* So I have a routine right now that after all the kids are here/up and have their breakfast, I lay down on my bed for some "quiet time" before the rush of the day. The kids know I do it; I can hear them; they can come and get me and ask me for anything they need so it is not a big deal. Well, Darryl was home one day last week and asked Josh were I was. Josh replied, "She is sleeping. She sleeps in the morning and in the afternoon while we just play.". For real? I lay on my bed for one hour and don't sleep - I just read, read my Bible passage for the day and even pray sometimes. As far as the afternoon, during nap time when the other kids are napping, I usually will sick on my (wonderful new) sofa from about 2-3 pm and relax. Usually I read, sometimes, yes, I kick back and close my eyes for a few. BUT Josh's perception made me laugh out.
* Josh had the flu this week. He was most excited to learn that four of his cousins ALSO were sick at ALMOST the exact time as him. He found it very interesting that so many kids could puke with minutes of each other yet not be in the same house HA!
* Nate loves to "Rhine" words. (Rhyme).
* Josh came out of his room one night to tell me a joke which was, "I Puked on my bed - Just joking". Now, why is that funny? Because he DID puke in his bed. Twice. Recently.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Saturday
Ten Things I'd like to do on my Saturday:
1) Sleep in . . .. if only my kids would sleep past 7:00! It is a little better now that they are slightly older because, once they have their "Chocolate Milk and Pop tart" for breakfast and the cartoons are on, they are pretty content and only wake me up again "just" as I've drifted back off to sleep. .. every single time for the next hour. Then I give up and get out of bed HA!
2) Get McDonald's Breakfast . . .. the boys and I would do this last summer but now we have one car again and Darryl's working so I'll settle for breakfast at home and am thankful for my Kerig.
3) Stay in Pajama's. Ok, who am I kidding, I do this every Saturday right now HA! Summer is coming though and then, I will NOT want to stay in my PJ's but rather, my most comfy shorts and t-shirt.
4) NOT clean. For Real. But for some reason I always end up cleaning like crazy. I think it is because I don't have the extra kids which means it is much easier to get things done. Plus I always have some cleaning project that needs to get done.
5) Scrapbook. Well, if I didn't clean, I COULD scrapbook!
6) Watch a Movie. Do Cartoons count? Because my kids don't like movies. Uuuggg! I'm looking forward to when we have a DVD player set up in the playroom for the boys with a TV so they can watch stuff in there and THEN maybe I can watch Anne of Green Gables on a cool, rainy Saturday!
7) NOT cook. Ok, I don't. :-) If Darryl is working, as he has been most Saturdays, the boys and I usually have frozen pizza for lunch and then Darryl and I order in for dinner. That all counts as NOT cooking!
8) Take a Nap. HA! I will admit, kicking back on our fabulous new sofa and closing my eyes for just a little bit, listening to my favorite Pandora Station with some headphones is a wonderful treat.
9) Plan a few games with the kids. The boys love to play games and, even though really, it is not my ultimate favorite thing, I do have fun with them and hearing them chatter on and on. So I don't mind playing a few rounds of trouble with them. And sometimes I even win ;-)
10) Prepare for Church. This might seem odd but I find getting everything ready for Sunday is actually refreshing. Having clothes picked out, the bag packed with our Bibles and whatever else we need means that Sunday morning generally runs much smoother.
How do you spend your Saturday?
1) Sleep in . . .. if only my kids would sleep past 7:00! It is a little better now that they are slightly older because, once they have their "Chocolate Milk and Pop tart" for breakfast and the cartoons are on, they are pretty content and only wake me up again "just" as I've drifted back off to sleep. .. every single time for the next hour. Then I give up and get out of bed HA!
2) Get McDonald's Breakfast . . .. the boys and I would do this last summer but now we have one car again and Darryl's working so I'll settle for breakfast at home and am thankful for my Kerig.
3) Stay in Pajama's. Ok, who am I kidding, I do this every Saturday right now HA! Summer is coming though and then, I will NOT want to stay in my PJ's but rather, my most comfy shorts and t-shirt.
4) NOT clean. For Real. But for some reason I always end up cleaning like crazy. I think it is because I don't have the extra kids which means it is much easier to get things done. Plus I always have some cleaning project that needs to get done.
5) Scrapbook. Well, if I didn't clean, I COULD scrapbook!
6) Watch a Movie. Do Cartoons count? Because my kids don't like movies. Uuuggg! I'm looking forward to when we have a DVD player set up in the playroom for the boys with a TV so they can watch stuff in there and THEN maybe I can watch Anne of Green Gables on a cool, rainy Saturday!
7) NOT cook. Ok, I don't. :-) If Darryl is working, as he has been most Saturdays, the boys and I usually have frozen pizza for lunch and then Darryl and I order in for dinner. That all counts as NOT cooking!
8) Take a Nap. HA! I will admit, kicking back on our fabulous new sofa and closing my eyes for just a little bit, listening to my favorite Pandora Station with some headphones is a wonderful treat.
9) Plan a few games with the kids. The boys love to play games and, even though really, it is not my ultimate favorite thing, I do have fun with them and hearing them chatter on and on. So I don't mind playing a few rounds of trouble with them. And sometimes I even win ;-)
10) Prepare for Church. This might seem odd but I find getting everything ready for Sunday is actually refreshing. Having clothes picked out, the bag packed with our Bibles and whatever else we need means that Sunday morning generally runs much smoother.
How do you spend your Saturday?
Friday, March 28, 2014
Food Friday - Perfect Spinach Salad
Perfect Spinach Salad
adapted from The Pioneer Woman
I found my new favorite salad and yes, it is this one. Really, it is just the concept but I have found some ingredients that I really love together and that is what matters, right? Now, if you want The Pioneer Woman's full recipe, click above on the link. I'll be super honest on this one, I did not care for the dressing. It had not a lot of favor and was really just. .. kinda greasy. My "version" is below.
Basic Ingredients:
Spinach (or your favorite salad mix - this week I bought spinach and than mixed greens to use all together)
Hard Boiled Eggs
Bacon (cooked and crumbled)
French Fried Onions (yes, from the can . . .like you use in Green Bean Casserole)
Sweet Vidalia Onion Dressing
(Some cheese would be good on this - I'm thinking crumbled blue cheese!)
(Of course, you can add any veggies you have in your fridge too!)
Combine everything in a big bowl and enjoy.
adapted from The Pioneer Woman
I found my new favorite salad and yes, it is this one. Really, it is just the concept but I have found some ingredients that I really love together and that is what matters, right? Now, if you want The Pioneer Woman's full recipe, click above on the link. I'll be super honest on this one, I did not care for the dressing. It had not a lot of favor and was really just. .. kinda greasy. My "version" is below.
Basic Ingredients:
Spinach (or your favorite salad mix - this week I bought spinach and than mixed greens to use all together)
Hard Boiled Eggs
Bacon (cooked and crumbled)
French Fried Onions (yes, from the can . . .like you use in Green Bean Casserole)
Sweet Vidalia Onion Dressing
(Some cheese would be good on this - I'm thinking crumbled blue cheese!)
(Of course, you can add any veggies you have in your fridge too!)
Combine everything in a big bowl and enjoy.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Weekly Menu - The One with a Potluck
Yes, we had our turkey last week! We won't have another one until Thanksgiving, most likely. It was good - I made it Puerto Rican style and it was just about perfect!
This Sunday, we have a potluck at Church for the end of the missions conference. Lets keep this real, pot luck dinners freak me out. I cannot figure out what to take most of the time. I over think, over plan, over everything and then have a panic attack HA! Well, this time I have to bring a main dish and either a side dish or dessert. It's our "first" pot luck so I'm not really sure how this church does stuff so I want to bring stuff that doesn't need to be kept warm. (Can you see my "freakishness" yet?)
Here's the plan for this week:
Friday - I'm going to a home party tonight so I kept it simple. Spaghetti 4 ways. See, we all eat it differently right now. Nate eats his plain, Josh wants just some jar sauce on it, I eat it with my homemade sauce and Darryl eats his without sauce but with some mixed veggies, diced ham and a little butter.
Saturday - Mac and Cheese for the Kids; Ordering in for the Adults.
Sunday - The "Dreaded" Potluck. (hehehehe). So, my main dish will be Ham Salad Sandwiches. I just picked up some Hawaiian Rolls and deli Ham Salad and made some awesome sandwiches that were simple. I debated between dessert and a side dish for quite awhile. I finally decided on a dessert and made Boston Cream Cupcakes. They look nice and actually look like they took extra effort to make but they are so easy.
Monday - We ended up not having Turkey Noodle Soup last week so I have put it on the menu for tonight. Along with the boys favorite yeast rolls
Tuesday - I have a concert to go to tonight so Darryl and I will be passing ships. I've hotdogs and chips to feed to the natives on the island of "Home" and I plan on doing a drivethru run as I head out of town.
Wednesday - I think it is time for breakfast for dinner. So eggs, ham slices (for something different), hash browns, and toast.
Thursday - Chicken wings (since I have them to use up), mac and cheese (a potato for Darryl), and some sort of veggie from the pantry.
I'm really trying to use some of the last of the "winter" foods in the pantry/freezer. By that I mean 1) Things that heat up the kitchen big time so therefore I won't cook them as it starts to warm up and 2)Things that are, well, at the end of their shelf life. I also really should do some baking and put some stuff in the freezer. My kitchen is so hot in the summer, it is hard to ever bake . .. .. we'll see if I actually do that though!
This Sunday, we have a potluck at Church for the end of the missions conference. Lets keep this real, pot luck dinners freak me out. I cannot figure out what to take most of the time. I over think, over plan, over everything and then have a panic attack HA! Well, this time I have to bring a main dish and either a side dish or dessert. It's our "first" pot luck so I'm not really sure how this church does stuff so I want to bring stuff that doesn't need to be kept warm. (Can you see my "freakishness" yet?)
Here's the plan for this week:
Friday - I'm going to a home party tonight so I kept it simple. Spaghetti 4 ways. See, we all eat it differently right now. Nate eats his plain, Josh wants just some jar sauce on it, I eat it with my homemade sauce and Darryl eats his without sauce but with some mixed veggies, diced ham and a little butter.
Saturday - Mac and Cheese for the Kids; Ordering in for the Adults.
Sunday - The "Dreaded" Potluck. (hehehehe). So, my main dish will be Ham Salad Sandwiches. I just picked up some Hawaiian Rolls and deli Ham Salad and made some awesome sandwiches that were simple. I debated between dessert and a side dish for quite awhile. I finally decided on a dessert and made Boston Cream Cupcakes. They look nice and actually look like they took extra effort to make but they are so easy.
Monday - We ended up not having Turkey Noodle Soup last week so I have put it on the menu for tonight. Along with the boys favorite yeast rolls
Tuesday - I have a concert to go to tonight so Darryl and I will be passing ships. I've hotdogs and chips to feed to the natives on the island of "Home" and I plan on doing a drivethru run as I head out of town.
Wednesday - I think it is time for breakfast for dinner. So eggs, ham slices (for something different), hash browns, and toast.
Thursday - Chicken wings (since I have them to use up), mac and cheese (a potato for Darryl), and some sort of veggie from the pantry.
I'm really trying to use some of the last of the "winter" foods in the pantry/freezer. By that I mean 1) Things that heat up the kitchen big time so therefore I won't cook them as it starts to warm up and 2)Things that are, well, at the end of their shelf life. I also really should do some baking and put some stuff in the freezer. My kitchen is so hot in the summer, it is hard to ever bake . .. .. we'll see if I actually do that though!
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
A Song of Encouragment
One of my favorite artists right now is Laura Story. She has some great songs out and I thought I would "share" one with you. Hopefully it encourages you!
Monday, March 24, 2014
In a Slump . . ..
Sorry blogger friends. I've been in a slump the last few weeks without many ideas of what to write about. This is the first time this has really happened since I started writing several years ago. We haven't been doing much and that is, I'm sure, part of the problem since I have no crafts or fun kid ideas to share. My cooking has taken an nose dive so even coming up with new recipes and fun cooking ideas have been a little trying. Hang with me, though, and I'm sure I'll get back into it soon!.
Homeschool Corner - Dinasaurs galore!
This past Sunday we planned a family fun day. Without Football to watch (yes, we really are die hard fans of Sunday Football), we've found that planning fun activities on Sunday are the way to go. We are already out for church and it's nice to have something to do. Plus, this frees up Saturday for us to hang out at home and/or work on some projects.
On Sunday, the 16th, we headed to Church and Sunday School first and had a great morning at church. From there we headed out to dinner and decided to try out IHOP since it would be easy with the boys. Well, once is enough for us. HA! We were both craving a place called Mega which is near my parents house and hoped this might be a half way decent substitute but it was not . . . . oh well. Next time we will eat somewhere else that is for sure. Then we headed to the Grand Rapids Public Museum to see the Dinosaur Exhibit.
We arrived at the museum and got THE perfect parking spot which is beyond amazing when you consider we had to wait 45 minutes in line to get inside. Geesh! It was worth it though. Here's my confession - I haven't taken the boys to this museum because I find it kinda of, well, boring. I've been many times and figured they wouldn't like it. Boy was I wrong. They loved it and now, I need to take them back where they can just explore the place.
Nate was totally 100% intrigued by the dinosaurs from the moment we walked in. They are, after all, his favorite animals!
Josh, on the other hand, was intrigued by the windows and seeing how far up we actually were (it is very high due to the river that runs right by!)
The exhibit was fantastic. The dinosaurs move and make lots of noise. Nate wanted to know the name of every one of them and also wanted to know what facts were listed on the display boards.
On the other hand, Josh wanted to play. His favorite areas were the hands-on areas. Often times Josh and I stayed in those areas while Darryl and Nate walked through the dinosaur areas.
Once we finished with the dinosaurs, we wandered through part of the museum. The boys loved the old train car.
Josh dared to get on the huge bike.
The boys and I in "Old Town" Grand Rapids.
Darryl and the boys. Yes, Josh always makes funny faces.
We also rode the carousal. The boys loved it and had huge smiles on their faces. There was no way I could get a photo though. I was just trying not to get sick from going in circles over and over and over . . HA!
I'm looking forward to taking the boys back. I think going on a weekend day during the hot days of summer will be on our bucket list!
On Sunday, the 16th, we headed to Church and Sunday School first and had a great morning at church. From there we headed out to dinner and decided to try out IHOP since it would be easy with the boys. Well, once is enough for us. HA! We were both craving a place called Mega which is near my parents house and hoped this might be a half way decent substitute but it was not . . . . oh well. Next time we will eat somewhere else that is for sure. Then we headed to the Grand Rapids Public Museum to see the Dinosaur Exhibit.
We arrived at the museum and got THE perfect parking spot which is beyond amazing when you consider we had to wait 45 minutes in line to get inside. Geesh! It was worth it though. Here's my confession - I haven't taken the boys to this museum because I find it kinda of, well, boring. I've been many times and figured they wouldn't like it. Boy was I wrong. They loved it and now, I need to take them back where they can just explore the place.
We also rode the carousal. The boys loved it and had huge smiles on their faces. There was no way I could get a photo though. I was just trying not to get sick from going in circles over and over and over . . HA!
I'm looking forward to taking the boys back. I think going on a weekend day during the hot days of summer will be on our bucket list!
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