Boring Posts for Saturday Vol 3

All this boring goodness is hosted by Mary at Hope Echoes.

So, it is Saturday again. I'm up early today... everyone else is still sleeping. So I get to enjoy the beginning of my day in silence, with a hot cup of tea and homemade brownies! It's so nice and cold in the house I can almost pretend it isn't going to be 102 today. Everything aroud the house is still and peaceful. Even the dogs are calm... they are both cuddled up side by side on the playroom couch... it's adorable, and no easy feat for two large animals.

I've been doing too much thinking lately. I keep meaning to write a blog post in defense of deep thinking. I DO think it is valuable, and will someday share those thoughts with the wide world. But lately, the deep thoughts are wearing me down. Some portion of it is that I can't ACT on any of those deep thoughts... at least not until we move. Our lives can't handle anymore change just at the moment. The other is that some of those thoughts are things I can't do anything about even if I wanted to. And then I spend time thinking deep thoughts about deep thinking. Over-analysis, anyone?

And all this thinking in circles just leads to high anxiety levels for me, which really isn't any good. Most of the people who read this know me IRL and know my anxiety issues... one day I'll write about my nervous breakdown... maybe it'll be cathartic. But in the meantime, I'm starting to feel that twitchy, edgy feeling that crops up when things get hard... and things feel harder when my sleep is so disrupted. I feel like a broken record about the sleep issues. Blech. This is what I get for doing sleep deprivation research for all that time... it really is like some sort of karmic retribution. But for right now, I'm left with high anxiety levels and the question of what to do about it. I am going to start with watching the caffeine intake and trying to squeeze in a little exercise. It's that, or go on meds :) so we'll start there.

Our plans for today include taking J to another backflip class. Then rounding up all the kids for a birthday party. I was able to make a really cute gift for the birthday girl. K and I worked on it together. We hope she likes it!

We're hosting a Capoeira get-together at our house tomorrow evening. This will be a chance for some of the newer students to get together and practice the instruments and the songs. I'm kind of looking forward to learning the songs... the kids do a lot of singing in Portuguese and I 1. don't know what they are singing about and 2. don't know if they are even singing the right words :) The kids will have their batizado, or ranking ceremony, the second weekend in July. J will be working for his third cord! And this will be K's first cord test. Since this is a new studio, we weren't sure how big the ceremony was going to be, but it looks like we'll have people in from other groups, and two different mestres there. Things are really coming along for the group, and we're so glad to be part of that. I am really and truly glad they have found a sport that they enjoy, and that they have some aptitude for! It's been such a fun, family centered experience for us.

On the homeschool front, we've been pluggin away at the reading lessons (Teaching Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons) and letting pretty much everything else slide. J was complaining that the lessons are starting to get too long and that the older lessons were easier. So he decided, on his own, to go back and read all the older stories to K. I guess that seemed like less work? :)

I'm sorry I haven't been able to be as boring as usual today! The laundry and dishes are all caught up, and that is usually what I do on Saturdays! And no trips to the farm market today. We will be headed out to pick up our CSA share though.

Last thought for today... can some of you more tech savvy bloggers help me with the following things? 1. How do I do strikethrough text? Like to cross something off a list, ya know? and 2. is there a quick way to put a hyperlink in the comments section? I can do the html code thing, but it requires me to go back and look up the code each time. Surely there is a faster way?
Thanks!!!

Happy Saturday, folks!

Daily Quotes

I have something of a quote fetish... I collect them. Other people collect other things... I collect quotes. So, I added this cool little widget-y thing to my sidebar with daily quotes related to learning. Not too bad, hunh? But here's today's quote (and I quote):

I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led, bearding* every authority which stood in their way.
-Thomas Jefferson
*bearding=boldly confronting

These are supposed to be quotes related to lifelong learning... as a lifelong learner, do I really need the word "bearding" defined for me? Really? If, perhaps, I didn't know what it meant, and couldn't figure it out contextually, wouldn't it aid my lifelong learning to go look it up?

SIGH... it just really irritated me.

And lest you think I'm just a whiny complainer, here is one of my favorites:

My education was interrupted only by my schooling.
-Winston Churchill

Not Much To Say

I'm just tired of reading the last post when the blog comes up! So it is time for something else.

:)

It's hard to think this morning... what I'd really like to do is focus on some schooling stuff, but the neighbor dogs are yapping and the birds in the yard are squawking and J and W are listening to a book on CD... loudly!

Anyway, I have realized that we probably aren't going to get much of anything done until we get the move finished. Things in the house are partially packed. We went looking at a few places yesterday. Still haven't found the perfect place yet but at least we're making progress.

This whole being patient thing is really hard for me. I want things done and I want them done now. I have all these ideas in my head of things that I want to try, and realistically they have to wait til we move. I keep reminding myself that NOW is probably not the time to take on more hobbies like making cheese or yogurt. As much as I want to. Accepting this has been hard on me. I am starting to feel like "living" is on hold while we look for a place TO live. KWIM?

My only plan for today is to help the kids get the playroom cleaned up, get through reading lessons for both big kids, and maybe make a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread. And to be relaxed and enjoy the day with these little cuties.

Late Night Ramblings

It's late late late. And while I am up, unable to sleep, Owl Poppa is at the emergency room. His sore throat finally got the better of him. Unable to talk or really swallow, he took himself to urgent care and they sent him to the emergency room with peritonsilar abscess. It is freaking me out a little bit that I am home with the kids and he's in the ER without me; but I'm really more harm than good anyway since being calm isn't exactly my strong suit and the ER gives me weird anxiety issues. My mother-in-law, who is just amazing, is with him and is going to drive him home. Last I heard he was on IV antibiotics and steroids. I'm just hoping there is no cutting involved... *shudder* Since I can't sleep, I'm working on laundry, cleaning up, and now blogging, trying to stay busy and keep my mind from worrying. I don't really even know if there is anything to worry about, but googling "peritonsilar abscess" is not on my list of ways to keep calm. Just in case :)

If you're up reading this, send some love and healing vibes our way!

ETA: Owl Poppa got home a little after 2 am. He was able to talk again, which he hadn't been able to do all day. He has antibiotics and some pain meds to take, but was doing okay. He actually looked more chipper than I've seen him in a couple of days :)

Boring Post for Sunday Morning

I missed yesterday's "Boring Posts for Saturdays" hosted by Mary at Hope Echoes.
So I'll branch out and do it this morning. :)

To increase the "boring" factor, this week I will bulletize my list for you :)

• W is sick... he spent the whole night wide awake and crying, or sleeping fitfully for ten to fifteen minute intervals. But he woke up bright and sunshiny at 7:30 this morning.
• I am the only person I know who could be sick for over a week, feel like I'm barely eating, and gain six pounds. What is that about?
• I am feeling better. My throat is still swollen but my pain is gone. So hooray for that.
• Owl Poppa is working today. We'll be celebrating Father's Day on Wednesday. I must try to remember to call my dad today.
• Our NO-TV during the day rule has gone completely out the window with everyone being sick. I don't know if I'm up for the challenge of reinstituting it. At least not today.
• I have nothing else I feel like typing, so I think I'm done for this morning! :)

Still Whiny

My whiny mood is still hanging around, mostly because this excruciatingly sore throat is still hanging around. I have realized that I don't handle being sick very well or very graciously. Blech

So I am practically drowning myself in herbal tea and chicken broth, and I'm about to go gargle with more grapefruitseed extract. This is no fun at all.

In order to end on a somewhat happier note, I have found a new rental agent so hopefully we'll have a new place soon!

Hope everyone else is feeling okay!!!!

Pickles!

I love pickles! My favorite are the big Kosher-style dill pickles that you can get in the bulk barrels at the deli... drool! Our CSA share for this week came with 14 pickling cucumbers... so I decided to make pickles. I found the recipe online here. Since I don't own canning jars, I put the pickles in a glasslock container (that I got at Costco... I HEART Costco) and straight into the fridge. By today, they actually look and taste like pickles... YAY! They are bit on the salty side since I misread the recipe and added extra salt instead of sugar... oops! But still good, and pretty close to deli pickles. And I am sure the next batch will be even better.

The original recipe calls for a gallon of water, so I scaled the recipe back and adjusted for the fact that I used kosher salt instead of pickling salt (for Morton's brand, 1 cup plus 2 tbs kosher salt = 1 cup pickling salt). Below is the way I did it (with the exception of the sugar/salt mix-up)... I am really looking forward to making some more.

Pickles!

To a medium saucepan, add:
5 1/3 C Water
1/3 C vinegar
4.5 T
kosher salt
1/3 t sugar (not salt, lol)
Bring it to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a glass jar or container, add the pickling cucumbers (either whole or sliced however you want). Add in several peeled cloves of fresh garlic (I think we used 6 cloves and it was nice and garlicky). Add some dill weed or dill seeds or both. Cover with the boiling brine mixture. Cover and place in the refrigerator.

Pity.... Party of One

I'm having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Like Alexander. I am feeling so whiny right now, so I am going to complain! If you don't want to listen to me whine, you should probably click on something else. Check back later and I am sure I'll have cheered up by then.

I went to bed with a sore throat, and when I woke up at 6:30am to take ibuprofen, it was still sore. I am still sick. Worse than yesterday. Achy, fevery, sore sore throat, blech. But Owl Poppa is also sick... and sickER than me. I hate that. I know it is whiny and ridiculous of me, but I just want all the attention and sympathy for me. Maybe I should move to Australia. I woke up early and couldn't think of anything to cook for breakfast. I did laundry, worked with the kids on their reading lessons, and got K dressed while trying to pretend I didn't feel so terrible. I didn't have time to shave my legs so I didn't get to wear one of my new skirts today. I bet I could have worn my skirt in Australia. I had to take K to the doctor this morning for a rash (worse than the usual eczema) she developed over the weekend. Turns out, the doctor thinks she has chicken pox. So now we have to stay home and away from the rest of the world for the next week or so while we wait to see if W gets it. Do I have to stay away from Australia? So I'm sick, tired, fussy, and facing at least a week of confinement. And the sad part is, K really isn't any itchier than normal. :( J has been more contrary than usual... I think it's the steady diet of take out and snack food he's had since I got sick. And he's mad that he has to miss Capoeira on K's account (the chicken pox). I wonder if they have Capoeira in Australia. We are supposed to be out of our current house in less than six weeks. Our property manager is working as our rental agent. She is... let's just call it "less than helpful" about the whole thing. She told me point blank that she wants me to do the footwork because she doesn't make very much on rental commisions. So now, I need to find a new rental agent. And I can't in good faith go and expose a bunch of people til K gets better. SO I can't realy start looking for a new place til next week. Next week, I said, I'll be in Australia. I know that there are much worse things we could be dealing with, but man, none of this was on my to-do list. I will add "Move to Australia" to my to-do list. It probably won't get done either. I'm having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

So I am openly soliciting sympathy! Please send me a few virtual hugs. The virtual kick in the pants to suck it up and move on can come tomorrow.

It has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. My mom says some days are like that. Even in Australia.

sickness update

Because I know you are all at home wondering anxiously how I am doing, I think I am feeling better. At least, on the ibuprofen I am feeling better! :) And I am 99% certain it's not epiglottitis ;) But either way, I did get the kitchen cleaned, the laundry folded and put away, the downstairs vacuumed, the diapers washed, and dinner cooked. I also took the kids for a drive and put gas in the car. I even got to wear another one of new skirts. So, not too bad for one (sick) day. K is still under the weather (she's napping now), and now J and Owl Poppa are complaing of sore throats. I am about to burn some lavendar and tea tree oil, open the windows for a few minutes, and put fresh sheets on the beds... I am determined to keep us all as healthy as I can!! Keep sending positive thoughts our way!

well it's official...

I am officially sick. Blech.

After setting the kids up with a movie yesterday, I got progressively worse. Fever, chills, burning eyes, the whole shebang. So, I sat huddled under blankets while they watched not one but three movies waiting for Owl Poppa to get home.

My tonsils are swollen and it hurts to swallow. I have a (completely ir-) rational fear of getting epiglottitis. Or in some other way losing my airway and suffocating. I do actually realize that this isn't likely, but it freaks me out anyway every time I get a sore throat or swollen tonsils. That fear is definitely worse than the illness. I had strep throat twice last year... it was terrible.

I am sitting here sipping hot lemon and honey with cayenne. This is probably the best sore throat drink around. And surprisingly tasty. And with the help of some ibuprofen, I am feeling functional this morning. As soon as I hit "publish post", I am going to go take some echinacea, keep up with my remedies, and conquer what I can in the house before getting worse again. There is all the damage from last night to clean up, and all the end of evening chores that didn't get done. I have to get a load of diapers washed or poor W isn't going to have anything to wear. And I think I'll throw dinner in the crockpot right now so we won't have to eat mac and cheese and poptarts for dinner again. :) My menu from yesterday has gone totally out the window... I think we're going to have chicken soup. But think how good it will feel to sit back and relax this afternoon with all the chores done. I might even get that nap.

Wish me luck!

Boring Posts for Saturday Vol 2

Today we went to the (different from last week) farmers market for eggs and milk. This time we were much more successful. We met my almost brother in law and his family there... the kids were soooo excited and keep asking me when he can be their Tio... I keep telling them to ask their Tia and leave me alone about it :) (Not really, I'm not really THAT rude)

So at the market we bought eggs, milk, grass fed flank steak (super yum), a loaf of organic sourdough bread, some hand-dipped beeswax taper candles, and a delicious and huge cinnamon bun that we split in the car. We might have to get there earlier next time. As soon as it starts to heat up (which is EARLY here in Texas), K's eczema starts bothering her... we had to leave when she got so itchy she couldn't take it anymore. I did spend some time perusing the gorgeous aprons... oh how I want one!!! With a full ruffly skirt and a pocket... someday!

Then we went to pick up our first summer CSA share. Our winter CSA ended a while back, and the summer one just started. We came home with lots of yummy squash, onions, fresh garlic, and tons of pickling cucumbers. We're going to learn to make pickles... Hooray! We got to chat for a bit with our friend who is the CSA drop off point (all the veggie shares are taken to her house, and then we pick up there). It was nice to squeeze a super short visit into our morning.

Next we drove around for awhile to let W take his nap in the car. I kinda wish it was easier to get him to take a nap at home, because I could really use a nap today. My throat is super sore, with pain referring to my ear. Blech. I have some remedies I am going to take as soon as I'm done with this post, but a nap sure sounds delicious and would surely speed the healing up, right? Maybe I'll put on a movie for the kids :)

While we were driving around, I decided to go check out the outside of one of the properties we were considering. We got lost trying to find it and drove miles out of our way down some country roads. At least the view was pretty. This house was at the top of my list because it is all tile inside and on almost an acre. It WAS at the top of my list... driving around it, it was clear pretty quick that the layout of the land just wasn't going to work for this family. SIGH... at least it narrows my search down a bit.

I did get to wear my new skirt today! I have been in the market for some skirts or sundresses... I am tired of always looking so sloppy in jeans and tshirts. So I went to the thrift store yesterday and found two cute denim skirts, two floral skirts, an adorable sleeveless sweater (K told me it was so pretty I just had to get it), three pairs of knit tights for this winter, and a pair of sparkly shoes for K. My budget for clothes for this month was $25. Total cost of the thrift store trip was $23.33... I was pretty proud of myself. :) It is looking like we'll actually be within our budget for this month!

And to round out this totally boring post with even more boring-ness, I will end with our meal plan for the next few days. This is only main dishes since I haven't thought out sides yet, that's how boring I am. Here we go:

• Tonight: casserole made with chicken, leftover gravy and mashed potatoes, veggies and cheese.
• Tomorrow: cheesesteaks with fried onions made with the flank steak I bought today, served on the sourdough bread from the farm market.
• Monday: cook a whole chicken in the crockpot... use the meat to make flautas with fresh guacamole, put the rest of the meat aside for the next few days, make chicken broth from the bones
• Tuesday: figure out something to do with the chicken from the crockpot
• Wednesday: tortilla soup... my favorite!
• Thursday: pork chops
• Friday: leftover or homemade pizza

Now, to go see about those remedies and set the kids up with a movie!

Boring Posts for Saturday brought to you by Mary, at Hope Echoes

Personal Want Ad

Female, married with three children,
seeking house for long term commitment.
Hoping relationship will lead to a forever home.
Should be interested in happy family dinners,
long hours playing in the back yard,
sweet dreams, and happy memories.

We're moving again. Since J was born, we have lived in 6 places, not including the time we've spent in hotels between houses. FWIW, J is only 6 and a half and we've been in this house 2 years. That's a lot of moves squeezed into his first 4.5 years. I'm tired of moving, but hoping that this next one will settle us down! I am taking a cue from those folks who write down everything they want in a partner, and then suddenly meet the person of their dreams... here is my house wish list:

• At least 2000 sf... our current 1500 is bursting at the seams with 2 adults, 3 high energy kids, 2 big dogs, and a fish
• Backyard should be sunny enough to grow veggies with a least a few trees for shade and for climbing, and maybe a hammock.
• Laundry area must be indoors... our current laundry area is in the garage and I hate it
• A new-ish AC system and double pane windows... Texas is too hot for anything else...oh and screens in all the windows
• Playroom in the downstairs
• Eat In Kitchen
• Fire place
• Two inch wood blinds throughout
• A nice front yard and good curb appeal
• Tile or Laminate in at least the downstairs, preferably throughout
• Garden tub, no jets in the bathtubs... no funky mold or damp smell in the house
• Neutral colors, no plaid wallpaper
• A place we can be for the next three to five years... with the way we move, that would seem like an eternity
• And since this is my WISH list, I'd like to be able to have a few chickens!

Technical Difficulties...

Work is being done to fix the cute owl layout... please bear with me! :) I am also working to figure out how to remove the orange square that you see currently!

Stay Tuned

ETA: Orange square is removed and previous background has restored. Not sure when I'll get the owl layout back, but at least this is cute enough!

Wrong Side of the Bed

Now, I actually get up on the wrong side of the bed EVERY morning, since I sleep sideways across the bed. This is one of the benefits of cosleeping with W, and not having Owl Poppa in my room. W and I can sprawl all out over the king-sized bed :)

But this morning, I woke up GRUMPY!!!! W was up at least ten times overnight. I don't know if it is teeth, or the full moon, or the alignment of the stars, or what... but man, I have had enough. I can't function on so little sleep. Blech. Not at all the way I had hoped to start out the week.

SIGH

After attempting to get through a few school lessons with J, while W crawled all over the back of the couch and practiced jumping down onto my head, well, I just gave up. I took a shower, loaded all the kids into the car, made a stop at the taco joint drive thru (nothing fixes a bad day lke carb loading... white flour tortillas and a 44 oz Coke... YUM), and headed off to the park.

Thing did get better. Thankfully. We were able to spend some time with my awesome friend J and her kids... check out J's blog here. All the kids got to run around with light sabers. Nothing makes my kids happier than light sabers. :)

We also had a celebrity sighting! There in the playground, pushing kids on the swings and playing in the sandbox, was one of our hometeam basketball players. This wasn't just any old fella... this was Tim Duncan. I mean the guy has won 4 NBA championships. He's been MVP twice and Finals MVP three times (I think... you had best check with Owl Poppa for totally accurate stats). Anyway, here was this awesome upper-eschelon NBA player, sitting in the sandbox at our local park. It was awesome.

Most awesome of all was that none of the folks at the park, dads included, bothered him... not even one autograph request in the hour or so we overlapped at the park... he got to just be a poppa and hang out. I didn't tell the kids who it was until after we left. And J was totally psyched... you know why? Because now he knows approximately how tall Yao Ming is... Too funny. He's been obsessed with Yao Ming lately.

I was frustrated at how little schooling got done today, but glad to be able to call it a day when needed and head to the park to reset. And now we're going to make pear muffins... YAY! Every day is better with muffins!

Pear Muffins (adapted from the La Leche League Cookbook)

2 unpeeled ripe pears, chopped finely

1/2 C honey

1 egg

1/4 C melted butter (or oil)

1 C milk

1 3/4 C whole wheat flour

1 t cinnamon

1/4 t ground cloves

1/2 t salt

2 t baking powder

1/4 C wheat germ

Mix pear and honey in bowl, tossing to coat. Set to the side. In a large bowl, beat egg, butter, and milk. Add dry ingredients except wheat germ and stir to combine. Fold in pear mixture. Fill greased muffin cups around 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Yiled is around 16 muffins.

Boring Posts for Saturday Vol 1

Yay! I'm nothing if not a follower, and I wanna be cool like Dawn and Mary. Thank you Dawn for introducing me to this, and Mary for hosting.

We haven't done very much today at all. We went to the new farmer's market this morning! That was cool. But there were no vendors selling eggs or raw milk, which is what we went for. There was a reggae band though, so the kids liked that.

Then we ran to Costco to get milk and eggs (see the no milk and eggs at the farmer's market above). We also had to get a gift for a birthday party today. We just found out about it recently so there was no time to make anything. We bought books at Costco. I love books! And books are not plastic, lol, which atones for Costco not being locally owned. :)

Then it was off to the pool party. The kids had fun, and I got to reconnect with a few friends I don't see very often. Which is just a shame really. Maybe this summer will be better for get-togethers. Probably not though.

Then it was home to catch up on laundry and wash dishes. My sister in law stopped by to drop off boxes for our upcoming move. So we got to have a nice and short visit with her and her almost-fiancee. We're all anxiously waiting for the announcement. We all sat and chatted amidst the giant piles of laundry waiting to be away. Gotta love people who love you, mess and all!

Now we're all sitting around, eating a hodge-podge supper consisting of leftover pizza, sausages, last night's salad, and canned oranges. And we're happy and full!

So that's about as boring as I can be... now go check out Mary's blog Hope Echoes. And play along if you want... come on, you know you wanna!

Compacting Challenges Already

Man, this is way harder than I thought it was going to be. Not the buying second hand part... not the being patient about my wants and needs part... although I almost had a moment of weekness at Target. The hardest part is the avoiding fast food places and junk food part!!!!

I have been selling some of our excess things, and feeling very proud of the money I've made. It's not much, but I've used it for new school books for next year, traded some things for a baby carrier (more about that in another post), and, well, used it for milkshakes from the drive through. And cheeseburgers. And... doh!

SIGH

I have rationalized it that I am not really spending money on these things... that it is like I've bartered for them. But it's really just rationalizing. I know better.

And the thing is, I know it isn't good for me. I know we have food at home. I know... well I know what I OUGHT to do and it just isn't what I WANT to do.

Blech.

I am not going to let this derail me, though. I will just keep doing better. I need suggestions on some kind of sweet treat I can bring along for myself to keep me out of the drive through window... something yummy that I can buy at the grocery store. Or something homemade and truly decadent (and compatible with eating in the car). Any ideas? And in the mean time, if you see me in the drive through line, yell at me :)

Compacting (Again)

In 2006, way back in the olden days when I only had two children lol, I used to frequent the boards at mothering dot com. It was there that I came across the idea of compacting. Sara at walkslowlylivewildly summed it up nicely here. I was SO onboard. I started in January of 2007, and lasted until we moved in April 2007. Not too shabby! Right around this same time, the San Francisco Compact folks were getting lots of press (it seemed like it to me, but I am sensitive to that sort of thing). S0 it was probably good for me to bow out then, anyway, lest I be accused of (finally) being trendy (don't worry, I'm not).

But the lessons I learned in that time were good for me. It was eye opening to not be able to buy anything brand new. It was work to have to search out something second hand. It was educational to have to decide if that item was worth the work.

I think for me, this is one of those things that seems like it would complicate things, but really makes my life easier. So I'm back on the wagon :)

Here are the rules I'm playing by. I plan to take this one month at a time and just go with it. I am accepting that some months may not be perfect, and that that's okay.

1. Avoid Buying
Is this a want or a need?
Is there something I can DO instead of BUY (I LOVE Cindysporch)?
Can I use something I already have?
Can I wait?

2. Avoid Buying New
Shop Craigslist, thrift stores, etc.
Barter, Borrow, Make something
Be patient
Exceptions: personal care items (includes shoes and underwear), food, supplies for projects or schooling (only after I have gone through step one to decide if we need it or can make due with something else), gifts for birthdays (unless I have time to make something)
If I have honestly exhausted all of the above means, and I am unable to wait it out, purchases should support local or independently owned businesses.

3. Food Rules (since this is something we have to buy)
Minimal convenience foods
Buy local and organic where possible
Shop the farmer's markets first
Minimize packaging, buy bulk, bring my shopping bags
If we do eat out (let's be reasonable folks... this is sure to happen... I can only make so many changes at once) we'll keep it to local establishments

My goals:
Embracing patience
Finding contentment in the present
Combatting my tendency toward instant gratification
Cultivate resourcefulness

... and saving a little money toward that Christmas tree farm in Maine won't hurt.

Commitments

My friend Janet at mami de PAZ is a thinker of deep thoughts. I always love what she has to say about what she's been thinking over. She is someone I admire because she works very hard to live out her beliefs.

I am trying to be more like this. I admit to being an idealist. My problem is that the ideal and the reality don't match often enough.

I love making plans at the beginning of each month. Budgets, homeschool plans, travel plans (I use the term travel loosely since I hate to be far from home). It's the follow-through part that I have alot of trouble with.

Actually, that seems to sum up most of my life. Big plans, little follow-through.

So I am attempting to turn over a new leaf!

I sat down and wrote out all of my values. From there I brainstormed ways to bring my life better into alignment with those values. In some areas, I am right where I'd like to be. In other areas, it is going to take some doing.

And now June is stretching out before me.... full of promise and, well, basically, just not all messed up yet :)

I do plan to post more about all the values things I have been working on, but right now I need to start cooking supper, lol... someone's gotta feed these kids.

I will leave y'all with a fabulous recipe (that has nothing at all to do with the topic above... but it's super yummy and worth trying).

Beer Bread Recipe

• 3 cups of flour
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 12 oz bottle of beer (or a 12 oz can of soda)
• 3 T melted butter

Mix together dry ingredients. Pour in beer (or soda). Mix til it forms a sticky batter. Pour batter into a greased bread pan. Pour melted butter over the top and bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes. Try not to eat it all at once! :) You'll get different flavors from using different beers or sodas. You can also do this with whole wheat flour... it's a bit denser but still yummy! Or add a handful of shredded cheese and serve it with soup... oooh, now I'm drooling! Let me know watcha think.

Cute? Things Kids Say

J, in response to me telling him for the gazillionth time that NO he could NOT go outside:
"You cut me deep mom, you cut me deep"

K, when I was explaining that I needed to try on the sundress before purchasing it:
"Yeah, so you can make sure it doesn't make you look pregnant"

W, because this is all he really says:
"dis? momomomomomomomomomomomom"