So today I am in the mood to do a deep cleaning. I've been organizing the stockpile after buying groceries last night. It really needed it. I usually try to keep up with expiration dates of stuff, so nothing goes bad. I am pretty proud of myself. The only thing I had to throw out was 1 bottle of salad dressing that I had missed. Everything else has 6 months or more. Now I'm determined to get my desk area, and my husband's desk area cleaned up today. In a few weeks, *God willing* Jacob and I are going get new laptops. We have had 2 computers crash in the past year (including Hannah's ancient one) and are down to mine and an older laptop given to us by a friend-which is what I mostly use. It was given to us for Jacob to go to back school, which he did for a semester. He was going to go back in the Fall too, but he got a new job and had a lot of training sessions to do, and we weren't able to get him ready in time. I'm hoping he'll go back this Summer. If not, then I just might! . Joshua and Hannah use mine to play educational games online, but the disc drive doesn't work, so when we get new ones, they will be able to use mine for school. Hopefully, Jacob will be able to fix the disc drive too. One thing we have missed was our online gaming. We played WoW and then Rift for a while on the pc, but when his pc crashed, there was no point in me playing by myself, and his laptop doesn't have enough memory to handle it.
......So I found my wedding band! I haven't had it for a couple weeks and I found it over here on my mess of a desk. Trying to sort out all this clutter over here, and get organized. Sifting through the trash, coupons, school stuff and random bills etc....I am NOT an organized person. We really do live in a kind of organized chaos. I really feel like I am constantly choosing between spending time with the kids, doing school, taking care of Jonah, spending time with Jacob, and getting the house clean....the house is always my last priority. I try not to stress about it too much, but every once in a while I have to go through and declutter because I can't stand it. ...be back later :D
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Resolutions
So I've made a few resolutions this year. Usually I attempt to make and keep some, but they rarely stick. I have always said that the best way to set yourself on the right path to starting a goal, is starting it immediately rather than saying "I'll start tomorrow" or "I'll start next week...". I have often said those things myself and I find that if I am truly honest with myself, the reason for delaying a start is usually that I am not that committed to the goal. I know that if I were truly committed, I would start right now because I know that I need to start right now not making excuses. If I start right now, then I will be able to overcome whatever obstacles I face by taking it one day at a time. If I have to have that one last indulgence before making a change, how does that teach me to resist temptations? Although, I do see some merit in (for some) making a plan and sticking with it before diving headfirst. I have done it both ways. I just know if I have to have my steak dinner with the loaded potato before I can go on a "diet" I am probably not going to last very long before I want another when the opportunity arises. I was thinking back, and the way I remember doing it before successfully was tracking every single thing I ate while I was out onto a sheet of paper, even if it was one cracker, and putting it to my food tracker when i got home.
The thinking was this: Say 5 crackers is a serving (who eats 5 crackers??? Seriously??) Anyways, if 5 crackers is a serving and you look at the back of the package to see the calories and fat etc. And you think, wow...for some reason these ritz crackers are really high in fat. I better just eat 1. So you open the package and eat 1. But it's so good you think I'll just have one more. 2 crackers is hardly anything, right? Then you don't eat any more and you go about your day. A few hours later your kids want a snack, so you spread some peanut butter on some crackers for them, and you have a lick of the pb off the spoon, out of habit, and that makes you want just a smidge more on a cracker. You decide to indulge yourself, it's only one after all right? Later on, after lunch, they request some cheese and crackers. (Sorry for the example...we really have been eating a lot of Ritz crackers around here lately, haha) You decide to make yourself just one little mini cheese cracker sandwich. A piece of low fat cheese (healthy, right?) sandwiched between two ritz crackers. By this time, you have completely forgotten about the other crackers you snacked on throughout the day. Now it's added up to a whole serving. At the end of the day, you are really craving a little frozen yogurt, so you enter in your foods you have eaten for the day, only to find out you are very very close to going over as it is and you have just enough calories and fat left for a small serving of frozen yogurt. Then it hits you. You forgot about all the crackers and little bits of snacking you ate throughout the day. It has added up. If you had tracked as you went about your day, you wouldn't have been let down just now, and probably wouldn't have snacked so much knowing that you it was all adding up. Now, is snacking bad? No!! And those 5 crackers are not a big deal. I am just using it as an example because I know it applies to me specifically. That has happened more than one. I lost nearly 50 pounds before I had Jonah through hard work, exercise, and eating right. But I gained it all back and then some when I got pregnant. I felt like being pregnant was an excuse to eat whatever I wanted, even when I knew that wasn't right. This time, I am stronger. I am praying for the strength to not make excuses, or be lazy. I won't lie. I do get out of breath from exercising each night. It's fun for a little while and then it becomes work. My whole family has been playing Just Dance 3 on the xbox and it is a great cardio workout. But it's tough for me. I am not coordinated and it's not easy for me to keep up with the choreography. I'm pretty bad out of shape. But I'm making an honest effort. I know that the more I do it, the easier it will be (and then I will have to push myself more!) and as I shed the pounds it will be much more normal to just get that exercise in as a part of my day. Right now it feels more like a challenge. The biggest challenge for me though is the food though. I LOVE cooking, especially rich southern cooking. Fried chicken strips, bacon, butter, LOTS of bread, etc....oh my goodness. I could spend all day checking out different recipes on Pinterest. I know there are plenty of healthy recipes out there too, and I will probably have to start researching those too....but it's just how I was raised. Eat that chicken, and then have a second helping. Did you get enough to eat? It's just ingrained in us, as a way to show we cared, to feed those we love with all these good tasting (horrible for you) foods. So those are the foods I love. I am going to have to work at cultivating a new love for healthier foods. I have no problem with veggies, as long as they are coated in butter, fried, or over salted! But I know that has to change. I know especially at our house, we have a tendency to have large servings and then go back for seconds if there is enough left. So what I've started doing is not making enough for that. I just make enough for everyone to have one normal size serving, and one extra for hubs for lunch the next day. That seems to be helping. Also, I need to try to work on the bread thing. We are bread lovers around here. Most nights I try to have some homemade yeast rolls ready to go with dinner. I guess that's one of the things we need to change! I don't see us kicking the bread habit any time soon (as I am not of the school of thought to cut out bread all together anyways). I do see us however, switching from homemade white breads to homemade whole grain breads. We already eat only wheat store bought sandwich bread. That sounds like something for me to do today....research healthier scratch recipes.
What resolutions have you made? Are you trying to get healthier too? What are you doing to get yourself and your family on the right track?
The thinking was this: Say 5 crackers is a serving (who eats 5 crackers??? Seriously??) Anyways, if 5 crackers is a serving and you look at the back of the package to see the calories and fat etc. And you think, wow...for some reason these ritz crackers are really high in fat. I better just eat 1. So you open the package and eat 1. But it's so good you think I'll just have one more. 2 crackers is hardly anything, right? Then you don't eat any more and you go about your day. A few hours later your kids want a snack, so you spread some peanut butter on some crackers for them, and you have a lick of the pb off the spoon, out of habit, and that makes you want just a smidge more on a cracker. You decide to indulge yourself, it's only one after all right? Later on, after lunch, they request some cheese and crackers. (Sorry for the example...we really have been eating a lot of Ritz crackers around here lately, haha) You decide to make yourself just one little mini cheese cracker sandwich. A piece of low fat cheese (healthy, right?) sandwiched between two ritz crackers. By this time, you have completely forgotten about the other crackers you snacked on throughout the day. Now it's added up to a whole serving. At the end of the day, you are really craving a little frozen yogurt, so you enter in your foods you have eaten for the day, only to find out you are very very close to going over as it is and you have just enough calories and fat left for a small serving of frozen yogurt. Then it hits you. You forgot about all the crackers and little bits of snacking you ate throughout the day. It has added up. If you had tracked as you went about your day, you wouldn't have been let down just now, and probably wouldn't have snacked so much knowing that you it was all adding up. Now, is snacking bad? No!! And those 5 crackers are not a big deal. I am just using it as an example because I know it applies to me specifically. That has happened more than one. I lost nearly 50 pounds before I had Jonah through hard work, exercise, and eating right. But I gained it all back and then some when I got pregnant. I felt like being pregnant was an excuse to eat whatever I wanted, even when I knew that wasn't right. This time, I am stronger. I am praying for the strength to not make excuses, or be lazy. I won't lie. I do get out of breath from exercising each night. It's fun for a little while and then it becomes work. My whole family has been playing Just Dance 3 on the xbox and it is a great cardio workout. But it's tough for me. I am not coordinated and it's not easy for me to keep up with the choreography. I'm pretty bad out of shape. But I'm making an honest effort. I know that the more I do it, the easier it will be (and then I will have to push myself more!) and as I shed the pounds it will be much more normal to just get that exercise in as a part of my day. Right now it feels more like a challenge. The biggest challenge for me though is the food though. I LOVE cooking, especially rich southern cooking. Fried chicken strips, bacon, butter, LOTS of bread, etc....oh my goodness. I could spend all day checking out different recipes on Pinterest. I know there are plenty of healthy recipes out there too, and I will probably have to start researching those too....but it's just how I was raised. Eat that chicken, and then have a second helping. Did you get enough to eat? It's just ingrained in us, as a way to show we cared, to feed those we love with all these good tasting (horrible for you) foods. So those are the foods I love. I am going to have to work at cultivating a new love for healthier foods. I have no problem with veggies, as long as they are coated in butter, fried, or over salted! But I know that has to change. I know especially at our house, we have a tendency to have large servings and then go back for seconds if there is enough left. So what I've started doing is not making enough for that. I just make enough for everyone to have one normal size serving, and one extra for hubs for lunch the next day. That seems to be helping. Also, I need to try to work on the bread thing. We are bread lovers around here. Most nights I try to have some homemade yeast rolls ready to go with dinner. I guess that's one of the things we need to change! I don't see us kicking the bread habit any time soon (as I am not of the school of thought to cut out bread all together anyways). I do see us however, switching from homemade white breads to homemade whole grain breads. We already eat only wheat store bought sandwich bread. That sounds like something for me to do today....research healthier scratch recipes.
What resolutions have you made? Are you trying to get healthier too? What are you doing to get yourself and your family on the right track?
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
New Year News!
Wow, it's hard to believe we are in the new year already! Christmas has come and gone and so has New years Eve! We had a great Christmas. My husband got to be off for a week and a half, starting Christmas Eve. Today was his first day back. We really enjoying having him home too. In fact, I had a whole list of things in my head that I wanted to accomplish with him being home, but we really didn't get much of it done at all. In fact, aside from our daily everyday things we had to do, we really just got to spend some quality time and enjoy the kids together. It'd been about 6 months or so since he had had any vacation time (maybe longer, can't remember). So we did some fun things that really made some memories with the kids hopefully. As for Christmas, we were really blessed. These kids had probably the best Christmas they have ever had, and I hope they never forget it. A "Secret Santa" even brought us and XBOX 360 and Kinect and left it on the doorstep! We ended up making ornaments out of salt dough and painting them to give to friends and family members. Hopefully they were just as happy with our homemade crafts as they would have been with storebought gifts. This way, all the kids were able to give a gift to everyone they love, to say thanks. Here are some pictures I took of the kids making ornaments.
We also baked some yummy Christmas cookies. Truth be told, these weren't the best cookies I have ever made, but hey, baking is kind of a trial and error with me. Mostly errors, but when I find a good recipe I will stick with it. I found the recipe on Pinterest and everyone was repinning the recipe, so who knows....maybe it was just me! Goodness knows I love to cook though, so I'm sure I will keep trying.
We also had a spurt of nice weather last week, got up into the 50's even. So we decided we'd take the chance to spend time together and go to the zoo. We even took the little boy that I keep during the week and he had a blast!We got to go around the right side of the zoo which was really fun. Normally we just go in and to the left immediately around the loop, and then about halfway through the kids are hungry, tired or some combination and we have to leave. This time, we got to go through the Teton Trek, which I have never been too. They had a this huge beautiful log cabin there. That is my secret dream, too. To live in a log cabin. But that's a post for another day. Mostly, because that's something I could go on and on about. But I digress...Back to the zoo. We got to see the polar bears, grizzly bears, animals of the night, flamingos and penguins, and tons of others. Oh, and I forgot to mention we treated the kids to pizza at Fazzoli's before we even went to the zoo. Pizza is always a hit around here!
We also signed up for a free trial of gamefly.com (so glad it was just a free trial!) and added some movies to our Q. Then we realized it wasn't like netflix where they had a distribution center here, and the nearest shipping center was all the way in Florida. So while it has been fun to have a couple games to try out, I don't think we'll be signing up. It took several days for them to ship the first game, and the second game (which was supposed to ship with the first) shipped several days later for some reason. I don't know whether it was the influx of customers for the Holidays or what, but it taking a week or more to get a game is not something we can afford to pay for right now. We have however had a couple fun days playing the games. We got Final Fantasy 13, and Just Dance 3. Hubby and I are into RPG's and I have really enjoyed seeing the storyline of the FF game play out. This was the first game for a console that I had really paid much attention to him playing. The only problem is we are WOW geeks at heart, and even though we aren't playing now,every time we play anything else, it just makes us miss it. We played it off an on for a good 3 1/2-4 years, and there are just things about it I haven't been able to find in any other game. We aren't playing right now because his computer can't handle it, and we can't justify the expense for us to play once or twice a month. When Jonah gets a little older and not so needy (not meant in a bad way at all. I just want to be able to give him my full attention now while he is a baby, while he needs my constant care/supervision), I'm sure we will be getting back into it at at some point.
So yesterday we started school back again. Some have asked why we didn't give them till Wednesday, when many other schools are going back. My answer is simple: because I get to make our schedule. We do not follow the county schools calendar, mostly because I want the freedom to deviate when we choose. We still have school the same number of days, it is just the days I pick! For example, all our field trip days count as school days, even if we don't do book work those days. Other times, school is in session and we aren't. We started our Christmas break a whole week earlier than regular schools. I am also leaning towards doing year round school. Since we stay home most days anyways, in the summertime especially, they get board staying indoors for hours on end. So yes, I can send them outside to play or we may go to the park. But when it gets to the 120 degree heat index, there is no chance we are trekkin it to the park! So what are we to do? Have school of course! That way, in spring time, when it is nicer outside we have more time to just relax and play on an extended spring break!
That is the plan anyways, but plans can always change. I have several goals for the new year, with regard to school and otherwise. Considering this is our 2nd year homeschooling, and our first year doing several subjects on a daily basis, the half way mark has been a good time for me to evaluate how I feel we have done, what we've accomplished, and where I need to do better (and Hannah too). One of my main faults is that I am NOT organized. At all! I have been doing good to save Hannah's work in a file folder, but to be honest, I have massively failed at grading things. That is one of the many things I want to work on in the coming year. I have started a new system that I hope will help things to run more smoothly. I'm calling it the daily work folder. What I am going to do, (and we'll see if I'm able to keep this up, because it takes a couple hours a week for me to plan ahead the next week) is this: plan all her assignments ahead for the whole week, day by day. Each day, have a list of the pages to complete in specific workbooks, activities to complete, stories to read etc. I sat down last week and worked on this and I think once I get in the habit of this, it's just going to make everything run so much smoothly and seamlessly. I get all her loose pages together, regardless of subject, and staple them to the assignment sheet for the day. Then I put each day's assignments in the same folder, along with a weekly plan. The weekly plan has our spelling words for the week, the math unit we are studying, info about the book(s) we will read, etc. That is more for me, to keep track. I think, at least for now, since Unit studies seem to be a big part of our schoolwork, it will be better to do each week's work just a week ahead. I will go ahead and type out my long time tentative game plan on the computer, but keeping it basic until closer to the time we do it. That way, we will be able to stay flexible. Also, I will be doing more focused unit studies based around literature. Last semester, I mostly allowed Hannah to free read (with a few suggested books, and books I read aloud to her or the kids mixed in). This semester, I am choosing classic literature and modern fiction books. The first book we are reading (just started yesterday) is The Secret Garden. I am typing up Vocab words and key people so she can refer back to it if she gets stuck. I have also encorporated questions each week, geography activities, and a Bible verse/discussion for each week. I think this is going to allow me to stay on top of grading, because as she finishes each week, I can go through the assignments and mark down her grades. I am still on the hunt for a good planner/gradebook though, so if you have any ideas/thoughts, Post Them Below!!!!! Also, I want to know what are your goals for the new year-even if it's not related to homeschooling. Share them in the comments too.
God bless,
Melissa
We also baked some yummy Christmas cookies. Truth be told, these weren't the best cookies I have ever made, but hey, baking is kind of a trial and error with me. Mostly errors, but when I find a good recipe I will stick with it. I found the recipe on Pinterest and everyone was repinning the recipe, so who knows....maybe it was just me! Goodness knows I love to cook though, so I'm sure I will keep trying.
We also signed up for a free trial of gamefly.com (so glad it was just a free trial!) and added some movies to our Q. Then we realized it wasn't like netflix where they had a distribution center here, and the nearest shipping center was all the way in Florida. So while it has been fun to have a couple games to try out, I don't think we'll be signing up. It took several days for them to ship the first game, and the second game (which was supposed to ship with the first) shipped several days later for some reason. I don't know whether it was the influx of customers for the Holidays or what, but it taking a week or more to get a game is not something we can afford to pay for right now. We have however had a couple fun days playing the games. We got Final Fantasy 13, and Just Dance 3. Hubby and I are into RPG's and I have really enjoyed seeing the storyline of the FF game play out. This was the first game for a console that I had really paid much attention to him playing. The only problem is we are WOW geeks at heart, and even though we aren't playing now,every time we play anything else, it just makes us miss it. We played it off an on for a good 3 1/2-4 years, and there are just things about it I haven't been able to find in any other game. We aren't playing right now because his computer can't handle it, and we can't justify the expense for us to play once or twice a month. When Jonah gets a little older and not so needy (not meant in a bad way at all. I just want to be able to give him my full attention now while he is a baby, while he needs my constant care/supervision), I'm sure we will be getting back into it at at some point.
So yesterday we started school back again. Some have asked why we didn't give them till Wednesday, when many other schools are going back. My answer is simple: because I get to make our schedule. We do not follow the county schools calendar, mostly because I want the freedom to deviate when we choose. We still have school the same number of days, it is just the days I pick! For example, all our field trip days count as school days, even if we don't do book work those days. Other times, school is in session and we aren't. We started our Christmas break a whole week earlier than regular schools. I am also leaning towards doing year round school. Since we stay home most days anyways, in the summertime especially, they get board staying indoors for hours on end. So yes, I can send them outside to play or we may go to the park. But when it gets to the 120 degree heat index, there is no chance we are trekkin it to the park! So what are we to do? Have school of course! That way, in spring time, when it is nicer outside we have more time to just relax and play on an extended spring break!
That is the plan anyways, but plans can always change. I have several goals for the new year, with regard to school and otherwise. Considering this is our 2nd year homeschooling, and our first year doing several subjects on a daily basis, the half way mark has been a good time for me to evaluate how I feel we have done, what we've accomplished, and where I need to do better (and Hannah too). One of my main faults is that I am NOT organized. At all! I have been doing good to save Hannah's work in a file folder, but to be honest, I have massively failed at grading things. That is one of the many things I want to work on in the coming year. I have started a new system that I hope will help things to run more smoothly. I'm calling it the daily work folder. What I am going to do, (and we'll see if I'm able to keep this up, because it takes a couple hours a week for me to plan ahead the next week) is this: plan all her assignments ahead for the whole week, day by day. Each day, have a list of the pages to complete in specific workbooks, activities to complete, stories to read etc. I sat down last week and worked on this and I think once I get in the habit of this, it's just going to make everything run so much smoothly and seamlessly. I get all her loose pages together, regardless of subject, and staple them to the assignment sheet for the day. Then I put each day's assignments in the same folder, along with a weekly plan. The weekly plan has our spelling words for the week, the math unit we are studying, info about the book(s) we will read, etc. That is more for me, to keep track. I think, at least for now, since Unit studies seem to be a big part of our schoolwork, it will be better to do each week's work just a week ahead. I will go ahead and type out my long time tentative game plan on the computer, but keeping it basic until closer to the time we do it. That way, we will be able to stay flexible. Also, I will be doing more focused unit studies based around literature. Last semester, I mostly allowed Hannah to free read (with a few suggested books, and books I read aloud to her or the kids mixed in). This semester, I am choosing classic literature and modern fiction books. The first book we are reading (just started yesterday) is The Secret Garden. I am typing up Vocab words and key people so she can refer back to it if she gets stuck. I have also encorporated questions each week, geography activities, and a Bible verse/discussion for each week. I think this is going to allow me to stay on top of grading, because as she finishes each week, I can go through the assignments and mark down her grades. I am still on the hunt for a good planner/gradebook though, so if you have any ideas/thoughts, Post Them Below!!!!! Also, I want to know what are your goals for the new year-even if it's not related to homeschooling. Share them in the comments too.
God bless,
Melissa
Thursday, December 22, 2011
What do you want for Christmas?
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?
~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?
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!!
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