- Monday - Cheese Jambalaya with Chicken
- Tuesday - Smothered steak with roasted potatoes (Yukon Gold potatoes are the BEST!)
- Wednesday - KidzLife
- Thursday - Spaghetti - My CSA share had the tiniest carrots you've ever seen in it, so I chopped a couple of them up and threw them in the spaghetti sauce.
- Friday - Smoked Sausage and Mac and Cheese
- Tonight - Pizza (I did have to go get some mozarella cheese.)
Saturday, November 13, 2010
I Succeeded. . .
in living off of the food in my pantry for a week! Yes, I know it doesn't sound like a huge accomplishment, but it is for me. I'm the kind of person who can't just look in my pantry and freezer and be able to figure out a meal. I need a plan. Usually, I plan out my meals (or e-mealz does it for me), and then I know what I'm having every day. Unfortunately, last Friday I left all of my coupons, my e-mealz plan, and my grocery list from Publix on the printer at school. I went out and bought a few things for the weekend, thinking that I would go out either Monday or Tuesday night. But this week was conference week, and Monday, Nathan had Cub Scouts and Matthew had basketball, so no time to shop. So here's what we ended up with for the week:
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Holy Cow It's Been A While
(with apologies to Harry Carey)
So, nothing like having THREE months between posts. Anyway, here's a quick update on all of us.
So, nothing like having THREE months between posts. Anyway, here's a quick update on all of us.
- Matthew is in third grade now, and enjoying it. (Sometimes too much, if you get my drift.) He is definitely my social butterfly and can often be gone for a whole afternoon playing with the other kids in the neighborhood. He has had some problems remembering to come home at meal times or when it gets dark, but usually a couple of days stuck inside the house helps remind him. He took a martial arts class offered by the school at the beginning of the year, and now he's about to start basketball.
- Nathan's in second grade and has the most wonderful teacher. She has been incredibly patient and understanding with him and his various issues (fire drills, wind, rainstorms, thunder, and the computer program that he has to do every week that he hates). He also took martial arts, and he joined Cub Scouts! That's right, we now have a Wolf Scout in our house. I was a little nervous, but it has proven to be wonderful so far. His den is fairly small, and he's learning some valuable social skills.
- Andrew's in school too! He goes to preschool two days a week at a church near our house, and he loves it. He even goes to chapel once a week. His speech is now up to the level it should be at which thankfully means he won't have yet another specialist. (YAY!) He doesn't see the neurosurgeon until next summer, and I'm fairly confident that we'll be released from the doctor's care then. (Double YAY!)
- We are enjoying the new house (except for the septic issues we had earlier this week), and the boys are loving their new school. Everyday, I am more and more thankful that we made the move both to the house and the school.
- I'm halfway done with grad school!!!! I just have this term and next, and I want to be done by the end of June. Hopefully, I'll be able to survive my capstone project. :-)
- Jeremy's hours were cut at the radio station in the middle of August. Right now, he's only working weekends. While it's been nice because he gets to stay home with Andrew, he's hoping to find something that gives him more hours (and more pay). He's got a couple of leads, so we're hoping something pans out.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
My Homemade Life
As I was making chocolate chip cookies today with my crock-pot of milk on the counter beside me and the pizza crust mixing in the bread machine, I realized just how much homemade stuff I make. I talked about the granola bars earlier (which I'm still making almost every week), but I make so much more. I've started making my own yogurt in the crockpot. (Here's the recipe I've found.) It makes the best yogurt, and you can add anything you want. The boys scarfed it down with maple syrup and vanilla the other day. I've put honey and diced peaches in mine. YUM. It's unbelievable cheap, plus there is not a single additive in it. (And I can vary the amount of sugar.)
Not only do I make homemade varities of yogurt, cookies, and granola bar, but I'm also making all of my own cleaners. I make my own all-purpose cleaner, floor cleaner, window cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, and fabric softener. Plus, I just started making my own shampoo and conditioner! When I go to the store, the only cleaners I'm buying are baking soda, vinegar, washing soda, and borax. I've also bought a couple of varities of castile soap (BEST STUFF EVER!!) and essential oils. It takes almost no time to make any of these things. The floor cleaner, window cleaner, and fabric softener is just plain vinegar. I add tea tree oil to the vinegar when I mop the floor because tea tree oil an anti-bacterial. I also add either orange oil or lavendar oil to the fabric softener. The toilet bowl cleaner is simply borax that I sprinkle in, swish around, let sit for 30 minutes or so, and then flush.
Here's the recipes for the rest:
All Purpose Cleaner
1 tsp washing soda
1 tsp castile soap
32 oz hot water
(I also add a few drops of tea tree oil)
Laundry Detergent
1 bar castile soap (grated)
2 cups borax
2 cups washing soda
Use one tablespoon - it will not suds up alot, but it cleans really well!
Dishwashing Detergent
Mix equal parts borax and washing soda. Use one tablespoon per load. I also use vinegar as my rinse aid.
I just started making my own shampoo, and I LOVE it. It will take a few days for your hair to adjust. I started using this over the summer, and just wore my hair in a ponytail for a week until my hair started looking decent.
Shampoo
6 oz. strong herbal tea (I used fresh rosemary and mint and let it steep for 30 minutes)
2 oz. castile soap
I put it in a spray bottle because it will be very thin.
Conditioner
Equal parts herbal tea and apple cider vinegar. (Do not use white vinegar. I've heard that really bad things happen!)
Once your hair dries, it won't smell like vinegar. I promise!
Why did I start making all of this stuff? Well, one reason was to save money. I hate spending $3.00 on the stuff I spray on the pee around the toilet. Plus, as long as I stay stocked up on borax and washing soda, I can pretty much clean everything, so there's none of the "We're out of laundry detergent!" attacks in our house. But I also started reading about all of the chemicals that are in all of these cleaners, detergents, and shampoos, and I decided that if I could make some replacements for as cheap (or cheaper) that worked as well, then I wanted to do that. And, they're safer. All of my cleaning products (except for the borax) are non-toxic. Andrew could ingest them, and while he wouldn't feel great, I wouldn't have to call poison control either. Definitely a good plan in our house. :-)
Not only do I make homemade varities of yogurt, cookies, and granola bar, but I'm also making all of my own cleaners. I make my own all-purpose cleaner, floor cleaner, window cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, and fabric softener. Plus, I just started making my own shampoo and conditioner! When I go to the store, the only cleaners I'm buying are baking soda, vinegar, washing soda, and borax. I've also bought a couple of varities of castile soap (BEST STUFF EVER!!) and essential oils. It takes almost no time to make any of these things. The floor cleaner, window cleaner, and fabric softener is just plain vinegar. I add tea tree oil to the vinegar when I mop the floor because tea tree oil an anti-bacterial. I also add either orange oil or lavendar oil to the fabric softener. The toilet bowl cleaner is simply borax that I sprinkle in, swish around, let sit for 30 minutes or so, and then flush.
Here's the recipes for the rest:
All Purpose Cleaner
1 tsp washing soda
1 tsp castile soap
32 oz hot water
(I also add a few drops of tea tree oil)
Laundry Detergent
1 bar castile soap (grated)
2 cups borax
2 cups washing soda
Use one tablespoon - it will not suds up alot, but it cleans really well!
Dishwashing Detergent
Mix equal parts borax and washing soda. Use one tablespoon per load. I also use vinegar as my rinse aid.
I just started making my own shampoo, and I LOVE it. It will take a few days for your hair to adjust. I started using this over the summer, and just wore my hair in a ponytail for a week until my hair started looking decent.
Shampoo
6 oz. strong herbal tea (I used fresh rosemary and mint and let it steep for 30 minutes)
2 oz. castile soap
I put it in a spray bottle because it will be very thin.
Conditioner
Equal parts herbal tea and apple cider vinegar. (Do not use white vinegar. I've heard that really bad things happen!)
Once your hair dries, it won't smell like vinegar. I promise!
Why did I start making all of this stuff? Well, one reason was to save money. I hate spending $3.00 on the stuff I spray on the pee around the toilet. Plus, as long as I stay stocked up on borax and washing soda, I can pretty much clean everything, so there's none of the "We're out of laundry detergent!" attacks in our house. But I also started reading about all of the chemicals that are in all of these cleaners, detergents, and shampoos, and I decided that if I could make some replacements for as cheap (or cheaper) that worked as well, then I wanted to do that. And, they're safer. All of my cleaning products (except for the borax) are non-toxic. Andrew could ingest them, and while he wouldn't feel great, I wouldn't have to call poison control either. Definitely a good plan in our house. :-)
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
The least of these
I've been a little fired up lately, so fair warning. :-)
It's election season here in Georgia. There's campaign signs on every corner. And I'm paying more attention this year than I ever had, because the people who are elected will directly affect some of the dearest people to me. My kids.
No, I'm not talking about the ones I've given birth to (though they will be affected somewhat). I'm talking about the group that will be coming to me in August. I'm talking about the 20+ children whose lives will intersect with mine for the next 10 months. And I'm talking about the kids who will come to school hoping to escape the chaos that they live with everyday.
But, you see, lots of people at the State Capitol don't seem to understand that. They seem to think that we can perform miracles. I don't know how many times I've heard one of the legislators say "Our schools need to do more with less." Really? See, the problem is the fact that these guys are middle class. They've come from middle class homes, and they send their kids either to middle class schools or to private schools. They don't seem to understand that too many times, the schools are the only refuge many of these kids have. I don't worry about the "brain drain" my students will suffer. I worry that some of them won't eat very much during summer. Let me tell you a story to illustrate this. The teacher next to me last year had a student who I'll call A. One day, A comes to school about 2 hours late, and when she walked in, she looked awful. Her teacher asked her what happened, and A tells her that she walked to school because she missed the bus. (She lives about 5 miles from school.) Why didn't her mom take her? Well, her mom wasn't home. The day before had been her mom's birthday, so she hadn't come home. A was left with her older sister who sent her off to school with a "nice lady walking by." What would have happened if the person walking by A's house hadn't been so "nice"? I wonder about A during the summer. Is she getting fed? Is she spending more nights alone? Is someone making sure her clothes are washed and her room is clean? Does anyone tell her that they love her, that she is a valuable person, that she can be anything she wants to be?
Where am I going with this? Well, my conservative friends may not like this too much, but I'm going to be honest. The Religious Right is the cause of so much of this. They've listened to too many radio shows telling them that people can lift themselves up by their bootstraps, that helping the poor is enabling them, and that small government is more important than making sure that kids are fed. They don't care about the kids like A. Oh sure, they say they do, but whenever it's time to make the hard decisions about making a state budget, they want to cut taxes, cut services, and cut public education. Who's reaching out to the least of these among us? Who cares about the kids like A who have no where else to go? Sure, we can talk about the failure of society, about too many parents having kids out of wedlock, and about parents not taking responsibility for their children, but it seems that all that does is point fingers. It seems like all conservatives want to do is assign blame, while the kids like A, and others like who walk into our schools everyday need someone to care, they need someone to reach out and love them. Teachers try. We give everything we can, but next year, I could have 25-some kids in my room. While I know that I can teach them all, I worry that I'm going to miss the lost ones. Am I going to have to time to see when a child is hurting and reach out to them? Am I going to see the ones that need that extra hug, that extra minute, that extra encouragement? Is it really worth the extra $20 a year you may save in property taxes?
It's election season here in Georgia. There's campaign signs on every corner. And I'm paying more attention this year than I ever had, because the people who are elected will directly affect some of the dearest people to me. My kids.
No, I'm not talking about the ones I've given birth to (though they will be affected somewhat). I'm talking about the group that will be coming to me in August. I'm talking about the 20+ children whose lives will intersect with mine for the next 10 months. And I'm talking about the kids who will come to school hoping to escape the chaos that they live with everyday.
But, you see, lots of people at the State Capitol don't seem to understand that. They seem to think that we can perform miracles. I don't know how many times I've heard one of the legislators say "Our schools need to do more with less." Really? See, the problem is the fact that these guys are middle class. They've come from middle class homes, and they send their kids either to middle class schools or to private schools. They don't seem to understand that too many times, the schools are the only refuge many of these kids have. I don't worry about the "brain drain" my students will suffer. I worry that some of them won't eat very much during summer. Let me tell you a story to illustrate this. The teacher next to me last year had a student who I'll call A. One day, A comes to school about 2 hours late, and when she walked in, she looked awful. Her teacher asked her what happened, and A tells her that she walked to school because she missed the bus. (She lives about 5 miles from school.) Why didn't her mom take her? Well, her mom wasn't home. The day before had been her mom's birthday, so she hadn't come home. A was left with her older sister who sent her off to school with a "nice lady walking by." What would have happened if the person walking by A's house hadn't been so "nice"? I wonder about A during the summer. Is she getting fed? Is she spending more nights alone? Is someone making sure her clothes are washed and her room is clean? Does anyone tell her that they love her, that she is a valuable person, that she can be anything she wants to be?
Where am I going with this? Well, my conservative friends may not like this too much, but I'm going to be honest. The Religious Right is the cause of so much of this. They've listened to too many radio shows telling them that people can lift themselves up by their bootstraps, that helping the poor is enabling them, and that small government is more important than making sure that kids are fed. They don't care about the kids like A. Oh sure, they say they do, but whenever it's time to make the hard decisions about making a state budget, they want to cut taxes, cut services, and cut public education. Who's reaching out to the least of these among us? Who cares about the kids like A who have no where else to go? Sure, we can talk about the failure of society, about too many parents having kids out of wedlock, and about parents not taking responsibility for their children, but it seems that all that does is point fingers. It seems like all conservatives want to do is assign blame, while the kids like A, and others like who walk into our schools everyday need someone to care, they need someone to reach out and love them. Teachers try. We give everything we can, but next year, I could have 25-some kids in my room. While I know that I can teach them all, I worry that I'm going to miss the lost ones. Am I going to have to time to see when a child is hurting and reach out to them? Am I going to see the ones that need that extra hug, that extra minute, that extra encouragement? Is it really worth the extra $20 a year you may save in property taxes?
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Summer's here and the living is easy!
Or hot, as the case may be. Since the temp has hovered in the 90's for the last couple of days, we decided to head to the pool yesterday! It was so nice to be back. Andrew even had a good time (once he decided that he liked the water). Nathan got into the water more than he ever had. He even went down the smaller slide, which is something he hadn't really ever done before.
Our park system has about 100 rules for the pool. Their rules include how close you have to be to your child (under 6 must be within arm's reach), how many kids you can have with you (no more than 3 per adult, though I'm not sure how they would enforce that if you had 4+ kids), and what type of clothes you must wear (bathing suits, no cut offs). They even check babies who have to wear swim diapers AND plastic pants AND a bathing suit. But, I think they are missing some of the most important rules.
If I could post these rules, and have everyone follow them, I would be one happy swimmer!
Our park system has about 100 rules for the pool. Their rules include how close you have to be to your child (under 6 must be within arm's reach), how many kids you can have with you (no more than 3 per adult, though I'm not sure how they would enforce that if you had 4+ kids), and what type of clothes you must wear (bathing suits, no cut offs). They even check babies who have to wear swim diapers AND plastic pants AND a bathing suit. But, I think they are missing some of the most important rules.
- If you are (how shall we say it?) umm, well-endowed, especially if you've had at least one child, then please stop shopping for your bikini tops in the junior section. They just don't give you the support you need. Seriously, it's embarrassing for you (even if you don't notice).
- If you have to shop at Lane Bryant (which is OK, I love their clothes!), then please remember that string bikinis are NOT your friend. Nobody wants to see that much cellulite.
If I could post these rules, and have everyone follow them, I would be one happy swimmer!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
No Scare Tactics, Please!
Tuesday night, I went to a "Mom's Night Out Goes Green" at a farm near me. (Yes, we do have farms in metro Atlanta! You just have to drive to get to them. I'm actually closer to "the country" now that we've moved.) Anyway, one of the presenters was one of the moms on www.gwinnettareamommies.com . She owns her own company selling cloth diapers and other "green" products to moms. (Here's her site.) She was great. She told people easy and fairly inexpensive things that they can do to use less paper products in their homes. She's even (almost) convinced me to buy some cloth training pants for Andrew! I learned some great ideas that I can use at home right now.
I wasn't as crazy about the 2nd presenter. She owns a company that sells bulk grains, baking products, etc. (It's a place my Aunt Sandy would have LOVED.) But, instead of teaching us how to use more natural products in our cooking, she resorted to scare tactics. You've heard it before: Even the "healthy" products at the grocery store are bad for you; the way food is prepared means that there's no nutritional value in it anymore; you must make everything from scratch (I'm a working mom, so it's not going to happen!). It may just be me, but I'm completely turned off by that. Believe me, I know that there are lots of things that aren't good for me, but when someone tries to tell me that nothing you buy at the store is good for you, I have a tendency to go "Seriously?" It was just a real turn-off. While they may have had some good products, I just wasn't even interested in buying them. Not the best way to promote your product.
But do go to Emily's site! She's got lots of great things there!
I wasn't as crazy about the 2nd presenter. She owns a company that sells bulk grains, baking products, etc. (It's a place my Aunt Sandy would have LOVED.) But, instead of teaching us how to use more natural products in our cooking, she resorted to scare tactics. You've heard it before: Even the "healthy" products at the grocery store are bad for you; the way food is prepared means that there's no nutritional value in it anymore; you must make everything from scratch (I'm a working mom, so it's not going to happen!). It may just be me, but I'm completely turned off by that. Believe me, I know that there are lots of things that aren't good for me, but when someone tries to tell me that nothing you buy at the store is good for you, I have a tendency to go "Seriously?" It was just a real turn-off. While they may have had some good products, I just wasn't even interested in buying them. Not the best way to promote your product.
But do go to Emily's site! She's got lots of great things there!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
A New Milestone
We've reached a new milestone here in our family. Matthew went off to camp yesterday. He's been gone about 36 hours, and it's been very, very quiet. (That could be, in part, because Nathan has no one to fight with. I'm just saying.) He's up in South Carolina right now, so it's very weird knowing that my eight year old is in a whole other state without a single family member. He is with a group of rising 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders from our church. To be honest, while I miss him, I haven't worried about him. First, Matthew is very social. Just ask his teachers. :-) The chance of him being homesick is very, very low, because he'll be having too much fun hanging out with all of the other kids. Second, he is with a group of adults that I trust implicitly. I know most of the chaperones that are on the trip, and I know they will take care of him as well (or better!) than I would. And finally, he's old enough to be on a trip by himself without Mom or Dad around. At some point in time, you have to let your kids grow up. While I love having them around me (most of the time), I also know that my job is to help them learn to live without me hovering over them. So, I sent him off with $8 to buy junk food (plus snacks in his suitcase) and a reminder to listen to the leaders. He'll come back tired, dirty, with a pile of laundry, and hopefully with lots of wonderful memories. Isn't that what parenting is all about?
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Yum!!
So yesterday I said I was going to try and make my own granola bars. After searching up and down the aisles at Publix to find honey (I hate shopping at new stores!), I finally found it and tried this recipe.
Homemade Granola Bars
Recipe by For the Love of Cooking.net
2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup of honey
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup of shredded coconut
1/4 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips
Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the oats and almonds onto a baking sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the brown sugar mixture, next add the coconut and chocolate chips then stir to combine. Spread mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Cut into squares or bars, wrap individually in saran wrap then store in an airtight container for up to a week.
I made them without the coconut (I'm not a fan) and accidentally used 1/2 cup of brown sugar. (That's what happens when the recipe is on the computer across the kitchen from the cook.) I also added some wheat germ (about 1/4 cup or so). Anyway, despite those changes, they turned out great! Nathan even gave them two thumbs up. I'd add a picture, but I haven't a clue where my camera is right now. They made 16 granola bars which will last us a week, and the only thing I'll need to get to make another batch is more oats (I'm almost out). Definitely a once a week recipe! Next time, I may make them with raisins (or peanut butter!).
Homemade Granola Bars
Recipe by For the Love of Cooking.net
2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup of honey
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup of shredded coconut
1/4 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips
Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the oats and almonds onto a baking sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the brown sugar mixture, next add the coconut and chocolate chips then stir to combine. Spread mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Cut into squares or bars, wrap individually in saran wrap then store in an airtight container for up to a week.
I made them without the coconut (I'm not a fan) and accidentally used 1/2 cup of brown sugar. (That's what happens when the recipe is on the computer across the kitchen from the cook.) I also added some wheat germ (about 1/4 cup or so). Anyway, despite those changes, they turned out great! Nathan even gave them two thumbs up. I'd add a picture, but I haven't a clue where my camera is right now. They made 16 granola bars which will last us a week, and the only thing I'll need to get to make another batch is more oats (I'm almost out). Definitely a once a week recipe! Next time, I may make them with raisins (or peanut butter!).
Friday, June 4, 2010
Busy, busy, busy!
The last two weeks have been unbelievably busy around here! In the space of a week, I moved my entire classroom (just across the hall) and all of our stuff to a new house! That's right, we are officially in new digs. Our new house is in a neighborhood with a ton of kids. We haven't been out much to meet anyone since we're either unpacking boxes or it's raining (or too darn hot to go outside). Today, the next door neighbor stopped by this evening to say hi and tell us about the kids in the neighborhood. It looks like there are at least a couple that are Matthew's age.
I also picked up my first CSA share yesterday. A CSA is community supported agriculture. Basically, every week I will get a bag of produce from a local farm. I love it because I get fresh vegetables without having to grow (and kill) a garden. This week, I got red potatoes, vidalia onions, salad greens, spring onions, swiss chard, and . . .collard greens. (I need to find someone to take the collards off my hands. We don't eat greens.) I made fried red potatoes tonight for supper. I steamed the potatoes, chopped up a couple of the spring onion bulbs, and fried them all together with some mushrooms I had in the fridge. A little salt and pepper (and granulated garlic since my fresh garlic is still at the old house) and the onion tops at the very end. Yummy. The boys saw the onions and refused to touch them. That's OK, more for me!!
Besides the produce, the farm also sells eggs (from the chickens that are scratching around the farm) and lightly pasteurized milk from a farm near here. I got a dozen eggs, but I don't know if I'll get any milk. It's $5 for a half gallon, and we drink at least a gallon a week around here. They sell chocolate milk, so I may buy that as a treat for the boys. They also sell Greek yogurt, and a homemade veggie cream cheese which I can't wait to try. I'm so excited about the next 25 weeks!
Of course, having this fresh food is making me want to serve less processed food to the boys. So I went searching for a granola bar recipe. I think I found a really good one! I'm going to try it tomorrow (when I get my baking dishes from the house). I'm also going to make frozen banana pops too! It's going to be a delicious summer!
That is if I ever get the boxes unpacked.
I also picked up my first CSA share yesterday. A CSA is community supported agriculture. Basically, every week I will get a bag of produce from a local farm. I love it because I get fresh vegetables without having to grow (and kill) a garden. This week, I got red potatoes, vidalia onions, salad greens, spring onions, swiss chard, and . . .collard greens. (I need to find someone to take the collards off my hands. We don't eat greens.) I made fried red potatoes tonight for supper. I steamed the potatoes, chopped up a couple of the spring onion bulbs, and fried them all together with some mushrooms I had in the fridge. A little salt and pepper (and granulated garlic since my fresh garlic is still at the old house) and the onion tops at the very end. Yummy. The boys saw the onions and refused to touch them. That's OK, more for me!!
Besides the produce, the farm also sells eggs (from the chickens that are scratching around the farm) and lightly pasteurized milk from a farm near here. I got a dozen eggs, but I don't know if I'll get any milk. It's $5 for a half gallon, and we drink at least a gallon a week around here. They sell chocolate milk, so I may buy that as a treat for the boys. They also sell Greek yogurt, and a homemade veggie cream cheese which I can't wait to try. I'm so excited about the next 25 weeks!
Of course, having this fresh food is making me want to serve less processed food to the boys. So I went searching for a granola bar recipe. I think I found a really good one! I'm going to try it tomorrow (when I get my baking dishes from the house). I'm also going to make frozen banana pops too! It's going to be a delicious summer!
That is if I ever get the boxes unpacked.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Mother's Day
This is a total stream of consciousness that came to me during church this morning, so if it doesn't make sense, that's the reason why. :-)
Today was Mother's Day, and for some reason, I was missing my grandmothers more today than I have in a while. I think it started a couple of weeks ago when I heard an advertisement for flowers, and the announcer suggested that you could send the flowers to your grandmother. I don't have anymore grandmas, and it's a hole that won't ever go away. Today, our pastor preached about teaching your children their faith story and making sure that they know where they come from. For me, it's easy. I had a wonderful, godly great-grandmother who prayed for me (and all of her offspring) every chance she got. I got to keep my great-grandma until I was already married. And I'm selfish. I wanted the same things for my kids. Both of my grandmas were fantastic women. They each had their own way of living out their faith, and they would have been wonderful examples for my kids. They both got to meet and love Matthew and Nathan. (I will be forever thankful that we were able to visit my grandma in New York when Nathan was just a few months old. It was a rough trip with two babies, but those pictures are precious to me.) Andrew won't have any of those memories. I don't know if it will be something that bothers him, but it makes me sad for him. But it makes me realize that I have to work harder to teach my kids their history. My heritage was living right in front of me, so I couldn't miss it. I'll have to intentionally teach my boys their heritage. Sometimes I get so tied up in the here and now that I forget the foundation. I have three precious souls that I've been given.
On that happy (?) note, I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!
Today was Mother's Day, and for some reason, I was missing my grandmothers more today than I have in a while. I think it started a couple of weeks ago when I heard an advertisement for flowers, and the announcer suggested that you could send the flowers to your grandmother. I don't have anymore grandmas, and it's a hole that won't ever go away. Today, our pastor preached about teaching your children their faith story and making sure that they know where they come from. For me, it's easy. I had a wonderful, godly great-grandmother who prayed for me (and all of her offspring) every chance she got. I got to keep my great-grandma until I was already married. And I'm selfish. I wanted the same things for my kids. Both of my grandmas were fantastic women. They each had their own way of living out their faith, and they would have been wonderful examples for my kids. They both got to meet and love Matthew and Nathan. (I will be forever thankful that we were able to visit my grandma in New York when Nathan was just a few months old. It was a rough trip with two babies, but those pictures are precious to me.) Andrew won't have any of those memories. I don't know if it will be something that bothers him, but it makes me sad for him. But it makes me realize that I have to work harder to teach my kids their history. My heritage was living right in front of me, so I couldn't miss it. I'll have to intentionally teach my boys their heritage. Sometimes I get so tied up in the here and now that I forget the foundation. I have three precious souls that I've been given.
On that happy (?) note, I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Happy Birthday Matthew!
Today at about 1:30 (or so) am, Matthew turned 8. He was sleeping at the time (and so was I, for that matter), but I like to remember that he is my one who arrived in the middle of the night. Doesn't every mom need one?
His birthday celebration started slightly off on the wrong foot. He didn't feel very well yesterday, so I let him stay home from church. By evening, he was back to his insane self. Of course, this morning, he was back to complaining that his throat hurt, and his head hurt, and his stomach hurt, and he just didn't think he was going to make it to school. Well, I didn't bake a huge batch of cupcakes for nothing! I was mean and made him tough it out. Strangely enough, he was healthy enough at 8:00 to ask me if he could go and get breakfast from the cafeteria. Hmmm.
He was supposed to have a baseball game today, so I made cupcakes for him to take to his team. Unfortunately, winter is hanging on by its fingernails here in Georgia, so no game. We ordered pizza instead. He did get a chance to play with the new Lego Star Wars set he got. (Suddenly, Star Wars is hugely popular in our house. There are worse things I guess.) This weekend, my parents are coming up, along with my brother's family, so we'll have a celebration then. It's even supposed to be warm!!
His birthday celebration started slightly off on the wrong foot. He didn't feel very well yesterday, so I let him stay home from church. By evening, he was back to his insane self. Of course, this morning, he was back to complaining that his throat hurt, and his head hurt, and his stomach hurt, and he just didn't think he was going to make it to school. Well, I didn't bake a huge batch of cupcakes for nothing! I was mean and made him tough it out. Strangely enough, he was healthy enough at 8:00 to ask me if he could go and get breakfast from the cafeteria. Hmmm.
He was supposed to have a baseball game today, so I made cupcakes for him to take to his team. Unfortunately, winter is hanging on by its fingernails here in Georgia, so no game. We ordered pizza instead. He did get a chance to play with the new Lego Star Wars set he got. (Suddenly, Star Wars is hugely popular in our house. There are worse things I guess.) This weekend, my parents are coming up, along with my brother's family, so we'll have a celebration then. It's even supposed to be warm!!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Poor, Neglected Blog
To my blog:
I am sorry I've neglected you lately. It's been a very busy couple of months. I've started new classes for grad school, and I'm doing a lot of reading about behavior management and intervention. Plus, I had conferences a month ago and report cards come out this Friday. Matthew's starting baseball, so there have been practices and his first game (which he won, by the way). On top of all that, I've been spending a lot of time writing my state senators as they try to pass a bill basing my salary on how well a seven year old does on a three day test in April. As you can imagine, that's gotten me pretty upset. Thankfully, some of our state legislators have decided that rushing into this is a bad idea, so it's being put off until next year. Hopefully, I will have more time to devote to you (and the three people who read you.)
Sincerely,
Me
I am sorry I've neglected you lately. It's been a very busy couple of months. I've started new classes for grad school, and I'm doing a lot of reading about behavior management and intervention. Plus, I had conferences a month ago and report cards come out this Friday. Matthew's starting baseball, so there have been practices and his first game (which he won, by the way). On top of all that, I've been spending a lot of time writing my state senators as they try to pass a bill basing my salary on how well a seven year old does on a three day test in April. As you can imagine, that's gotten me pretty upset. Thankfully, some of our state legislators have decided that rushing into this is a bad idea, so it's being put off until next year. Hopefully, I will have more time to devote to you (and the three people who read you.)
Sincerely,
Me
Monday, January 25, 2010
What is there to share?
Over the last couple of weeks? Honestly? Not much. Our lives have stayed pretty boring. (Which is a good thing!) We started back to KidzLife three weeks ago, so that's brought our Wednesdays back up to full speed, but that's been about it. We do have colds going through the house. I kept Andrew home from church yesterday because he still had green goop oozing out of his nose and eyes. (He and Nathan both have the same quirk. When they get a cold, their eyes get all crusty and gross. Looks like pinkeye, but it's not.) Thankfully, it solved a major dilemma I had. I take the boys to church at 5:15 on Sundays so I can go to "Big Church", but the Colts played at 3:00 yesterday. They would be starting the second half just about the time we needed to leave, and the game would be over by the time we got home. I didn't know what to do! But with Andrew's cold, I could stay home yesterday evening without feeling any guilt. Plus, it was a monsoon all day yesterday too, so I didn't have to try and go out in it. I heard our pastor's sermon was fantastic, though, so I downloaded it to my iPod. I'm going to try and find time to listen to it sometime this week.
So that's our update! I know, you didn't know how you were going to live without it, did you?
So that's our update! I know, you didn't know how you were going to live without it, did you?
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