Household. We have been very busy around here, so I wanted to take a few minutes and share what we've been up to. We've been doing some great Christmas activities as a family (although not every day like I had wanted) together. We have watched Christmas Classics, drove around looking at Christmas lights, hung stockings up, done Christmas themed art and crafts, listened to our favorite holiday songs, done yummy baking, lots of shopping, and drank many many cups of hot chocolate. I wrapped up the last of my shopping this weekend, getting some great deals on stocking stuffers at the drug stores (I posted on my coupon blog about this yesterday), although the bulk of the presents were bought months ago. I shopped throughout the year, buying Clearance items at Target and Kohls when I saw them, and I spent only 1/4 what I spent last year with just as much to show for it. Trying to live on a tight budget does present some challenges, but the reward is getting to stay at home with the kids every day, and having my husband home every night and weekend. It's hard to put a price tag on Family, and I won't even try to figure what that cost would be, because for us, it's just not worth it. So, instead, we have to adjust our expectations.
One of the trade offs is that while I know education is something you shouldn't skimp on, I am always looking for a good deal. I had been seeing commercials for ABCmouse.com for a while, but wasn't sure I wanted to splurge and take the plunge for $8 a month. However, I checked it out online and there are some pretty great reviews on various homeschool blogs out there. That's why I was really excited when I got an email to try out the site for a full month for just $1. I jumped at the chance to see what all the fuss was about. I will do some type of review next week some time, after the holiday. But the first impression is a great one.
Joshua is my computer geek. Actually, both the older kids love the computer, and they love playing games on Sprout or Nick Jr. In fact, it's all I can do to get Joshua to get off the computer to do anything else. It's so funny to me that he can sit there for hours if I let him, when he can't seem to focus on anything else for half that long. Hannah does really well with parent guided seat work. Sometimes we get to work together on a task, and sometimes I get her started and she can do the assignment herself. She does fine with paper and pencils, workbooks and textbook type curriculum. Joshua however, has a much different learning style. He has no problem focusing while playing computer games, but when we try to sit down and do book work or worksheets, I am hard pressed to find anything that keeps him interested longer than 10 minutes tops. So, I knew that I needed to start looking for some type of online or computer based curriculum for him to keep his interest. That is one of the reasons I love homeschooling. I have the freedom to try one thing and fail at it, and then try and try and try till we find what works for us. That may (and in this case, it is) be different for each kid. And it may change over time too. Like Hannah with Math U See. For now, it works for us. Maybe as she gets older she will need a different approach. I have the freedom to pick and choose different styles and mesh them together and create our own curriculum too. In fact, I think most families are that way. Sure, there are families that buy all in one curriculum box sets with all that they need and it works great for them. I almost did that too. However, after being advised by just about every other homeschool mom that I knew, I decided not to go that route.
So, I am blogging in the living room. Hannah is watching Christmas movies, Jonah is throwing dinosaur toys around the room, and Joshua is having a blast exploring the website. It seems to be a hit so far. In a few minutes I need to get started doing laundry, and then make some lunch. We are making salt dough ornament later today, and then hopefully, we can all get a nap! (Hey, I can dream, can't I?) Gotta run!!
One of the trade offs is that while I know education is something you shouldn't skimp on, I am always looking for a good deal. I had been seeing commercials for ABCmouse.com for a while, but wasn't sure I wanted to splurge and take the plunge for $8 a month. However, I checked it out online and there are some pretty great reviews on various homeschool blogs out there. That's why I was really excited when I got an email to try out the site for a full month for just $1. I jumped at the chance to see what all the fuss was about. I will do some type of review next week some time, after the holiday. But the first impression is a great one.
Joshua is my computer geek. Actually, both the older kids love the computer, and they love playing games on Sprout or Nick Jr. In fact, it's all I can do to get Joshua to get off the computer to do anything else. It's so funny to me that he can sit there for hours if I let him, when he can't seem to focus on anything else for half that long. Hannah does really well with parent guided seat work. Sometimes we get to work together on a task, and sometimes I get her started and she can do the assignment herself. She does fine with paper and pencils, workbooks and textbook type curriculum. Joshua however, has a much different learning style. He has no problem focusing while playing computer games, but when we try to sit down and do book work or worksheets, I am hard pressed to find anything that keeps him interested longer than 10 minutes tops. So, I knew that I needed to start looking for some type of online or computer based curriculum for him to keep his interest. That is one of the reasons I love homeschooling. I have the freedom to try one thing and fail at it, and then try and try and try till we find what works for us. That may (and in this case, it is) be different for each kid. And it may change over time too. Like Hannah with Math U See. For now, it works for us. Maybe as she gets older she will need a different approach. I have the freedom to pick and choose different styles and mesh them together and create our own curriculum too. In fact, I think most families are that way. Sure, there are families that buy all in one curriculum box sets with all that they need and it works great for them. I almost did that too. However, after being advised by just about every other homeschool mom that I knew, I decided not to go that route.
So, I am blogging in the living room. Hannah is watching Christmas movies, Jonah is throwing dinosaur toys around the room, and Joshua is having a blast exploring the website. It seems to be a hit so far. In a few minutes I need to get started doing laundry, and then make some lunch. We are making salt dough ornament later today, and then hopefully, we can all get a nap! (Hey, I can dream, can't I?) Gotta run!!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
On the 6th day of Christmas...
So, I will go ahead and apologize for not updating this for the last couple days. Best laid plans, right? Anyhow, I thought I would catch you all up on what all we have been doing lately. Saturday, I took the kids and drove out to see my family. My parents took the kids and I out to lunch, and then to get their pictures made. It was so chaotic, although I'm sure my grandparents would have liked for it to just have been them with the kids at first, it ended up being kinda crazy because it took them nearly an hour because they were booked up even with appointments. It was so funny though, because after an hour of waiting, the kids were being silly and cutting up. Joshua kept motioning like a bow and arrow or something-and as I'm sure you can imagine, he is quite the ham. He's quiet sometimes, but he can be a goofball when he wants to. Regardless, I think they came out pretty good, don't you? Then, my grandparents met up with us later on and we did a little Christmas shopping we them, got the kids some much needed clothes. After a long day, we all came back and had some yummy tacos at their house and then me and the kids headed home. Sunday was a loaf around day, we slept in and made homemade cinnamon rolls which were super delicious. (Recipe Here: http://www.food.com/
The day was ok for the most part except I ended up getting sick, and sending hubs out to do the Grocery shopping for me. Yesterday, we had a clean up day around the house and played board games. Winner got to pick the next game, loser had to do a chore (needless to say, that did not go over well with Bubs). I got somewhat caught up on laundry...but then again, with 5 people, I am never really caught up....
Today we had a kind of crazy day. We played more board games. (Hannah doesn't realize that using 2 dice is teaching her addition facts without making her crazy doing problems over and over). Hannah is determined to learn how to play Clue, and believe it or not, she's understanding a lot more than I would have thought, even though it is not meant for kids under 8 years old. We cleaned up, started our new math text book, worked on Capital letters and punctuation, wrote a letter to Santa, did some Christmas themed Art and that was just before dinner!! Now we are watching Christmas movies on TV and the kids are about to get bathed and ready for bed. I can't believe Christmas is less than 3 weeks away. Before we know it, it will be over and we'll be facing the gloom of winter. Hopefully I can come up with some fun activities to keep us occupied though.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
On the first Day of Christmas...
So, today was the first day of December. Where has the time gone? In just a few short weeks, we'll be counting down the hours and minutes till the new year. We are getting pretty excited about Christmas around here. One of the things we are doing with school for now is studying Christmas around the world. I have found that Advent is actually a bigger deal to some cultures that I would have expected. For whatever reason, this was not something we ever did or thought about growing up. I find it really interesting, considering all the research I have done though. It seems to be a nice tradition to have, and more Biblically based than some of the other things we always get wrapped up in (no pun intended) this time of year.
So for the first time ever, we made our very own advent calender. Actually, it's technically not OUR very own. I can't take all the credit. First of all, my kids did all the work. All the cutting, numbering, drawing, coloring, gluing etc. was done by my 4 and 5 year old. Well, and ok the baby helped a little...he got a hold of some crayons before we could grab them up. The only thing I did was go back and glue little flaps over each picture for the days. Also, a friend shared the idea with me, and SHE got it from a different site! (http://heartofthematteronline.com/happy-birthday-jesus-printable-advent-calendar) Anyhow, I was pretty impressed. I am going to make an earnest effort to plan a Christmas themed activity each day to make it special. I also going to be using each day to talk about the many different names of Jesus and the meaning behind it-it will print a 8 1/2" by 11" calendar for December with a name and verse for each day at the link I mentioned above. Someone really put a lot of work into that, but it will make a great addition to our Bible studies each week, so I really appreciate it.
That being said, that was pretty much the bulk of what we accomplished today. It took them a couple hours (again, they pretty much did it all by themselves) while we watched Christmas movies. Then, after lunch, we literally zonked out. My son crashed on the couch without me even declaring it was nap time. I proceeded to move him and the baby to my room and all 4 of us crawled in bed and napped. For hours. Literally...we slept over 5 hours and when I woke up it was so dark I had no idea what time it was. I literally didn't know if it was morning or night, or what. Ever have a nap like that? Those are the best ones, you get so well rested. I have been feeling a little run ragged lately-mostly because Jonah wakes up in the middle of the night teething-so I haven't been sleeping good. We seriously must have all needed the sleep to have all rested without waking all that time. Of course, the kids didn't wake up till 6pm so they just finally fell asleep an hour ago.
Jonah is laying here in my lap, and I've been doing a lot of printing on the computer, mostly worksheets for school and lots of coupons. In case you didn't know, I also have another blog-pretty much exclusively (though sporadic) devoted to my super low cash shopping trips and how to score major deals. But I don't have time to update it like the serious bloggers do. It's more of a necessity for me to find the good prices and stock up so I don't have to pay so much, and then when I get a really good deal sometimes I will post it. I don't have too many followers, but the point was to try to encourage others to look into coupons and how much you can save with them. It saves alot of money but it sure does take alot of ink!! Now if anyone wants to know what to get me for Christmas, HP 60 ink ladies and gents, :D Haha, just kidding.
Ok well, I think that is about all I have to say for tonight, but I will do my best to keep up with the updates on this blog. I know I have family who may read it occasionally so I am trying to share so you guys can keep up with our life out here!
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