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Monday Meanderings August 27th

Last week went a lot better than I had anticipated! I was able to accomplish most things on my list. I was very excited about reading in my Bible and being more consistent with my devotions. When I missed a day, I noticed the difference in our day. But, as soon as I put on the Worship music and read devotions and God's Word, I was a breath of fresh air. However, I wasn't able to finish up my Blessed Home Notebook this week...but, I figure that will take some time! And, that is OKAY! (note to self). And, potty training?? Still working on it! :-)

Let's get to this week!

The Five areas:

1. Bible Study/Devotions
2. Must Do
3. Zone / Cleaning
4. Train Them Up
5. Menu Planning

Bible Study/Devotions:
I am continuing with my two devotional and Bible study books. I am also trying to read through Romans in preparation for my Pastor's sermons coming up! Also.....playing worship music in our home!
I will be doing Joy Breaks as a quick devotional time.








"Loving God with All Your Mind" by Elizabeth George.







Must Do:

• Write out Sophia's Birthday Invites
  
• Make List of all addresses for Christmas Cards
  
• Continue to create my "Blessed Home Notebook"
  
• 
  

Zone/ Cleaning:
This week I am working on the Living Room. I am following Rachel's (from A Juggling Housewife) weekly list of Zones to clean. This week I will be on Week #2 (Lounge/Living Room)

Train Them Up:
I would like make a more consistent Bible/Devotion time with my girls. I have neglected to do this more often. I have a devotional that has a craft to go along with the devotion. So, I plan to start that this week!

Menu Planning:
I planned my menu for this week. Go here to see what we are feeding our bellies! And, I also wrote a little bit about healthy eating ideas for kids!

Monday Menu August 27th

Someone had asked me how I get my kids to eat such healthy food. Um, well....I paused for awhile and thought about it. I wasn't able to give her much of an answer except "That is what I feed them--that is what they eat"

After more thinking, I did think up a few things (tricks) to ways in which we try to teach and help our children enjoy eating healthy foods. The main thing is getting them involved in the process of cooking, growing, and preparing foods. I started off promoting healthy foods when they were first born. Here is what we do in our household.

• I don't serve my kids chicken nuggets and french fries while we are eating a healthy pasta. Our daughters eat whatever Mama or Papa makes. Basically, I don't prepare separate meals for each taste bud! We all eat what is prepared; the same thing!
• When trying new things, we enforce the 3 bite rule: 1st - taste, 2nd - think about it, 3rd - decide.
• When grocery shopping, I sometimes allow my daughter to pick out anything she would like to try from the produce isle. We take it home and I will find a recipe for that ingredient and we cook together and make a dish from her selected ingredient.
• Allowing my daughter to look through cookbooks (mainly books with pictures) and choose a recipe that she would like to cook together.
• Since our daughters were young, we have gone out to different cultural restaurants. We have allowed our daughters to experience restaurants that are Japanese, Thai, Indian (to name a few). They love to try and hold chopsticks or munch on Naan bread. They love summer rolls, tofu curry, and kappa rolls!
• We get the kids involved in the vegetable garden. Papa does square foot gardening and he will build a box for a daughter to plant some of her favorite veggies. She helps to plant, water, and take care of her section. It is great for her to be invested in growing the food.

What about you? Do you have any tips or ways in which you teach your children about healthy foods?

Here is our menu for this week!


BREAKFASTS:
Bagels & Cream Cheese
Fresh Fruit

Smoothies
Toast w/ peanut butter

French toast
Yogurt

Oatmeal w/ raisins & cinnamon

Cereal (whole grain) w/ fresh berries
Soymilk

LUNCHES
PB & J, Carrots & ranch dip, grapes

Pita Bread w/ hummus
Garden Cherry tomatoes
Cucumber slices, sugar snap peas
Fruit

Veggie Chili w/ Quesadillas
Fruit

Tuna Salad on Croissants
Avocado, Orange Salad
Fruit Tart

Leftovers


DINNERS
Pasta w/ tomatoes, fresh basil, parmesean cheese
Broccoli
Crusty Bread

Tuscan White Bean soup with Kale and Swiss Chard
Panzanella Salad
Green Beans

Coconut-Crusted Shrimp w/ peanut butter curry sauce
Brown Jasmine Rice
Edamame

Ratatouille w/ creamy rosemary Polenta
Homemade Whole Wheat Bread
Beets


Tacos w/ homemade tortillas
Watermelon or other fruit

Backyard Camping

Even though school has started. It is still SUMMER! So why not go camping? Here is an inexpensive reasonable way to camp, don't you think? Also, because Mommy has an increasing belly and ever so short tension for being uncomfortable--one bit, Mommy does not DO camping. So, when the kiddos want to go camping. This is Papa's way to satisfy all members of this household. Backyard camping! (The Kids might even mow the lawn first)

#1, #2, #3....

I read this on the internet today. I thought it to be funny and true---especially since I am expecting my third baby!

BIRTH ORDER OF CHILDREN

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.

2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

~~~

Preparing for the Birth:

1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.

2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't' do a thing.

3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month

~~~

The Layette :

1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.

2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.

3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?

~~~

Worries:

1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby.

2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.

3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing

~~~

Pacifier:

1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.

~~~

Diapering:

1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.

2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.

3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.

~~~

Activities:

1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.

2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.

3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

~~~

Going Out:

1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.

2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.

3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

~~~

At Home:

1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.

2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.

3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

~~~

Swallowing Coins:

1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.

2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.

3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!

Update on the week!

So... here is how I'm doing so far this week!
Must Do:

• Unpacked! Laundry about done (for now...isn't it always endless?)
• Working on Blessed Home Notebook... a project in progress (at least started!)
  
• Potty Training?---Ugh! I need lots of prayers with this one. She LOVES to wash hands and do her business on the floor than sit on the potty....but, we are SLOWLY getting there!

Devotions:
Yesterday (Tuesday) was a hard day! I had a melt down day. I didn't do devotions that day and I truly believed it affected my day! Sticking with God and having that reflective time truly uplifts the soul. Today we have Worship music playing and we are praising God. A much better day!

Zone Cleaning:
My front porch is swept. Woo hoo!

Train them up:
I think tomorrow we will be doing some "Little Chef" time by making cookies!!!

Monday Meanderings August 20th

This is my first week to participate in Monday Meanderings! I am very excited to start! Since, planning my meals has proven to be very beneficial to me and helped save in budget costs....I am hoping that Meanderings will also help me to create a plan of action and be accountable to follow through with some much needed things to be done in my home and heart!
The purpose of meanderings is to list five areas that need my attention in the next week---I make my plan of action and then go for it!

The Five areas:

1. Bible Study/Devotions
2. Must Do
3. Zone / Cleaning
4. Train Them Up
5. Menu Planning

Bible Study/Devotions:
This will be a great area for me to work on. I seem to get so busy with other things that I have left out the most important part of my day! So now it is time to get back in gear!
I will be doing Joy Breaks as a quick devotional time.








I will also be starting to read and study "Loving God with All Your Mind" by Elizabeth George. This will be more of an in depth study. I have done this in the past...and I thought it a good time to do it again.





Must Do:

• Finish Unpacking from Weekend: Do Laundry
• Create my "Blessed Home Notebook"
  
• Potty Train Lydia
• 
  

Zone/ Cleaning:
This week I am working on the entry way into my home. The front door or entry way is the first thing we see when we walk into our homes. I am following Rachel's (from A Juggling Housewife) weekly list of Zones to clean. I am starting out at week #1 (Entry Way).

Train Them Up:
This is our second week of homeschooling. We are working on "Creation" and also "About Me" themes! I hope to start "Little Chef Time" this week. This is where I teach my girls how to cook, set table, clean-up etc.

Menu Planning:
I planned my menu for this week. Go here to see what we are putting into our mouths and bellies!

Monday Menu August 20th

A bountiful harvest! We have lots of delicious yummy goodies from the GARDEN! I love garden fresh veggies! So, I am trying to incorporate as much as I can to eat this week. I have a lot of eggplant. Do any of you have any great recipes out there for eggplant? I would love to try some!
Hope you all have a bountiful week!



Baking:
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Apple Pie

Breakfasts:

• Oatmeal w/ raisins, cinnamon, brown sugar
• Cereal & Toast w/ peanut butter
• French Toast
• Choc. Chip Pancakes
• Cinnamon Rolls & Yogurt
  

Lunches:

• Grilled Cheese & Tomato w/ chips, fruit
• Tuna Pita Pockets w/ chips, fruit
• PB & J w/ carrots, cucumber & dip
• Pasta w/ broccoli
• Wraps
  

Dinner:

• Gnocci w/ pesto, beets, garlic bread
• Red Beans & rice, corn bread, green beans
  
• Grilled Mahi mahi tacos w/ fruit salad & Grilled Eggplant
  
• Rataouille and homemade bread
  
• Pizza Night

The Grimm Sister

Sophia loves to tell stories. She is quite the storyteller. I am amazed at what she thinks up! There have been many times that I have wanted to have a recorder with me to record her stories. (Someday I will). So, I decided for her to tell me a story and I would dictate it. This entry below is a short story by my 4 1/2 year old Grimm Sister. Enjoy!

Once there was a princess named Diana. An there was a big pirate ship filled with pirates. And the Captain's name was GRODY HOOK. And, there were pirates on the ship and they were about to kill Diana. And, Diana quickly with her husband and her power said, "--Deal! We are going to have a contest" ( The girl won and the boy won.)
Diana and her prince Johnny went for the contest. They had a race. Diana and Johnny her prince were on a team. Captain Hook and his wife were on a team.


"Okay I am going to kill you tomorrow morning" said Captain Hook.
They had a battle. Diana was able to kill with her super power sword.
But, Diana discovered that the pirates didn't want to be bad anymore.

There was...

...an ol' lady who lived in a house boat. She had so many children, she prayed to stay afloat.

(Crossing over the bridge over Shasta Lake)

Sophia: Mama, is that a houseboat?

Mama: Yes

Sophia: Wow! When I get older and grown up, I am going to get a houseboat. Because I am going to have lots and lots of children and we will need a houseboat!

Grease Monkey

That would be motorcycle grease smeared on my Lil Daisy's face and hands.
She escaped out of the laundry room into the garage to play with Papa's motorcycle. Hmmmm. Not a good idea! So, now we must lock all doors in our house. She can't escape; yet (until she figures out the lock system).
And there must be some health benefit in licking the grease off her lips? All I know is that my tub was a filthy ring of grease mess!

Decluttering My Brain Train

WOW! I read this article from Faith Lifts and I thought for a second that the author snuck into my home and head and just wrote through my fingertips. How did she do that?
I beat myself up because I don’t accomplish as much as a supermom should. Has anyone actually met Supermom?
I try to get EVERYTHING perfect before I allow myself to relax and enjoy life....so although, I don't iron (sorry honey), I do make lists in my head of all the things I need to get done that I can't even relax when trying to spend time with my kids. Overwhelming syndrome?
Oh, don't think that I have given up my task of decluttering. Oh no....I still am doing that. I am just decluttering my beliefs in having THE PERFECT house on the block, neighborhood, this side of town, city, state, country....yeah, you get my point! Read the excerpt below.

How many of us have fallen into the trap of believing that in order to be a good wife and mother you need to have a perfectly clean house, perfectly balanced meals, and the laundry all folded, ironed and put away at the end of each day? Surely I can’t be the only one? And then when we visit blogs where the hostess gives an overview of how much she accomplished that day all while homeschooling her kids, sewing all their clothes, painting the living room and running her wildly successful home based business………how many of us have wondered what is wrong with us that we aren’t doing all of that too? Can anyone else relate to this intense pressure to be perfect?

Enough I say! It is time to put a little more effort into my Mary side.

So my next area of decluttering is going to include getting rid of some of these beliefs I have held onto for so long. I mean, really, is the world going to end if I don’t iron every article of clothing we own? Or if my house actually looks like…….gasp!…..somebody actually LIVES in it? Will I be the scandalous talk of the town if my baseboards don’t get scrubbed each day?

Monday Menu August 13th

I missed out on planning a menu last week mainly due to being out of town for most of the week! So now we are home and getting ready to start school. I am homeschooling Sophia for Kindergarten this year and have my lesson plans done for the next few weeks and now I have my menu done for the week too. So here we go....

BREAKFAST

1) Cereal
Toast w/ peanut butter

2) Pancakes
Milk

3) Apricot Brown Rice Cereal
Cinnamon Toast
Juice

4) Oatmeal
Juice

5) Bagels & Cream Cheese
Yogurt w/ fruit

6) French Toast Sticks
Yogurt
Juice

7) Cinnamon Snails
Fresh Fruit
Milk

LUNCH

1) Grilled Cheese & Apple Sandwich
Pickles
Grapes
Chips

2) Tuna Salad in Pita Bread
Cucumber Sticks
Carrot Sticks w/ ranch dip
Wheat Thins

3) Veggie Quesadillas (green chile, tomato, green onion, cilantro)
w/ homemade guacamole
Grapes

4) Peanutty Apple Sandwiches
Chips

5) Chile bowls w/ corn chips & green onions

DINNER

1) BBQ –Hamburgers
Fruit Salad
Potato Salad
Maple Baked Beans
Smores

2) Tuscan White Bean Soup
Green Salad
Homemade Bread

3) Falafel Wraps (see recipe below)
Couscous Pilaf (see recipe below)

4) Tacos
Sliced Fruit

5) Ravioli Pasta
Steamed Green Beans
Homemade Bread

**************************************************************************

Falafel Wraps by Mcdougall

In the past I have always made baked falafel in pita bread, and added all the toppings separately, similar to how you would layer the toppings on a burger. My daughter, Heather, recently experimented with combining all the ingredients together in a bowl, and then wrapping it all up in a large tortilla. This is so delicious that I'm sure we will never go back to our old way of eating falafel. This combination works well either stuffed into pita or wrapped up in a tortilla. This is a richer food because of the tahini sauce. However, this may also be made with hummus instead of tahini, which would be much lower in fat content, but still delicious!

Preparation Time: 30 minutes (need baked falafel)
Cooking Time: none
Servings: 6-8

Tahini Sauce:
1 cup roasted tahini
¾ cup water
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (optional)
dash sea salt

Combine all ingredients listed above in a food processor and process until smooth. Place in a bowl.

Add:
1 tomato, chopped
1 cup cucumber, chopped
3 chopped green onions
1 cup chopped lettuce
3 cups chunked baked falafel (see hints below)

Mix the vegetables and falafel into the tahini sauce. Stuff into pita halves, or place a line of the mixture down the center of a tortilla, roll up and eat.

Hints: The easiest way to make the baked falafel is to purchase the falafel mix sold in the bulk section of most natural food stores and also in packages in some supermarkets. The dry powder is mixed with water, allowed to rest for about 10 minutes, then formed into patties that resemble burgers. The directions tell you to fry in oil, but the falafel should be placed on a dry non-stick griddle and cooked about 5 minutes on each side, until browned. They may also be baked in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes on each side, until browned. To reduce the fat content of the tahini slightly, be sure to pour off all the oil from the top of the jar before using. Other vegetables may be added to the sauce as desired. A chopped avocado is one nice addition.

Couscous Pilaf w/ almonds

1 tablespoon unsalted butter or canola oil

2 Cloves of crushed Garlic

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

3 1/3 cups broth or water

teaspoon salt (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 boxes (10 ounces each) couscous

½ cup of slivered almonds

½ cup of golden raisins

Warm the butter or oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and parsley; cook for several minutes. Add the broth, salt (if using) and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil. Pour in the couscous, cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Before serving, fluff the couscous lightly with a fork. Stir in almonds and raisins. Preparation and cooking time: 10 minutes.

Projects! Projects! Projects! Mission Completed....

SO...
...many of you have been wondering where Lil' Daisies has been? We have been busy! We went out of town for a couple of weeks and had much fun with friends and family. I will post more about that later! But, we have also been busy with some of those projects and goals I had been telling you about! I am excited to show you results and cross off some of those items on my list!

Note: My Camera doesn't take the greatest pictures. Well, maybe I don't take the greatest pictures. The pictures do not show my project as the really appear.


Welcome to the Lil' Daisies Homeschool Room (Area):

BEFORE:

This is where the girls' crafts used to be stored. As you can see quite the mess!

AFTER:

Our Weather and Calendar Area

And now where our craft and school supplies are stored! It is much neater and organized!

Even More Projects Completed!

Here are pictures of some fun clean organizing and decluttering going on in our Master Bathroom!

BEFORE: My top drawer with make-up and junk. I even had my daughter's play make-up in their somehow. AFTER: Beautiful Beauty-fying Loveliness!

BEFORE: Under my sink. (Sorry, the picture is not great). Just a mess.

AFTER: I found things I didn't even knew I had! Woo hoo!

BEFORE: Under my Hubby's Sink. This is where we normally store "Travel" items.

AFTER: "Walla" What a difference, eh?

More Projects Completed!

Here are some pictures from our little linen closet in the Master Bathroom. From Chaos to Clean!

BEFORE



BEFORE


AFTER

SNOOPS

The Lil' Daisies peeking over the fence at our neighbors. What snoops!