Monday, October 22, 2012

Monster Cookies & Chili

What a glorious weekend!  The weather was absolutely wonderful and I had a great time all weekend long.  Well, mostly all weekend long.  The one drawback was that two of my brand new pumpkins were stolen off my front porch!  I keep telling myself, "they're just pumpkins. they're just pumpkins."
Anyway, great weekend all around.  Uno turns 12 tomorrow (12!) therefore we celebrated his birthday over the weekend.  At one point we had 9 boys running through the yard playing flash light tag.  Whew!  Boys can be loud and rough and quite frankly, a little disgusting;)
Alabama played Tennessee so me and Numero Uno took advantage of the boys entertaining themselves and made homemade chili and invited the neighbors over.  It was nice.  I also got to enjoy the luxury of watching the Pioneer Woman Saturday morning and got the idea of making Monster Cookies.  The attraction I have to the Pioneer Woman is that her recipes fit quite naturally into my everyday life.  For lack of proper terminology, they're not "froo froo".  I typically have the ingredients in my pantry and the results are great.  The "norm" for me is bland at best but since I've been using Pioneer Woman's recipes, my meals actually have taste.  Plus she gives great tips while cooking.
 I am aware that there is an aspect of my person that if given the job of a CSI agent would step over the dead body. Meaning there have been great things happen or given to me that I have not appreciated until YEARS later.  One of them being my mother-in-law.  She has given me many practical gifts that at first I did not care for or understand but that now I am HUGELY thankful for.  One such gift is my cast iron skillet.  Truth be told, I didn't know what to do with it.  The only memory I could conjure up of a cast iron skillet was the one in which my dad told me that once when he was a teenager his mother hit him up side the head with one.  Needless to say, mine stayed in the drawer under my oven.  Until....the Pioneer Woman.  Now I use mine weekly and love it!  My chicken has never had so much flavor. 
Besides cookies, my man made chili and Saturday night it wasn't really as thick as I like it to be.  I was looking forward to eating some leftovers after church on Sunday.  What I didn't realize was that Numero Uno had placed the chili on high to thicken it up then planned to turn it down to simmer while we were at church.  Needless to say, we arrived home to the smell of burnt chili.  He forgot to turn it off high.  Kudos to my red pot which withstood the three hour tour of fire. I was determined to have thick chili so I found a recipe from you know who:)

 “Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile.”
William Cullen Bryant

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Ramblings of a Mom

Have you noticed that: a.  I have not blogged for 31 consecutive days about Motherhood?  and b.  pretty much each of my blog posts are about Motherhood?  These are just thoughts I am thinking this evening.
Ever wondered what your home is going to be like when the kids are gone?  Now I don't mean like, "Yippee!  The kids are outta the house!" But I mean what will the physical home look like?  What will your relationship with your spouse look like?  What will you identify yourself as once the kids are gone? 
The moment I had Dos I felt like a missing piece to the puzzle called my life had been found.  I felt a sense of wholeness and purpose unlike any other time in my life.  Therefore, I already know that once Quattro leaves my home I'm gonna have some real identity crisis issues to work on.  For this reason I am working really hard now to protect my relationship with Numero Uno  in order to keep him as my numero uno. 
I'll be honest, I wonder "what am I gonna do with myself?"  I've worked in a career where I felt unmotivated and dissatisfied.  Motherhood has been my greatest joy.  As cheesy as it sounds, this is a joy I wish all people could experience.  I LOVE being with my kids, interacting with them, volunteering in their classrooms, holding my baby close as he goes to sleep, making supper for them, listening as they read to me, praying with them at night. Will this love and passion simply be rerouted to being a support to my adult children?  I hope so.  I enjoy the relationship I have with my Mom and can see how she still steps in and offers help.  And I appreciate that.  I want to do the same for my kids.  I wanna be the Mom that helps plan the weddings, shops with my adult kids, go to grandkids' sporting activities, go to consignment sales for my grandkids. 
What steps do you take right now to protect your marriage relationship?  How do you prepare yourself for the transition of an empty nest?

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Gentleness. Who needs it?

Well the answer would be: me.  I need it.  Do you ever watch the Duggars?  If you've read my blog any at all you know I do.  I'm always impressed with how calm Michelle Duggar always seems.  Children have been one of my greatest blessings but at the same time they are the quickest means of pushing my buttons.  I had no clue I even had a quick temper until kids arrived on the scene.  Remember Jon and Kate plus 8?  (Another show that I loved)  People gave Kate a bad rap (including my husband) but I don't know.  I kept thinking "what in the world would people think if a camera followed me around all day watching my every move with my kids?"  I still think Kate did the best she could.  I mean 8 kids.  Come on! 
Okay, back to gentleness.  This attribute is one I am working to cultivate in me and my kids.  I'm telling you it takes work for me.  And I love my kids!  It's not that I run around angry all the time.  I just find that I tend to get stressed out when things don't go as planned (which is everyday).  I know I've mentioned it before but I'll mention it again, iMom has been a great tool for me here lately.  The Espresso Minute has given me quick pointers on areas to improve in my home.  One little article asked how am I being gentle to others? my children? my pets?  I did get tickled and frustrated over the last one because I have a true love/hate relationship with our little dog.  And for the life of me when I think about this little dog I don't know why she gets under my skin so.  She's a great dog! 
The point is my children see how I treat the dog, how I treat others, and even how I treat them.  My example of gentleness will guide them in gentleness. 
So, what are my pointers? 
1.  I'm focusing on the scripture that says "a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger".
2.  I'm looking at what needs to be done, estimating a time to complete it then tripling that time in order to accommodate the unplanned events that pop up in a family of six (planning will cut down on my stress which will cut down on my harsh reactions).
3.  I'm trying to put myself in my kids' shoes.  Not to excuse unwanted behavior but to identify where they're coming from in order to help me know how to respond. 
Has it worked?  Well, prayer is always important.  Anyone who knows me knows that my mistakes are usually pretty public and that is with a lot of prayer!  But I take heart in thinking, "what would I be like without God and prayer?"  Scary thought!  I would say the "tripling your time expectations" has been a big help.  For example, last night, I had everything planned out that needed to be done.  I gave myself triple the time I thought it would take.  I was getting things done beautifully when I got a call from my man that he had a hole in his oil pan and I needed to come pick him up.  Instead of getting angry for the change of plans, I was able to roll with the punches.  Yay! 
I desire gentleness because I want my children to be receptive to my input not shy away from it.  Plus I want kids that are gentle with others.  Like I said, I'm impressed with Michelle Duggar:)

Monday, October 15, 2012

Down on the Farm

Dos and Tres' school has a policy of no preschool age children attending field trips.  I'll be honest, at first I was put off by this. However, today was Tres' field trip to a local farm and Numero Uno was off and able to keep Quattro which meant I could spend one-on-one time with Tres.  It was a fantastic day!  As I think over the whole day, I come to the conclusion that the entire day was wonderful. 
We went to Gullion Farms in Somerville, Alabama.  We had a blast!  I had never heard of this farm before and it is relatively close to our home (about a 30 minute drive).  The owners/operators have done a superb job in the planning and carry out of their venue.  The kids had something to do constantly without overwhelming them.  Unfortunately I've been to pumpkin patches and/or farms where there is too much "down" time between activities or the activities quickly lose their appeal.  Not so at Gullion Farms.  Let's see if I can name all of the things we did today: met (I mean up close and personal not a fly by "petting zoo") goats, pigs, ducks, horses, donkeys, chickens, calves, bunnies; rode in a carriage ride; rode on a hay ride; slid down a HUGE slide; jumped out of a barn loft into a pile of hay; gathered eggs from the chicken coop; fished with a cane pole; had story time with the farmer's wife; got to pet animals in the petting zoo; swung on a tire swing; rode a pony; jumped in a corn kernal box; ran through a corn maze; and picked a pumpkin! Whew, what a time! 
 

My favorite part? Being with my girl.  Oh, how I love that girl.  She is something else: smart, sensitive, playful, funny, helpful, loving.  I love to hear her talk and listen to what's on her mind.  To understand her reasons for picking the particular pumpkin she selected or to hear her laughter while on a swing.  To see the fear and fascination in her eyes as she rode a pony and to feel her soft hand in mine as we walked together.  Oh what a day today was - one of the best I've had in a long time. 
 
So, would I highly recommend Gullion Farms?  Most definitely.  Very friendly people who are extremely knowledgeable about their farm.  I hope to take the rest of my family soon:) 
 


Friday, October 12, 2012

Letting Go

I'm uncertain it will ever cease to amaze me the basic topics that find their way into so many women's days.  Fundamental issues that one would think would already have been exhausted in discussions, blogs, books, etc. and yet continue to be the feed for #1 Bestsellers or Internet chatways. 
One such subject?  Letting go of STUFF. 
I actually threw away perfectly good items from my kitchen and toy room yesterday.  I had to.  I've come to realize that if I kept everything waiting for the "just right" way to release them then I would NEVER release anything from my house.  And subsequently would have my own time slot on Hoarders: Buried Alive.
There is a paralysis that takes over me when there is too much stuff in my house.  In fact, for the last three weeks I've really been feeling at a loss as to what direction to move in with my house.  One of my flaws (and there are many) is that when I know there's a problem instead of tackling it I will read and devour any material on the subject matter that can tell me how to let go of stuff.  But to be honest with you, all the pins I had pinned and blogs I've saved shared with me what I already knew: I'm not gonna have my house organized in a day, it takes time, concentrate on one area at a time, only work 15 minutes at a time. 
So...I did.  I started in my kitchen.  Really, who needs 100 plastic bags from Wal-Mart?  And you want to know why I have said bags?  Because normally for my main grocery trips I use my reusable cloth bags but when I'm running in and out of Wal-Mart I forget them.  Therefore, I feel GUILTY about having these plastic bags and vow to myself that I will reuse them and thus not be the downfall of all mankind.  LET IT GO.  I threw half of them away yesterday and you know what?  I breathe easier when there's less stuff in my house.  I literally breathe easier.  With the bags chunked, I moved on to the appliances that sit in my cabinet not being used.  In the past I would set such items out in a bag or box waiting to be taken to the local charity organization.  But that's just it - they set around waiting and piling up and collecting dust.  Now I do have good times of getting my act together and making the donations but many times these items just sit collectively somewhere in the house creating "moved clutter". I can not take it anymore.  Did I feel guilty throwing the appliances in the trash can?  Yes, but for my sanity, I needed to simply LET them GO. 
I moved on to the toy room which now that I think about it, the kitchen and the toy room are my two rooms I have the most problem with.  I only spent 15 minutes in the toy room so it does not look drastically different but I did finally throw away a doll that Tres has not played with in I don't know how long.  Did I feel guilty?  Of course, but once the deed was done I thought to myself, "why did I hang on to that thing for so long?"
Tomorrow's Saturday and I'm looking forward to sleeping late but also I'm looking forward to clearing out some more stuff:)

Oh, and by the way...Tres received the Golden Apple from her school today.  "An achievement in excellence."  Way to go, girl!

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Pretty Nails

Except for the bubbling noises coming from the filter of the fish tank, the house is quiet.  Kinda amazing how calm the house seems without a TV going.  I do not know the results of the vice presidential debate.  I've been doing my nails.  It's a little of a throwback to my high school days when having my nails polished and shaped was of utmost importance.

Pinned Image

Yes, it's true.  I've been attempting any of these style nails.  (I can hear my sister laughing at this).  Of course, I could not pull a single one of them off so I had to take nail polish off and go with a plane Jane look.  I'm sure the local community will thank me for not branching out.  Anyway...

Today was a good day.  I mean a GOOD day.  We were on time to school.  There were no arguments, I got some laundry done.  We even went and watched my nephews play soccer.  What helped?  At the dot MOM conference I signed up to receive the "Espresso Minute" from iMom and I highly recommend it.  I started getting those emails this week.  It has some great helpful tips.

Also, check out the Meet the Dubiens site.  I'm trying to win a cute little cutting bento set:)

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Reading

I have mentioned before I did not cast myself in the role as an avid reader as a child.  I left that title to my older sister who always seemed to have a book in her hand.  My family did not have a TV in the house til I was about two so when it finally arrived, I seemed always glued to it.  However, upon further examination I did get a lot of great exposure to books.  In the church I attended as a child, we had this AMAZING couple that were the children's ministers.  (They were the children's ministers before "Children's Minister" was the cool title. I called them Children's Church workers)  They were phenomenal.  He served I believe in Vietnam and not sure he ever got out of the crew cut hair do.  She led the music and I can still hear her soprano at the piano.  In fact, I still sing some of those same songs to my children at night.  She worked for the publishing company Thomas Nelson and I recall on several occasions her giving me books to read.  Many of them Janette Oke books.  And I loved them.  My father also gave me books on different female missionaries.  I liked reading of their life among the poor. 
If my love for reading was questionable as a child all question now has been removed.  I love to read.  I still like to talk to my sister every now and again to get her input on books.  She is fascinating to listen to.  I think she makes me fall in love with the books before I ever turn the first page.  She has been a great resource to me as to what books to introduce to my kids.  This year I have started two separate, age appropriate baskets for Dos and Tres  in which books are held that they can read to me nightly.  Also, I've shifted from reading picture books to them to chapter books.  Right now we are reading The Boxcar Children, one of my childhood favorites.  And I look forward to some more greats that I have compiled a list to read.  Favorites such as:  The Borrowers, Charlotte's Web,Shiloh, Little House on the Prairie series.  I'm probably most excited about the Little House series and you know what?  I didn't read that until about three years ago.  I can't believe I missed out on that as a child.  I so love seeing what books my kids like to read and I enjoy reading with them.  I do not recall my parents reading to me but I want that memory for my kids.  Don't get me wrong, I've got great parents but I believe the idea of one on one reading did not enter their minds as an important task. 
What books did you grow up on? Who was a big influence on your reading habits? 

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Intentional

Thought I would start the blog with a picture of this sweet pea.  This is Quattro in the hospital.  He looks quite different now and man how the time has FLOWN by.  I miss him.  Isn't that crazy to miss a child that you have?  I guess I miss the fact that I will never have another baby in my home.  I do realize he's still a baby and I am thankful each day for him.  It's just my newborn is gone.  Maybe I'm also a little sad because I believe he is weaning himself.  This is a good thing.  I mean I don't want to be the mom that has a two year old still nursing.  I was just hoping I would wean him at 12 months but I can really see he's just not much interested anymore at almost 10 months.  I'm still proud of myself for going this long:)

Now onto intentionality...To be intentional is to do something deliberately.  A calculated plan is a good description of being intentional.  To live intentionally is a thought I am mulling over in my mind.  If I was honest with myself, here lately I've only half way been intentional about my day or about my kids or my marriage relationship.  I have big dreams but I do not always map out the best way to achieve them.  I am a believer that a tremendous amount can be accomplished simply by setting your mind to it.   What an amazing blessing I have to set a goal and see it through. 
I have to make calculated plans to make sure we eat well, arrive to school on time, are polite to one another, practice our music lessons, keep a somewhat clean house.  There is a lot of intentional living to be done. 
What are my intentions?  To raise kind, compassionate children.  To be in and maintain a loving relationship with my spouse. 
What are your intentions?  How are you progressing with your deliberate plans?

Monday, October 8, 2012

Always Be Prepared

Is it the Boy Scouts whose motto is, "Always be prepared"?  Well ask me what the Cub Scouts motto is and I'm setting on ready with an answer.  "Do your best."  There, bet you didn't think I knew it but whoa, oh, oh, do I.  My family is all about some Cub Scouts right now.  In fact, I think we're part of a cult but don't tell the higher ups in the Boy Scouts of America that I said that because I'm sure they could make it where my son never got a job in his entire life due to my above comment.  Just kidding.  Something in me has to find the humor in whatever we are doing and I LOVE the fact that we're doing Cub Scouts.  Its just some of these people are pretty intense about their Cub Scouts. 
That's neither here nor there.  I really just wanted the chance to use the phrase, "Always be prepared", which is NOT my motto.  I would like for it to be but alas, it is not.  Mine would fall under the motto of "Probably prepared one out of every one hundred attempts at preparedness."  That's a little too lengthy for a business card or a t-shirt so I'll have to limit it to this blog post:)
I am prepared tonight.  I have the kids school clothes ironed and laid out.  I've got notebooks checked and signed.  Lunches and snacks are made and waiting in the fridge. 
 
I attempted the turkey from "Meet the Dubiens" blog but ended up with what looks like to me a face that has been scared and now has its hair standing on end.  My lunches for my kids are always LOOSE interpretations of what I've seen on other blogs.  Kudos to This Lunch Rox lady and Meet the Dubiens for really good work.

 

I'm looking forward to tomorrow.  I am not scheduled to volunteer at the school; therefore, housework will get some much needed attention.  Typically I take Quattro along for the ride if I am to help out in Dos or Tres' classrooms.  I really like the opportunity to help out.  In fact, I just remembered I have some take home work I need to complete tomorrow for Dos' teacher.  Well, I better run off to bed so I will not wake up late in the morning and ruin the work I did tonight!

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Laundry Day

Typically I do not have a set Laundry Day.  In fact, I do one load a day to keep the laundry baskets from becoming mountains.  However, I need to play catch up today and was well on my way to achieving that ever illusive status of empty dirty clothes hampers.  Unfortunately I started getting sick and all production has stopped.  My goal was to get clean socks and underwear in drawers before I started hearing, "Mom!  I need some socks!" 

What laundry method works for you?  Like I said, one load a day works for us.  I start with the color clothes from mine and my man's room then the next day it's the whites.  The next basket would be Dos and Tres' hamper followed by Uno and Quattro's then I start all over again.  There is always laundry to do.  Now I have not included doing laundry as any of the kids chores but do you?  At what age did you start your kids washing clothes or have you decided that is a task best kept for yourself?

Friday, October 5, 2012

Glad it's Friday!

Friday night, kids in bed.  Gonna watch me a chick flick.  Mamas need some down time.  And this mama is chillin' out tonight and praying I sleep late tomorrow:)

Thursday, October 4, 2012

You're All My Favorites

She was sleeping in her bed and he was sleeping in my bed.  Sometime during the night he thought my bed would be a better fit than his own.  It's no big deal.  I was the same way when I was a kid.  In fact, I would not sleep by myself until I was in the sixth grade - THE SIXTH GRADE.  (Let that sink in)  Either I would beg my older sister to let me sleep with her or I would muster the courage to cross the long, dark distance between my room and my parents.  I just knew there were Boogie Monsters lying in wait somewhere in the middle.  And on the rare occasion that I could not wiggle my way into the above mentioned rooms I would become desperate and sleep in my brother's room.  I never stayed in my brother's room for long.  He has had sleep walking and talking issues ever since I can remember and that did nothing for my already scared-of-the-dark disposition.
So when I awoke this morning and discovered Dos in bed with me, I smiled.  I crept out of the bedroom and eased the door closed so he could have a few more minutes of rest.  When it was time for the kids to get up for school, I climbed in bed by Tres and brushed her hair while singing to her, easing her into her day.  I enjoy the one on one moments with my kids.  Showing them that each one is important and special in my eyes. 
Growing up my Dad would tell me, in front of my siblings "I love you better than the other two."  Now before you gasp in horror, please know he did this to all three of us.  So much so that when he would ask one of us, "You know what?"  We would answer, "you love me better than the other two."  It was a running joke in our house and still is.  To this day I wonder,"Does he really have a favorite?"  If so, I can't tell.  He made each of us feel like we were his favorites.  A few Christmas' ago, when all our families gathered at Mom and Dad's my brother gave my father a children's book.  The book is titled, "You're All My Favorites" and we all fell in love with it.  It made us think of our childhood and our father's love. 
I want the same for my kiddos.  I want Uno to know I admire him for his courage and flexibility; his tender heart. I want Dos to know I think he's as smart as a whip.  He can go far.  I want Tres to know she's an amazing helper and is a beautiful girl inside and out.  And my Quattro, my sweet baby, I want him to know his gentle spirit is already evident and I believe in my heart he will grow to become the gentle giant his daddy is. 
What a beautiful place I live in that I have such sweet blessings that are called my children.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Grocery Day

Creative.  This is an adjective I would not use to describe myself; however, when raising a family one must be creative when groceries are the subject matter.  With a family of six, menu planning, budget following, and keeping the pantry stocked requires some creativity. 
We are in the throws of "Dave Ramseying It".  With that said, we have a strict budget.  Well today, I made a delightful discovery.  Aldi's.  Have you heard of this place?  It's awesome, although, freezing! I believe they had the thermostat on 45 degrees.  Anyway, I get most of my groceries from Publix using coupons and BOGO deals.
While watching coupons, sales, and stock pile deals, there are some basic staples that just do not seem to be discounted much.  My man had told me he had visited an Aldi's near his work and was impressed with the low prices so I thought I would check one out near the Publix I shop at.  They have a few differences that do not bother me but may bother others:  You have to put a quarter in their cart in order to use it but it comes back to you once you return the cart (keeps from having to have employees chase down carts all over the parking lot); you must bag your own items; unless you want to pay for bags, you must bring your own bags to bag your groceries; and no credit cards are accepted.  Bringing my own bags is not a problem for me because I usually bring my reusable bags because I HATE plastic bags which only hold like two items.
As far as the prices, it was awesome.  For example, my local Wal-Mart sells a gallon of Great Value brand milk at $3.54; Publix sells their brand at $3.19.  Aldi's milk was $2.89 a gallon.  I was pumped.  Publix's eggs sells for $2.79 a dozen.  Aldi's eggs were $.99!  Publix is running a sale this week on avocados for $1.  Aldi's avocados were $.89 a piece:)  Flour at Aldi's was $1.69 for a five pound bag.  Spices were $.99 and I looked at the spices at Publix - $4.99!  Brown sugar and powdered sugar for $1.39 a piece.  I got nice colored bell peppers at Aldi's for $1.49 which would normally run me over $4.00 at Wal-Mart.  And the quality of the produce was great. 
Now, I did not get all my groceries there but I did get a lot of my normally expensive items.  They do not carry a lot of brands and I didn't want to get caught up in any "junk" being sold.  But here's one last example, I usually think boneless, skinless chicken breast sold at $2.99 a pound is good but today at Aldi's I got it at $2.69 per pound. 
I will be back to Aldi's:)
Have you ever checked Aldi's out?  What are your thoughts about saving money on the basics of pantry items?

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Kindness

My kindness as a mom comes and goes.  I love my children but there are moments when they get under my skin.  For example, when practicing violin and Dos decides he is just too tired to stand and hold the violin correctly even though he's only been playing for a few minutes my kindness is not at its strongest.
I think I need to pray more:)  Any ideas on how to maintain kindness with your children?

Monday, October 1, 2012

Box Tops for Insanity

As a mom, I want to help my kids out.  Now my want to and my ability to do not always match up. So when the PTO president said she needed a Box Top Coordinator I said, "Sure!" because seriously how much work could that be?  SERIOUSLY, HOW MUCH WORK CAN THIS BE???  I thought "oh, I'll just have to take a bunch of box tops to the post office twice a year".  Yeah, it's a little more than that.  Did you know that our school's goal this year is to raise $4,000 from Box Tops.  That's 400,000 Box Tops collected!!! I'd love to chat but I have some more Box Tops to sort.

About Me

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I'm a thirty-three year old stay-at-home mom to four beautiful children. I am daily learning what it means to be a Christian who loves God.