I have often suspected that one of the things that keeps our marriage strong is that Eric and I get along really well. We just kind of "get" each other. We almost always say please and thank you to each other. And, we're generally each other's biggest fan.
So, in general, it's pretty safe to say that Daddy is our hero around this house. Not only does he go to work every day to support our family. But, he's also such a hard worker all around the house. Oh, and did I mention that 10 years after leaving college (without a degree), he is now back to working on his bachelor's degree as a half-time student?
But, all that aside, Molly and I were 100% sure of his hero status on Tuesday of this week.
First, he stopped at the store on his way home from work to buy princess big girl undies for Molly. She was beside herself with joy, and couldn't quit hugging Daddy. (We got these because after a recent and chronic bout with constipation, she has regressed in the potty training, and insisted on wearing Pull Ups. She finally went back to underwear, and so we wanted to reward her with some underwear that she wouldn't be able to resist wearing. So far, so good!)
And, as for me? The lady who has, for the last six weeks, been found occasionally on my belly with a flash light searching under desks, beds, and dressers...or sifting through a large basket of Fisher Price toys for the fifth time...or getting out of bed at night remembering of just one more place that I suspect I never checked...or just sitting around being sad that my wedding ring (which is actually a ring Eric gave me as a gift when I had Noah that is engraved with his name and birth date -- long story on why I use it in leiu of my wedding ring) is gone....
Anyway, yeah...that lady. I'm that lady that broke down in tears and couldn't quit extolling the wonderfullness of my husband after we both stood looking at a necklace that was under a couch cushion (which the kids had pulled off), and then as my wonderful hero picked it up (from the couch we both checked three times), he slid his hand along the side, and pulled out my ring with the necklace. The ring that, gone for six weeks, I began to fear was in a pawn shop somewhere or worse yet -- a landfill.
Oh yeah, that man is my hero.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
And That's Why Daddy Is Our Hero
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
13 Benefits of Having a Family Garden for Kids (TT #21)
1. They'll have the chance to see that food isn't just "born" at the store.
2. It's a great opportunity to get them to try new things!
3. They get to see that bees only purpose is not stinging people. You can talk about why you need bees for your garden.
4. Butterflies! Just today, my kids ran around with butterflies while trying to catch them in a net. Since I knew they wouldn't catch them, I just let them run and run with at least four different types of butterflies that were by our garden in less than a 20 minute period.
5. Helps them to have pride in their work -- I know that my kids are always more pleased when we are able to pick produce off of a plant that they helped to plant.
6. Responsibilty -- Depending on your kids ages, they could be responsible for making sure the garden is watered.
7. Generosity -- Sometimes you just have too much of a certain type of produce. Let your kids learn the benefits of giving by giving away excess produce to friends, family, and neighbors. In our area, there are even some of the food pantries for the less fortunate that will let you bring in extra produce from your garden to put in the lobby.
8. Cooking lessons -- They can learn how to prepare things that you might not normally want them to make because of high costs. When you have pounds and pounds of strawberries, you can teach them to make freezer jam, whereas you might not want to spend so much money on enough strawberries at the grocery store.
9. It gives you the perfect excuse to start a composting bin (compost bins can be made inexpensively). With this, your kids can learn about decompostion of vegetable matter, and you can even help them to understand why it's better for that banana peel to go in the compost bin rather than a plastic trash bag.
10. If you teach them how to garden, you will be giving them a gift that will just keep giving. As they grow older, they can help their children to appreciate gardening, etc. (Of course, you could also get to the point that they want nothing to do with gardening when they are older. But, let's look at the positive side, shall we?)
11. They need some time away from electronic games and gadgets.
12. Starting some plants from seeds will give them an even greater sense of accomplishment, and it's a great science lesson. Imagine their delight when they look outside to see the tall tomato plant with a bounty of red fruit on it, and to know that they helped it grow from a tiny seed.
13. It helps to connect them to the past. My kids get excited when we have read from books like the Little House series and they recognize things that we have done too. There is comfort, I think, in feeling that you are in the present and that you can look to the future, but also, that you feel a connection to the past.
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Monday, July 28, 2008
Hello to Bloggy Giveaway Readers! Check out our Amazon.com Giveaway!
Hello to my current readers, and an extra hello to everyone visiting through the Bloggy Giveaways carnival!
My name is Angie, and my blog, Many Little Blessings, is a collection of writings about our daily lives as a family of five. We are newer Catholic converts (April 2oo7, though we have attended a Catholic Church since the summer of 2006).
You'll also read on our blog as we... homeschool (check out our new homeschooling group blog -- it has a giveaway too!), raise kids full of spunk (and a couple with special needs), garden, cook and menu plan, strive to live a more simple life (although it is really a struggle), work on household management, try to live a little greener, enjoy time with family and friends, infuse some humor into life, muse on topics from potty training to mortality to scrapbooking to marriage, and always try to count our Many Little Blessings (If you're interested in subscribing to Many Little Blessings, you can do so through this link or use an email subscription in the left sidebar).
Because I can always find something I would love to have at Amazon.com, I suspect that you all can too! So, I decided to give away a $20 Amazon.com gift certificate!
Plus -- there's another giveaway! Please add in your comments if you would like to be entered to win an item of your choice from my Etsy shop! I will do a random number selector for this item second, but will only choose from those that say that they would be interested in an item of their choice from my Etsy shop.
Here's the scoop on what you need to do to get an entry into the contest:
*Comment on this Post!
*Your comment must include an interesting fact about you or your blog. I required this last time, and I had SUCH a fun time reading about everyone! Plus, the extra bonus is that someone might read your interesting thing and want to visit your blog because of it!
*Comment before the comments are closed on this post at 11:59 pm EST on August 1st. (Winner to be announced on August 2nd!)
*If you are contacted, be sure to be in contact with me within three days. If I don't hear back from you in that time frame, I'll have to randomly pick a different winner.
Comments Closed - Drawing will be held on 8/2/08
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Menu Plan Monday: July 28th Edition
Check Out Our New Homeschooling Blog (2 Great Giveaways)
The Secret Ingredient Cinnamon Bread Recipe
Since I mentioned my Cinnamon Bread with the Secret Ingredient (that is really zucchini bread without a secret ingredient), I thought I would post the recipe. (I think I originally got it from meals.com, but I'm not sure -- it's been a while ago.)
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
(optional - 1 cup chopped walnuts -- I don't put those in though)
Here's a tip -- if you have really picky kids that won't touch the bread if they see green in it, then peel the zucchini before grating it. But, if they won't notice or won't care, keep on the peels and just wash it before grating it.
Directions:
Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine eggs, oil, and vanilla. Mix well. Then, gradually add to the flour mixture. Mix well. (At this point, I sometimes start mixing with my hands.) Add grated zucchini and walnuts. (This is the point where I start using my hands to mix if I didn't start it already.) Pour the mixture into greased and floured loaf pans. (I usually make two regular sized loaves from this recipe.) Bake at 350 degrees for one hour (or until the center is set).
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, transfer onto wire racks to cool completely.
Enjoy!
This post is included in the Make It From Scratch blog Carnival at Kitchen Stewardship
Friday, July 25, 2008
My Secret Ingredient for Cinnamon Bread
My kids just love quick breads -- like pumpkin bread and banana bread. They are picky, picky eaters, but they will just devour breads like that. 
So, last summer, I made them cinnamon bread. Umm...yeah, cinnamon bread. That's what we'll call it. And, we'll call it that because that's what I spent all summer calling it.
The other day, I made cinnamon bread again. And, as they did last year, they lovingly ate it up. Jack then declared, "You are the best cinnamon bread maker in the world. You are the best Mom in the world!"
"Awww...thanks Jack," I said.
Imagine my surprise when he then continued to praise me and my baking prowess. He then asked, in a way that was heaping with praise, "What's your secret ingredient?"
They have been talking about secret ingredients off and on since seeing Kung Fu Panda earlier this summer. So, this wasn't a shocking question. Except, well, I wasn't sure what to say.
"Hmmm...cinnamon, I guess."
"That I does make it taste very good, Mom," he congratulated me. And, then he continued, "Any other secret ingredient?"
"Yeah, there is," I fessed up. I thought for a moment before continuing aloud -- did I really want them to know the secret ingredient? Would they ever eat the cinnamon bread again?
"There really is a secret ingredient," I started. "And, it's zucchini."
There was an audible gasp from the munching kids at the table.
"You see, cinnamon bread isn't really called cinnamon bread even. It's called zucchini bread."
All three sets of eyes were locked on me. The boys started to put down their beloved cinnamon bread, because it was no longer sweet cinnamon bread. It was yucky zucchini bread.
Before they even could get the bread to their plates, I quickly countered, "Now guys -- you love that bread! Just because you know there is zucchini in it doesn't change how it tastes. It's still very cinnamon-y, isn't it?"
"Yeah, Mom, the cinnamon makes the zucchini taste very nice," Jack decided.
And, that was that. I hope.
Photo by tofuttibreak
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The Photo Mosaic Meme
Okay -- I have to admit, I can't remember whose blog I saw this on, but I have seen it on several. So, I thought it would be fun to give it a try.
Here's the deal with this meme. You go to Flickr and type in your answer to each of the twelve questions. You have to pick one picture from the first page of results for each question to put in a photo mosaic.
Here's my mosaic...
The Questions (I guess you'll have to guess my answers, let's see if you can figure it out)...
1. What is your first name? 2. What is your favorite food? 3. What high school did you go to? 4. What is your favorite color? 5. Who is your celebrity crush? (I had a horrible time trying to pick. I don't have any serious celeb crushes, but I definitely had a few options) 6. Favorite drink? 7. Dream vacation? 8. Favorite dessert? 9. What you want to be when you grow up? 10. What do you love most in life? 11. One Word to describe you? 12. One hobby of yours?
The photo credits (listed titles are not my answers, but are the titles of the pictures on Flickr)...
1. For my very dear friend Angie (*Madrigal*, formerly "Cali-Bunny"), 2. Roast Chicken Sandwich, 3. School, 4. Blue Morpho, 5. Patrick Dempsey in Dolce e Cabbana, 6. Summer Refreshment, 7. Aurorus Reflectus Colosseo, 8. A sea of rice krispie treat, 9. 2 months + 26 days, 10. 1 John 4:1, VerseVisions Art, 11. Catholic Church in Vienna HDR, 12. Twenty quotes, AEZine challenge #20
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Easier Peeling Hard Boiled Eggs (WFMW #44)
Check out Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer for lots of great tips and ideas!
Peeling hard boiled eggs can sometimes be a real pain. Sure, sometimes it goes just fine, but other times, the whites start peeling off with the shell. Augh!
Plus, I felt bad when I would let cold water run on the eggs after letting them boil for a minute or two.
Well...now my Mom came to the rescue on both of those egg problems!
After I removed the egg from the stove (after having had the lid on them for 20 minutes), I moved them over to the sink and filled the pan with cold water just to the top (after having dumped out the hot water).
Then...here's the important part...
I put a bunch of ice in the water as well! No more running cold water over the eggs. I just occasionally added more ice, as my ice melted. Not only did it save water, but it also made the eggs SO easy to peel!
And, then as an added green bonus, I waited until the pan of water was no longer freezing cold, took it outside, and emptied it on one of our trees.
Photo by Jaye_Elle
Care Bears Gone Bad (Wordless Wednesday #13)
Finally Getting Some Things Done (Tackle It Tuesday #14)
I didn't have one great big tackle this week, but we did get several things done. Some of the things that we got done were:
-Tilling and raking out all of the dirt from where the yard got torn up from building on our new 
screened in porch. (Yes, I know I still haven't shown it off. I'll post pictures after we paint it.) I, of course, didn't actually do this. But, Eric did.
-Eric also managed to get all the grass seed mixture stuff laid down. We used almost THREE whole 15 lb bags of this stuff. I did manage to talk to Eric while he did some of it. Of course, I also got horribly stuffed up, and we were thankful that Eric had sinus surgery in May.
-Made my grocery list to fill out what else I needed for planning our menu for a month. Did the grocery shopping.
-You know what else Eric did? He picked a big bowl of veggies from the garden, and then took down the junkie fence we had around it. We've decided to go fence free, since we don't think it's actually keeping out any animals anyway.
-I went through our bank statements for the past ummmm...six couple of months. I found several things that either Eric or I hadn't written in. I was not pleased.
-I visited the bank with print outs of a check that was cashed in both March and May. Same check. My account had $21.50 deducted from it twice. The branch manager thought it was odd. "I'm surprised this was able to go through twice," she said cheerfully. I replied, "Yeah, I was also kind of concerned that my bank let the same check go through twice." I was not cheerful.
-Closed my post office box that I can never manage to remember to check anyway.
-Had a fun-filled 90 minutes or so at Chuck E. Cheese with my kids on Monday morning to celebrate Noah & Jack's birthdays. Really...it wasn't too bad. But, I'm still including it as a tackle, and every mother reading this can understand why.
-Finally registered my kids for Religious Education for next school year. Also tucked in a note that I have prayerfully decided that I can't commit to being catechist this year. I'm hoping that they forgot that my friend Angie had convinced she and I to do it. So, maybe they weren't counting on me anyway. (It's only a month away from starting now, and I hadn't heard a peep about my involvement. So, hopefully when we talked to the Director in passing one night about it, then he forgot about it later. I hope.)
-Sent out emails to everyone who said they might be interested in being a contributing member of the new homeschooling group blog that I will be launching by September 1st. I kept meaning to get around to emailing everyone, but just couldn't manage to get around to it. I'm glad to have sent it out now! If you thought you were supposed to get an email but haven't yet, let me know. I might have accidently left you off the list to send to. If you are interested in learning more about being involved, drop me an email: homeschooling (at) comcast.net.
Whew -- I *have* been busy the last few days! Poor Eric probably thinks he has been extra busy. What a guy!
Monday, July 21, 2008
There's a Reason Only Kids with ADHD Should Take ADHD Meds
Although our Jack does not have ADHD, he sometimes shows some of the attributes, and so this week found us trying for a medication with him. In the past, we had tried Metadate and Adderall.
Although the Metadate seemed to work well, it also started to cause him to have hallucinations. Yes, hallucinations. We, of course, promptly ceased taking that. (Time on meds: 3 days.)
Then, about a year later, we decided to give Adderall a spin. That was also very short lived. You see, Jack is kind of high anxiety. And, when I say kind of, that is me being kind. It is only in retrospect that I realize now (after yesterday) that this has all been really inappropriate, as all of the medications have advised that they might cause high anxiety. Why would we give that to our high anxiety, overly emotional child? Oh...I don't know. Maybe because sometimes we get tired, and we're hoping for an easier fix. (I do have to note here that Noah is medicated on school days, and his medication -- the same one that caused Jack to have hallucinations, works wonderfully for him. It actually makes him feel better. So, just so we don't sound like monsters trying out meds on our kids -- Noah prefers to be on his, and we were hoping the same for Jack.) Anyway, the Adderall caused him to start having motor tics, on top of SUPER high anxiety, so we stopped that one too. (Time on Meds: 2 days.)
And, so here we are...at yesterday. At the boys' yearly check up, our doctor suggested maybe Daytrana (a patch) would help. He did point out, however, that the active ingredient was the same as the hallucination medicine. (Which, of course, is also the one that causes Noah no hallucinations, and helps him focus better.) (TIME ON MEDS WITH PATCH: 8 hours)
I'll not get into all the details, but I'll just cut to the chase. There is a reason that only kids with ADHD should take ADHD meds. I would have been happy to talk to you about it at length last night. You know, like at 11 pm when Jack was running around the living room. Or, at midnight when he was climbing on a climber that is also in our living room. (All while having motor tics. I did later see that it suggests you not take it if you have a family history of Tourette's. Our doctor doesn't know that we do, but my first cousin does have Tourette's. I didn't think to mention this, apparently.)
Anyway, as I was saying -- I also would have been happy to talk to you about it at 1 am, when he asked, "Hey Mom, would it be okay if I play on the computer now?" No, I told him.
Or, at 2 am, when he asked, "Mom -- do you think that I will ever sleep again?"
Or, at 3 am, when I told him, "Eventually, I'm going to have to have Dad come sit up with you."
But, not at 3:30 am, because that's when he finally went to bed, and I did too.
Apparently, I potentially could have then talked about it at 7:30 am when he was back up, saying he was ready to wake up. (He usually sleeps for 10 - 12 hours per night.) But, thankfully, Eric worked from home this morning, so that at least I could get in seven hours of sleep, even if Jack had no desire for it.
But, I can tell you now that we're done with meds for now. At least for Jack. Apparently we all need to work on being a whole lot more patient, because, at the very least, I need the sleep more than I need my sanity.
Photo by hipsxxhearts
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Menu Plan Monday: The One Month Edition
Okay, so this isn't going to be what we are going to eat this week, because I'm not entirely sure what we're going to eat this week. I haven't planned out what will go on what day, and at this point, I really need to balance my checkbook tonight instead of planning for the week's menu.
However...
I can post what my plan is for the month (for dinners, and an occasional lunch), after having gone on my monthly big grocery trip...
- Eggs, Toast, & Bacon
- Quick Chicken Teriyaki
- Beef Noodle Bowls
- Teriyaki Meatballs over Rice
- Chicken Potato Bake
- Teriyaki Steak Kabobs (twice -- since I bought a box of them from Market Day)
- BBQ Pork Sandwiches
- Spaghetti (twice)
- Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
- Cheesy Potato Soup
- Corn Chowder (twice -- bought this homemade from a local restaurant, and it's in the freezer)
- Turkey Breast
- Spinach and Egg Fettucini Noodles with Chicken
- Beans and Cornbread
- Club Quesadillas
- Pancakes
- Macaroni and Cheese with Tuna
- Wild West Baked Chili Mac
- Lasagna
- Baked Honey Mustard Ham Sandwiches
- Honey Chicken Sandwiches
- Sweet Pea and Potato Pasta
- Veggie Kabobs on the Grill
- Steak (on the grill) and Crash Potatoes (from Pioneer Woman)
- Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken
- Roast with Potatoes and Carrots (crock pot)
- Mushroom Cavatappi
- Chicken on the Grill
- Hamburgers on the Grill
- Chicken Puffs
For more menu ideas, be sure to check out Menu Plan Monday!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Troubleshooting for Our Wii (aka Apparently I need to be more observant)
Admittedly, I don't know that this post is going to help any of my regular readers. Maybe it will, but I suspect the chances that any of you are running into Wii problems right at this moment are unlikely.
So, why post it?
Well, I'm hoping that if some desperate mother, like myself, is having some of the same problems we have had can find this post via Google and maybe I'll help her out, before her kids sad faces drive her to ruin.
Wiiwii we were doing. So, let me pass along the nuggets of knowledge that I have learned the hard way.
When we first got Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party, we thought it was pretty fun. (Now I think it's really fun, and it's great exercise as well! I definitely recommend this one -- it even has a calorie counter option!)
Anyway, shortly after bringing it home, we would try to play and it would just pop up "FAILED" before the song even began. Someone else would try, and the same thing would happen. After becoming frustrated, we put it away to work on the next day.
Lo and behold, the next day it worked. Well...for a while anyway. Then, it started doing the same thing. We contacted tech support for Konami (the game maker). They advised us that the game was surely defective, and to return it.
We did this, only for the problem to start up again. I knew then that I had to be a detective. Finally, I noticed that whenever the dance pad moved a bit (for lots of play), it happened to knock up against a toy box, making one of the corner raise up a bit.
Yep -- that was the culprit. So, lesson one learned -- even though tech support never said, "Are you sure that you have it on a totally flat surface?", that was what they should have asked. Now that we are more vigilant about making sure that it doesn't push against the toy box, we have never had that problem again.
Now, on to lesson number two, thanks to Jack picking up Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity for his birthday.
The boys were SO psyched for this game! But, we could never get it to start. It didn't even pop up a start menu at us. It just kept showing for us to "Press + Button."
Let me tell you, I have never pressed a plus button so much in my life. Deep down, I figured this had to be some problem of ours. But, I still couldn't figure out what we might be doing. Just in case it was a game error, I took it back to the store and told them that we couldn't go past the start menu.
Of course, when we got the new copy home, we still had the same problem. Desperate, with kids with sad faces, I did even more searching online. Surely there was an easy answer.
And, finally, on Sega's site, I found a little tidbit of information that is probably not only helpful with Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, but probably with other games that may have problems as well.
They stated that although the game can be used with the classic Gamecube controller or the classic Wii controller, if you have a Gamecube controller plugged in and try to use the Wii remote, it won't work.
I thought, "Okay, well -- maybe we'll at least try the Gamecube controllers, if they'll work, since the Wii ones obviously don't for this game."
But, then imagine my surprise when I walked over to the Wii to find a Gamecube controller plugged in. Sigh.
Yep -- you guessed it. The moment we took out the Gamecube controller and pushed the + button on the Wii Remote, the boys were up and playing in just moments.
Hopefully, wii we won't have any problems in the future. And, if we do, I just hope that I can take a few moments to be a detective before automatically assuming the game is defective.
photo by el3enawe
Added Things to My Etsy Shop Before Closing (Plus an Extra Sale)
I have been busy trying to add some new things to my Etsy shop during my shop closing sale. You know, just things I have had sitting in my craft room meaning to add, but haven't.
Lots of photographs, but also a Rosary as well.
Then, in the non-handmade categories, I have added in three listings of supplies (while I tried to clean out some of my stash) -- Rosary making supplies, charms, and glass pendants.
Oh -- and then I also added this cool vintage "I AM AN EPISCOPALIAN" necklace. I don't remember where I got it, but I figured I'd just as soon someone who actually was would have it, since the medal doesn't say "I WAS RAISED EPISCOPALIAN, BUT NOW I'M ROMAN CATHOLIC."
In addition to the sale, I just added this extra sale to my Etsy page:
***EXTRA SALE SPECIAL: If you buy 3 or more items, you can take an additional 25% off the sale price. (You still must pay regular shipping costs, however.) If you purchase three or more items, just wait for an adjusted Paypal invoice from me or I can refund the amount that you overpay, if you prefer to pay right away.***
I'm not sure if this will show up in my Feed, for those of you that read the blog like this, but here is an Etsy mini that shows most of the newer listings in the shop (all with the sale price shown as the listed price -- the original prices are listed inside the actual listing):
God Doesn't Need You To Be Perfect
Years ago, when I was around 15 or 16 (or maybe a little younger, I can't really remember), I was at my old church's office (when it was my current church, of course) volunteering with my Mom to fold bulletins or some such thing.
She was getting kind of stuck on trying to get them folded perfectly. I, on the other hand, am easier going in that way, and I was just doing the best I could do and still get the job done in a timely manner.
When she made a comment about not getting them right, I said, "God doesn't need you to be perfect; He appreciates your best effort."
At that, my Mom said, "Who said that?"
"Me. Didn't you hear me?"
Ha -- that's one of our family funnies to say. Really cute, huh? (Or, perhaps just a little obnoxious.)
"No, really," she said.
"No, really. Me," I said. She was thoroughly impressed, but it was true.
And, it still is true.
God knows us better than anyone else. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows that we are not perfect, and He loves us all the same. He knows our struggles and our weaknesses. And, sometimes, I imagine that He watches us and cheers for us when we put forth that effort in the difficult times.
Perhaps it is in those most difficult moments when we feel like we are just trudging along that God is most pleased with us, because it is in those times when we feel like giving up, but instead, we just trudge along and do what we can with what we have.
Even though I can be pretty easy going, I still sometimes beat myself up inside when things aren't just right. I know that I am my own toughest critic. I forget that everything I do should be for God, and even if I think what I do should be perfect, He doesn't. He knows me better than that, and He loves me all the same.
I'd like to say that I have some profound reason for writing this right now, but I don't. It has been years since I thought of that moment in the church office, but it just came to me while I was doing some things in the kitchen. Perhaps it came to me because I have been a little down lately, and maybe I needed to remember it. (God seems to like to talk to me in my kitchen.)
Or, maybe I needed to sit down and write this because somebody will read it who needs to hear it. And, if that's the case, let me just say, to whomever you and wherever you are...
You don't need to try to be perfect. You have just as much right to have failures as everyone else does. You cut other people slack, so why not do it for yourself. God doesn't want you to beat yourself up trying to be perfect. You know you can't be perfect, and so does He. He made you to be who you are, so don't fight it. Sure, you can do things to try to be better, but don't kill yourself trying to be what you can't be. He doesn't want that for you. He wants you to be you.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
13 Free (or Nearly Free) Fun Activities to Do as a Family (TT #21)
1. Go to the library, especially one with a good children's section. The kids can check out books (and so can Mom & Dad), play with toys/activities (if they have them there), and possibly even take in some educational computer games. If you want, you can probably even find a quiet spot in the children's area to do a read aloud with your kids.
2. Get on swimsuits and run through the sprinkler if you are watering your lawn anyway. We're bad about remembering to water our lawn, but when we can remember, this is a fun activity. (Personally, I don't that I would do it just for fun, if I really didn't think the lawn could at least use a bit of water. And, occasionally, I move the sprinkler so that new areas of the yard get water.)
3. This goes along with the item above, but we bought one of those molded plastic kiddie pools for $4.44 at Menards. Fill it up, and let the kids have fun! When you're done, give them buckets or watering cans to empty the pool water onto plants.
4. Check out your local movie theaters to see if they have free family movies on Saturdays. Eat right beforehand to avoid spending on concessions. Or, buy the whole family a big popcorn to share. At our local theaters, you can get popcorn refills for just $.25. (Soda refills are free.)
5. Have a picnic lunch as a family. No need to go all out, if you don't do this often, the kids will probably love the novelty of it, and will be happy enough with peanut butter and jelly.
6. If your kids are like mine, they want to cook/bake in the kitchen. Enjoy some time in the kitchen helping your kids make a meal. Then, let them play restaurant when it's time to eat. (Although this could run more than $10, depending on what you have them make, I figure dinner has to be made anyway, so that doesn't really count.)
7. Buy a pad of watercolor paper (real watercolor paper) and a container of Prang watercolors (we like Prang best of all the school supply type watercolor paints). Get a little container of water, and let the artists create. (I found a pad of watercolor paper at Hobby Lobby for $2, and then we used watercolor paints that they brought home from school. We were, of course, required to provide them as part of their school supply lists last year, and both boys brought them home having never been used at that end of the school year. Go figure!)
8. Rent a Redbox video and pop some microwave popcorn. (Amy at The Mother Load posts a free code for Redbox every Monday. Sure, it's only a dollar, but free is even better!)
9. Some museums have free days on certain every month. Check out if your favorite museum has one of these. Of course, they are busier then, so you have to decide if this is really preferrable to spending the money to go on a regular day.
10. Visit a local park that has fun play equipment. Another option that often isn't as busy is a local school's playground on weekends or during the summer.
11. Gather up everyone to join you in the room in your house with the most open floor space. Turn up the music and dance like you're in an iPod commercial.
12. Go to church. The kids may possibly argue if this is "fun" or not. But, it is an activity that we all enjoy together. And, speaking of church, watch for free activities at your church. Our parish has free movie nights during the summer, as well as a parish picnic with tons of games, etc. (once a year) that is totally free.
13. Visit a local Farmer's Market. Check out all of the locally grown vegetables, as well as lots of crafts and baked goods. While this activity can be totally free, why not splurge a couple dollars per child and let them pick out some homemade or home grown goodie?
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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Tuesday, July 15, 2008
WFMW: Encouraging Children to Read
I have had kind of a long day today, and I thought, "Geesh -- what works for me anyway?" as I got ready for the Works for Me Wednesday post this week.
Then, I thought of one thing that we have been doing that has been great for encouraging the children to read, and thought it would be a good one to share.
We have been having time set aside for quiet reading (for our homeschool, but this can be done just around the house, of course). This, alone, is good, as it just sets aside some time when it's time to read.
Then, a second thing that has helped (particularly for that time) is that in addition to all the books we have at home, we have checked out a whole slew of books from the library that would be likely to interest the kids.
But...the biggest thing that seems to encourage the kids is that I fight the urge to have a quiet ten or fifteen minutes to do things around the house, and I find a good book to sit and read as well. It's important for the kids to see that I think reading is important and that I will do it for enjoyment as well.
All of these things together have equated to kids that have shown a much greater interest in reading than ever before!
Tired Princess
(Molly, at the end of our time at her aunt and new uncle's wedding recently -- she was just too tired for any more dancing, so Daddy's arms were the perfect place for her. Photograph was taken by a friend of my new brother-in-law.)
Be sure to check out more Wordless Wednesday participants!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Our First Official Day as Homeschoolers
Okay, so I'm not sure that our first day of homeschooling is really appropriate for Tackle It Tuesday, but I have to say -- a lot of work has gone into getting ready for this day, so it sure felt like the pinnacle of a tackle to me.
So, yep -- it's official, we have had our real first day of homeschool. (I say that because, well, technically, they already went to a week long art camp that did not only art but a lot of social studies, so I counted it toward our days of school for the year.) But, this is when it finally felt like school.
I'm happy to say that this was a very successful tackle! I don't know how the rest of the year will go, but at least the first day went smoothly. And, really, the kids seemed to be genuinely happy to be working on some school work. (In fact, they had a hard time sleeping on Sunday night because they were so excited!)
Although both Eric and my Mom gave us a hard time, declaring that we are holding "bankers hours," we finished up in three hours (that included a recess time as well). We will be adding in some read aloud (by me) time in the evenings, so that will lengthen the "school" time as well. I had absolutely no idea how long it was going to take us, so I was surprised to get done so quickly. I think one of the keys to this was that we just moved so quickly between subjects. I'm a former teacher, so it was kind of weird to say, "Okay, let's do math" and then just start, not having to wait around for 25 kids to get out books and open to the right page.
So, I'm pretty psyched to finally get the first day out of the way. It seemed like such a scary thing sitting out on the horizon, so I'm glad to have finally tackled it!
Noah working on his writing journal. Yes, he is drinking a soda. I know, I'm a bad Mom. He does think this is officially the best school he has ever attended though. (Or, at the very least, he enjoyed drinking a soda while doing his work.)
Everyone working on their writing journals, actually. Even Molly (age three) has one. The kids were all asked to write about some things that they are hoping to do or to learn about during this school year.
Not school related, except that this was during our recess. Although, really recess got pretty science-filled, as we talked about birds (because of our new bird feeder) and locusts. Molly, however, just was having fun with a beanie baby.
While the boys were doing some of their work, I put out some blocks for Molly to use, along with some flooring samples that we had for when we redid the laundry room.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
One quarter, two dimes, and eight pennies...
No, this is not the cost of some cheap plastic toy that we have just picked up.
It is what Eric once found while trying to fix my minivan stereo system. This, perhaps, is the reason that God made sure that children are so darn cute, but that they are also only that small for such a short amount of time.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Email Subscription Available Again!
I used to use Blogarithm for the email subscription option for my blog, but then they got bought out, and it seemed that the email subscription didn't work. Even when I tweaked things with the new company, it still didn't work.
And, then, I have to admit, I dropped the ball and then didn't put in anything new. Sorry to those that were receiving their feed through email!
But, now there is an email subscription option again! Just check out the left side bar, and you'll see a box for your email address for subscribing via FeedBurner. I tested it out before posting this, and it works beautifully.
I realized that when my Mother-in-Law was asking about it, then it probably meant that she might not be the only one who was subscribed via email, and it was probably time to take care of it. Sorry for any inconvenience this caused to anyone!
13 (not 500) things about me (TT #20 & Post #500)
1. I started my blog in December 2006. This is, apparently, my 500th posting to said blog.
2. I like to stay awake very late. I typically have to just finally make myself go to sleep. I love to sleep once I start, however, and would probably sleep until noon every day if I didn't have kids.
3. I have a son (Jack) whose favorite color is pink. My favorite color is blue. He thinks this juxtaposition is amusing, and also uses it as an opportunity to tell me that boys and girls can like any colors they want best. (This sentiment, however, wasn't shared by the little boy on the kindergarten playground two years ago who said he wanted to punch him because of his pink loving.)
4. I like to have the TV on, even when I'm not really watching it. I'm always kind of listening. Sometimes barely. (I watch Food Network a lot at night, and then I end up going to bed feeling hungry.)
5. I have a tiny craft room, even though I rarely use it. Maybe it's more like a storage room. I wish I used it more, but I don't. I haven't scrapbooked in months, and when I did -- I did it at my Mom's house.
6. I have very little will power when it comes to spending money. I am trying to get a lot better. I am envious of very thrifty/frugal people. How in the world do they just not want to spend money? The worst part of it all? My husband is just like me.
7. Part of my problem with #6 is probably this one -- I would almost always rather get food from out than cooking something in. Even if someone else is cooking, I still would usually rather get food from out. (We are seriously working on limiting this, however.)
8. When Eric and I got married, I thought I wanted us to have five kids. Eric wanted only two. We apparently have compromised with three. (Except, well, I wouldn't want five anymore. Heck -- we could fit them in our house!)
9. I'm going to be launching a group blog all about homeschooling in September. (If, by the way, anyone reading this is interested in being a contributor, please let me know. I've been excited to have some people already interested.)
10. Our dining room table was originally my Mom's table. We bought it when we bought their house. Because of this, that means I have only had two dining room tables since I was born -- the one that my parents had until I got married and moved out, then one they bought us for our wedding, and then back to their table when we bought this house. (I can remember when we used to pull the leaf out of the middle and used it as a slide propped up against our couch when I was a kid.)
11. I recently got to see a lot of my family. I have 13 nieces and nephews. I became an aunt when I was 12 years old. My oldest nephew is 19 years old now. My youngest niece/nephew is currently inside my only sister-in-law on my side of the family.
On Eric's side of the family, we have no nieces and nephews. However, his only sister just got married in June.
12. I recently lost the ring that I have worn as my wedding ring for about 9 years now. I was given the ring by Eric and it was engraved with Noah's name and birth date as a gift after Noah's birth. I have searched high and low (and even offered the kids a cash reward). I'm afraid that it is lost forever, and I'm pretty heartbroken about that.
13. I ordered two workbooks for our nameless homeschool tonight, and was forced to put in a school name before it would let me continue with my order. I put "St. Joseph Academy." I like St. Joseph, and he helped to advance me to the next screen to complete my order. Thank you, St. Joseph.
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Saving a Little Bit of Money on Laundry Supplies (WFMW)
My tip today is pretty short and sweet, but it is something that works for me, so I thought I would pass it along.
Fabric softener dryer sheets, I think, are pretty big. So, before I use one, I just rip it in half (inside the dryer, in case anything "falls" out, per se) and throw in only half a sheet. Then, when I do my next load of laundry, I use the leftover half.
I know that there are those spikey dryer balls that could probably be better, since I wouldn't be using them at all. But, after hearing pretty mixed reviews, I decided to stick with ripping them in half. (I will note that I have heard of people cutting a whole package worth at the same time, but that it is difficult. I figure it's easy enough for me to just do one at a time.)
I know this seems like it isn't a big deal, but when I realized that this means that my box that is meant for 120 loads of laundry actually lasts for 240 loads, that sure seemed like a big difference to me!
Be sure to check out Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in my Dryer for more great tips and tricks!
