Things my kids say

* I recently asked Josh wanted he wanted to dress like for halloween.  His response was, "Ummm I'll just wear my clothes".

*Nate's brain works faster than his month so often I hear things like this, "I for togot do that mom!"

*Nate has a new joke:  Mom, do you remember when a giraffe licked a hippo and a hippo licked a giraffe.  That's funny mom".  Seriously, I laugh out loud every single time.

* My husband back is injured . . .Josh made a large ice pack for him by freezing water in a ziplock bag so now, every time Darryl says something about his back, Josh runs to the freezer and brings the frozen brick of water for Darryl to lean against.  It may or may not be causing MORE pain ;-)  Such a thoughtful little boy though!

*I asked Nate what he wanted to be for Halloween . .. to which he said, "A banana, an orange, a donut, no mom, a rainbow, no mom a banana and an orange.  Maybe I shouldn't ask.

* Josh spent about 30 minutes (or more) one morning trying to put his own jacket on.  He wanted no help, works of advice or even the sound of my voice to grace his presence.  Poor kid.  He is super independent and just a little bit stubborn.  Oh, and did I mention he is a perfectionist?

* Nate refused to get dressed one morning because his cool shirt, which he wore the day before, hadn't been washed yet.  I may need to buy multiples of that shirt . . ..

* Nate has finally outgrown the "bumper" on his twin bed. .. I figured when he could slip through the hole in the fabric and slide onto the floor, it really wasn't working HA Over the past month he had managed to push his feet against it so much that he ripped all of the fabric.  I was slightly disappointed - not because it came off the bed (I highly disliked it - it made putting sheets on very difficult) but because I had planned to sell that stupid thing HA!  Instead it went right out to the garbage.

*Josh has learned to make it to the toilet to puke.  Enough said - this is a true milestone though.

* Nate informed me that we need to hang bats, maybe some witches, and a skeleton, which your whole body in bones.  He loves Halloween!

What a Trip to the ER Taught Me

Recently, my husband had to go to the ER due to severe back pain which, as we learned that day, was being caused by a bulging disc.  We had to take the boys with us to the hospital for the "day".  I semi-frantically packed for a "who knows how long" of a stay at the hospital so we could get on the road.  On a side note, this is one of those times I was so thankful my boys are now potty trained.  No diapers; diaper changes; grossness etc.

 I was grateful to find a very small kids area that entertained my kids for like 5 minutes.  That gave us enough time to get in and find a place to camp out for awhile. 

 I did think to pack some things for me that my kids ended up using - paper and pen.  Even with cartoons (the kind we don't watch at home due to the scare factor) on TV, they wanted to draw. 

 This is what I carried around most of the day!

 Crazy Nate and the camera!

The "sicky" - he's a little drugged up at the moment :-)

So, now, what did I learn?  I need to have an "emergency" plan.  It doesn't even have to be a trip to the hospital - it could be an unplanned road trip, a trip to someones house, or a dentist appointment.  That plan needs to include:
1) A bag.  Our diaper bag is no longer a diaper bag but a cute 31 bag that can now be used to carry anything.  I call it our "travel bag"
2) Inside the bag I need the following: 2 pads of paper; 2 containers of washable markers (crayons melt); and a couple of pens; Stickers; a couple of toys - right now that would be dinosaurs and cars.  Oh and wipes - hospital waiting room personal give out suckers to kids . . .sticky, sticky suckers.
3) Food - snacks and drinks are HUGE.  So from now on there will be the following on my shelves (which I happened to have on hand today)  A Box of juice boxes in my kids favorite flavor.  A box of Fruit and Grain Bars and a bag of crackers. Plus a special treat - my kids like Smarties - they don't melt and aren't sticky so I think those need to go in the bag!  Oh, and some kid friendly cups and Crystal light lemonade pouches for individual bottles of water (those are a life savor in a restaurant too!)
4) I also need to have a change of clothes in the bag for each boy.  Last year, I picked up some very inexpensive pants and shirts that just stayed in the bag all of the time.  I need to do that again - just the $3.00 stuff at Walmart.  When I can plan the bag, I usually take a nice outfit for each kid but I need that backup outfit in case someone spills, pukes, or any other bodily function that may happen.
5) Blankets need to be in the truck too - Josh has one that is supposed to stay in the truck and I have the fleece to make one for Nate - I need to do that soon!
6) The last thing that is a must - I need to stick a little money in my wallet that is for emergencies.  Enough to put gas in the truck if needed and to buy snacks/lunch/dinner if needed.  The boys and I enjoyed lunch in the hospital cafeteria and I was surprised by how affordable it was - the three of us ate for less then $10.00 and we had left over food.  

So, that's my plan.  Now to work on getting that stuff together.  Months ago I posted about vehicle organization - I've yet to do my version but I think now is the time and I need to combine it with this list - some of the items on my list can just be in the truck all of time, not necessarily in the bag.  :-

Food Friday - Pico de gallo and Guacamole

Pico de gallo and Guacamole
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Friday night is taco night in this house!  With this plan, I decided I need to amp up the taco fixin's so I went searching for a salsa recipe.  I came across this Pico de gallo recipe with Guacamole thrown in for good measure.  I had actually seen it on an episode of Pioneer Woman awhile ago but had forgotten about it.  Both were a huge hit and I used all of the left over taco stuff the following day for Nachos!  I did cut down the recipe for the Guacamole and only used one avocado since that is something that doesn't last more than about a day. 

Ingredients

• FOR THE PICO DE GALLO:
• 5 whole Plum (roma) Tomatoes
• 1/2 whole Large (or 1 Small) Onion
• 3 whole Jalapeno Peppers
• Cilantro
• Lime Juice
• Salt To Taste
• _____
• FOR THE GUACAMOLE:
• 3 whole Avocados
• Pico De Gallo
• Lime Juice
• Salt To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Pico de Gallo:
Chop jalapenos, tomatoes and onions into a very small dice. (Leave seeds in your jalapenos for a hotter pico). Adjust amount of jalapenos to your preferred temperature. Next, chop up a nice-sized bunch of cilantro. Just remove and discard the long leafless stems before chopping. No need to remove the leaves from the stems completely. Place all of these ingredients together in a bowl and give it a good stir.
Squeeze the juice of half of one lime into the bowl. Add salt to taste and stir again.
Guacamole:
Start with buttery-soft avocados. Halve them lengthwise and remove the pits. Next, with a spoon scrape the “meat” out onto a large plate. Next, with the bottom of a clean cup (or with a fork) mash the avocados, making sure to leave it relatively chunky. Add just a couple of shakes of salt to taste. Next, add a generous helping of Pico de Gallo. Fold together. Lastly squeeze the juice of half of a lime over the top. Give it one last stir.

Weekly Menu!

I keep thinking that fall is here. .. . and then we have 75-80 degree days and it makes me a little sad.  Don't get me wrong, the weather has been beautiful but the bees, wow.  I've become the great bee killer - usually killing upwards of 10-15 bees a day if the patio door is open.  The kids don't even like to play outside for very long because of the bees!  I'm ready for a really good solid freeze so the bees will go away.

Here's our plan for this week.  We are laying pretty low since my husband is still dealing with a bank injury.  Ironically, October is usually one of our busy months with fall stuff, Halloween, a birthday and just all around fun stuff.  So far, we aren't doing much of anything!!!

Friday - Taco's!  It has a been a few weeks since we've had our normal Friday night tacos.  Tonight will be traditional :-)  I'll just add some chips and Salsa to go along with it.

Saturday - Italian Burgers and Salad - Saw this in an episode of Pioneer Woman and it looked good!

Sunday - We'll have Sloppy Joes after church since I can have it all made before hand and then I'm going to do a pot of Chicken and Dumplings for dinner.

Monday - Monday is Soup day!  I'll turn left over chicken and dumplings (minus the dumplings) into Chicken Noodle Soup.  This is THEE best way to make chicken noodle soup!

Tuesday - Thanks to a friend of mine who had about 5 crock pots and heard that mine had died and I had yet to replace it, I now have a crock pot :-)  So we will have Balsamic Pork Loin in the Crock pot, Mac and Cheese, roasted veggies and some rolls.

Wednesday -It's breakfast for dinner!  Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, fried potatoes and Fruit!  Yum :-)

Thursday - We'll end the week with an old favorite, Beef Strogenoff over noodles with Italian bread.

What am I baking this week?  Well, it is fall so I'm thinking maybe an apple crisp and/or a pumpkin pie.  Cookies will be the "break and bake" since they are on sale this week :-)

Making Your Home a Haven

Women Living Well

Last week I introduced the "Making your Home a Haven" Challenge from Women Living Well.  Last week we were challenged to clean out some clutter - what ever area we needed to - to prepare.  

This weeks challenge is to light a candle for your family in your home and each time you see it, pray for peace within your home; pray for your family.  Personally, I love candles.  I love the warmth and the smell and just how it seems to bring a level of comfort to the home.  I used to light them all over the house but with young children, I am careful where I leave a lit candle.  Currently, we have a nice high entertainment center so I keep one burning there.  The fragrance makes our main living area so inviting!  This year, though, I've also started lighting one in my kitchen.  I spend a good portion of my day in that room between making meals, cleaning up, baking and more.  

I purchased this candle back in August, along with the holder, and have been waiting for it to be cool enough to light it!  It's still a bit warm around here but I can light it for a bit in the morning before it is time to open the doors and windows for the day :-)

My kids have asked me why I have candles lit - they want to know whose birthday it is HA! 

So, get out your candle and light it.  If you don't love "hot candles" then get one of those cup warmers and place your candle on there - it will warm the wax and release the smell.  Or get a "fake" candle - the kind you put batteries in so it flickers or pick up a Scensty Warmer :-)  What ever you need to "light your home" for your family!

Halloween Ideas

This is the first year that my kids actually understand Halloween and all of the fun that goes with it.  I've asked them what they want to be and they said Ghosts . . .I think I would like to just get some king size pillow cases (Walmart - $5.00) and maybe some white sweatpants or something??  Not 100% sure yet :-) 

This is a link to a whole Pinterest Folder that is full of fun, festive food ideas for Halloween and Fall.  This one caught my eye :-)

Preschool and Pre-K report

Last week was a little different due to my husband being home due to a back injury and then I was heading out of town on Thursday. 

Monday -

 The boys have been asking to play with play dough lately, which I don't mind at all, but it seems like they ask just before dinner or just before bathtime so there really isn't time to get it out.  After spending most of the day in the ER with my husband on Sunday, I really didn't feel like "teaching" on Monday so we got out the play dough and practiced making the letters the two little boys have learned so far.  Once they had made letters then we got the rest of the play dough stuff out and they played the rest of the morning.

 Nate's letters - I think he did pretty good :-)

My letters - Josh actually made both the upper and lower case letters but I didn't get any photos of his finished product.

Tuesday -

 Nate doing some color matching :-)

 Josh working on his calendar.

The boys working on some graphing.

The boys were really not into school on Tuesday and asked to quit early.  I didn't fight it - that is one of the joys of homeschooling :-) 

We took Wednesday off because I had so much to do to get ready to leave on Thursday.  I made three different trips out during the day in order to tie the trips into naps since my husband is confined to a chair most of the time.   Thursday was already a planned day off - Darryl had a doctor's appointment in the morning and then I left after lunch. 

So, where did I go?  I went on a long-planned scrapbook weekend with friends.  It was fully paid for and, to back out, would have cost me what I paid so we decided that it actually cost less to go - since the amount of "spending" money was much less then what I had already paid.  It was so much fun to go away with some friends AND to get a ton of scrapbooking done. Now I'm back to getting creative with a way to keep my stuff a little more handy so I can do some pages each week.  I have a few ideas. . .. my dining room is the size of the Grand Canyon afterall, isn't it? LOL

So, here we are at Monday of a new week.  I think we are taking this week off - it is supposed to be next week - but I'm kinda buried and behind right now.  To start with the boys have a dentist appointment this morning so we wouldn't even do school.  I still need to unload and unpack plus I have some organizing to do.  Added to that the boys and I all have colds (as do the kids I babysit for - they aren't even here today they are so sick).  I do have a few fun ideas to do so we will do those, review the letters, numbers and sighwords we've learned so far and even do some review worksheets.  I also have birthday and halloween things I need to get a grasp on so that I'm not scrambling at the last minute.  Taking this week to do all of that will be a big blessing :-) 

So, three cheers for a "week off"!