School Prep

It's about that time. As we approach August, I am excited and nervous all at the same time. I realize that not only is my oldest starting Kindergarten, but so am I...we are beginning a homeschool journey that seems a little strange and thrilling to me and I think a little of the same for my child, too.

So, I was contemplating this homeschool journey and thinking about blogging it here, but I really think, rather than go on and on about that, I will just share things I am learning as a mom, along with the usual food, garden, home, etc type stuff. From time to time, I will share some fun things that we've discovered but since I have found that I can get easily bogged down by reading other homeschooler's blogs, I won't go there often.

What I will do, is share this super cute Pinterest project (one of few I managed to do this summer) that I did with my boys to celebrate the Fourth.

Aren't they cute!? We did their handprint with blue fabric paint and I painted the stripes in red with a sponge brush. In hindsight, I think I would've done grey shirts...they don't stay white long! (: We were sure to put their names and the year on them too, so someday, when I make them t-shirt quilts, I can add these little cuties to it.

Happy Back-to-School, whatever that may look like for you and your family! Have a great year!!

Floor Mopping Lessons

  Today, as I contemplated use of duct tape on my whining boys (just kidding, I'd never do it, but it's awfully tempting!), I had the bright idea to burn off a little of my frustration with some housework. This way, I could burn calories doing something that needed to be done and possibly not be quite so annoyed with all the whining going on in my house. The changing-by-the-minute Oklahoma weather decided to turn back to winter yesterday and the penned up boys were beginning to revolt!
  The oldest was chomping at the bit and hounding me to help me do something today...in between whining about his brother. He is used to helping out with particular things like vacuuming, putting away his clothes, making his bed, and feeding the dog, amongst a few other things, but today, he wanted to be doing whatever I was doing.  I gratefully obliged and he helped declutter and entertain his little brother while I swept so we could then mop. That part went smoothly enough.

Then the magic happened....
  I gave him a damp mop rag and away he went! Then the little one wanted to join in, but he only wanted to wash his cars and wipe the small tables, so I let him have at it. Who am I to turn down some help with housework and my boys wanting to be clean!?? As it turns out, this whole helping idea was rather great! You see, they were so busy helping that they forgot to be annoyed and pestered by ea ch other and they focused...yes, FOCUSED (with boys of 5 and 2 this is rare!)...on their little jobs. Not only are they learning about helping around the house, they are learning to finish a job, do a job well, listen for directions, focus on the task at hand, do their work cheerfully, and take pride in their work.

  I pray that someday, their future wives will be thankful I taught their husbands to be helpful around the house. I thank God that He is teaching me that even the small, seemingly mundane and insignificant things can be used to teach my boys life lessons and guide them towards Him. I pray I can be as cheerful and willing in the purpose He  has for me, as my boys are in the jobs I have for them.

Baby Blankies

Since it seems that half the women I know are having babies lately, I decided I would make some homemade and useful baby gifts. Thanks to some suggestions and searching on Pinterest (of course), I found these super cute car seat blankets! I made flannel and reversible cotton fabric ones with no batting in them for spring and fall type weather.

I hope Momma's and babies both love them as much as Bear and George!

Egg-cited

      To tell you the truth, I wasn't quite sure that either of my boys would be all that interested in coloring Easter eggs this year, but to my suprise, both of them seemed extremely enthused about it once we got started. My mother-in-law was really excited to color eggs with the kids, so we went a little overboard on which kit and methods to use, so after our little egg trials, I can now tell you that I will probably NEVER do the dye cup method ever again!
     We did the Rainbow Eggs (these are the purple and one bright red one...we broke a few shells, by the way) and we loved it! It was super easy, very little mess, and it was fun because the kids could squirt it and see the eggs turning color immediately unlike the dye cups that take 10 minutes for any color! Mom-n-law made hand painted "candy apple" eggs that were shiny...pretty but not for kiddos. My five year old discovered this package of q-tip looking things that were actually swabs that you can paint the dye on the eggs with....LOVED these!! They are Paas brand and easy for both the kids (and Mom) to use. Also, with the non-soaking methods, the idea of the dye not soaking completely through the egg is nice if you'd like to use them for deviled eggs or something later and don't want them to be colored.
      Since it's spring and the weather changes quickly, I recommend doing eggs on a rainy or cold day, like we did. We didn't feel bad about being in the kitchen for a while since it was too drizzly and cold to be out in the yard! Our Easter plans are to have a family meal after church and enjoy time together while remember the reason for Easter...the Risen Savior! Enjoy your eggs and enjoy your Easter!

Pack a Picnic

Since the weather is getting cooler and it's actually bearable to be outside, it seems fitting to talk about picnics. My kids love going to parks and love picnics. Some days, when we are running errands, we will get our favorite fast food meal and take it to the park if weather permits.

After taking a long road trip to Wyoming (from Oklahoma), I was eternally grateful to my dear Mamaw for teaching me how to pack a picnic cooler and supply box for a long trip so you can have a meal anywhere.

The trick is to make sure you have everything you need for a successful picnic within reach. I packed a small ice chest...not too small but not a big rectangular one either...a small one with a handle that you can easily take out of the car if you need to.

Next, you need a plastic storage box with a lid...depends on how much you are taking with you....we took a rather large one since we were gone for a week, but we didn't pack it too heavy.

Obviously, all your cold stuff will go in the cooler: drinks, lunch meat, cheese, mayo, fruit (if you like it cold), veggies, any dressings you want, etc.

Now, for your plastic box:
Snacks, bread, chips- don't forget to put bread on top!
Plates, cups, utensils (we used plastic and paper but you could do reusable, too)
A sharp knife- we had fruit and veggies that needed cutting
Sheet or table cloth- sheets take up less room and are great for tables or ground
Hand sanitizer and/or baby wipes for before and after!
Paper towels or napkins
When traveling with kiddos, I put in a couple of extra cups with lids, too!

What else would you take??

Cook Ahead Dinner

I know this whole "cooking ahead" idea is not a new one, but I 've never really jumped on the band wagon until now. Now, I don't care to cook and freeze a month of meals all at once...partly because I don't have that big of a chunk of time, and partly because I might want to change it up and not be so tied to what I've made. So, I decided to try this out. I made four days of meals (or parts of the meal) in one evening as I made dinner.

Here was my menu:
1. The night I cooked, I made homemade pizza
2. Beef Stroganoff- I made just the beef mixture and froze it so I could thaw and make noodles quickly
3. Soup- just some simple beef and veggie soup, all prepared, just need to add water and cook
4. Mini cornbread casseroles- cornbread mix prepared, cooked ground beef, cheese, corn- made these to go with my beans in the crockpot

I cooked all my hamburger at the same time and just put together some of the meals and voila, it was ready! I have found myself doing this a lot when I do a chicken in the crockpot, too. I plan my meals so I have the meat prepared and can add it to the recipe. It takes a little planning, but it can be done! It makes meal time much more streamlined which is especially helpful when you have little ones like I do, who aren't too patient for their dinner! 

I haven't forgotten.....stay tuned!

It's been a crazy summer! We've had lots of fun here and it's now time to get back in the swing of things. I will be back to posting some recipes I've tried and some other fun stuff soon, so stay tuned!