Just simply live

Cooper's 5th birthday party

2012-01-25T14:25:00.003-05:00

I was given the task of creating a Wild Kratts birthday party for Cooper this year. Not only did he want the Wild Kratts (if you have never watched them, you should..they are pretty cool), he wanted the Wild Kratts to visit the polar bears. Stumped, I searched the internet in hopes to find some answers. I came across a few sites with examples of "creature power suits" but it seemed like all of the parties happened in the summer. What games could be played inside? How in the world were we going to pull this off?

Well, we did and I think it went pretty well. The creature power suits were only a piece of felt folded in half with a hole for the neck cut out. I then glued the paw print on them.

After the kids wore them, we then had to "activate" them by putting our "polar bear disks" on the paw print (just printed out a picture of a polar bear and glued it on a circle which was worn as a necklace). This enabled the kids to be "become the polar bears". I found this cute little print out of a polar bear mask which the kids put on and we traveled to Antarctica to visit the polar bears. Cooper and I hung polar bear facts on the wall and we took turns playing throw the snowball in the ice berg. After that, we had a good old fashion snowball fight with crumbled up paper. As cheesy as it sounds, it turned out pretty good.

Good bags consisted of polar bear ring pops, snowflake pencils, snowflake stickers, compasses, mini polar bears, and of course some gum.

And I couldn't forget the cake...how easy was that?

My big 5 year old had a fantastic day and I am so glad we were able to pull off his "big idea"!

Papers everywhere

2012-01-06T10:02:00.004-05:00

I don't know about you but I find that we accumulate a lot of papers...

And I.HATE.PAPERS!

So, what do you do with all of those beautiful pieces of priceless artwork and school work?

This year, I decided to take charge of the papers. Each kid was assigned a crate where all papers would go when they got home from school/church. After they showed off their creations and decided if one was valuable enough to be hung on the door, we put the rest of the papers in their crate. At the end of each month, I go through each crate and pull out extra special projects or things that show their progress level and put them in a folder. The folder if then labeled and placed in a bin in their closet. Last year, Kylie only had 2 folders (full) of projects that describe her year!

Before:
After:

I have found this to be a great way to deal with the "paper situation"!

Now if I can just come up with a system for the "other papers" we accumulate...hmmmm

SLACKER!

2012-01-05T14:09:00.003-05:00

I am aware that I have been slacking in the writing department these days. But with 4 kids, things are a little crazy around here. That being said, I have a few minutes to myself so lets see if I can fill you in a little on our busy life.

1. Christmas was super fun! The kids were all allowed to ask Santa for 3 gifts (a need, a want, and something to share). It was great to watch them carefully decide what to ask for. They all ended up with a lot of "stuff" anyways but I have seen them play with almost everything they received.

2. Speaking of "stuff"...we seem to have a lot of it these days. No matter how hard I try to limit things coming into the house and how often I purge what we have, I am still struck by how much STUFF we have. With 4 kids, we seem to accumulate a lot! I do feel that I am pretty good about getting rid of unnecessary things but still feel overwhelmed every once in a while. Time to do some purging!!

3. Organization is on the "to-do" list these days. Although I am NOT pregnant, I have felt the "nesting" urge lately. Yes, I even organized my spice cabinet. Must have something to do with #2.

4. Kallen is growing up too fast!

5. Looks like we won't have to wear our hats/gloves in the house anymore! We decided to invest in a wood stove. I am super excited to get it put in and cannot wait to cuddle up next to it with a good book!! YAH!!!

6. We seem to be going through more food than usual. Must have something to do with having so many people eating! Think we may have to revisit the food budget again.

7. I am learning a lot these days about God. Stay tuned for future blog posts on that one.

8. Zach has been making some super awesome cutting boards! Love that he has discovered a new talent.
9. My time is up...must accomplish something before the kids wake up from nap!

Merry Christmas from the Riedl's

2011-12-01T19:32:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Kylie: Kylie started 1st grade this fall and is doing great. She is in a multiage class which consists of both 1st and 2nd grade students and is eating it up. She is our little book worm and always has a book or two going at at time. Her report card was excellent to say the least and she is apparently a little social butterfly! At home, she loves dancing and doing many different arts and crafts. She is one little creative girl! Being the "big sister" suits her well as she loves playing and helping out with her siblings. This summer she was a huge help with the baby and continues to step in when mommy and daddy need some assistance. Kylie is such a kind hearted girl and we love watching her grow into the beautiful young lady God created her to be.

Cooper: Cooper started preschool two days a week this year and loves it. Every morning he asks if it is a preschool day. Although he has LOTS of energy, he is very well behaved at school and we have only heard positive things about him. He loves to write books and has a creative side as well. Overnight he decided to start writing his name and letters to everyone in the family. His new love is for building. Almost daily he asks to go over "to the shop" and build something. It is too cute to watch some days. And for all of you who know Cooper, he continues to melt our heart with his big blue eyes and sweet little voice. God has truly blessed us with a handsomely sweet little man (or big guy if you are talking with him).

Addison: Addy has grown up so much over the past year. We have entered the stage of "terrible twos" and they seemed to hit right around her birthday. She is one strong cookie and makes sure everyone knows what she wants. Even so, we have discovered a goofy side to her. Out of all of our kids, she seems to be the comedian. She likes to dance and sing in silly voices while making goofy faces. It is too cute to watch. She loves her baby dolls and has taken on a little mommy roll. You can usually find her feeding, changing or putting her baby to bed. At the end of the day, she just wants to cuddle and give kisses. What more could we ask for?

Kallen: We welcomed Kallen into our family this July! What an awesome addition he has been. He is such a happy baby and is always smiling. Just the mention of his name and he will flash a famous Kallen smile! We could just eat him up. His newest accomplishments are eating rice cereal and rolling over. He also started sleeping a lot better (which is more of an accomplishment for mommy). God blessed us with this little handsome man and we couldn't be more grateful!

Zach: Zach is still working at the bank which has worked out great for our family. He is right in town and able to bring Kylie to school each morning along with attend a lot of school functions. It's ideal to say the least. He has also started building furniture! Our house has been blessed with many new pieces and let me tell you, they are AWESOME. He would love to start selling some of his work and I am sure he will be pretty successful with this! That being said, golf wasn't a priority this summer and he didn't get to go out much. Being a family man has defiantly

put a dent in his golf game. He is hoping to get Cooper into golf so he can have a little golfing buddy!

Kara: Still staying home and loving that God has allowed us to live on one income. Each day, I think of how blessed we are and how God continues to bless us daily. To say the least, he surprised us with Mr. Kallen this year to add to our already large family. Wow...I am thankful! In my spare time (hahahahaha) I like to run, cook, and sew. This past November I was finally able to run in my first post baby 5K again. Hopefully this spring I will be able to get back into running more! I have dealt with a lot of illness over the past year as well and it looks as though my tonsils will be coming out the first of the year. Not looking forward to being down and out for a few weeks but am very grateful for family who will be helping out.

“ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-2, 14

Rudolf?

2011-12-01T16:34:00.002-05:00

Christmas is in the air

2011-11-30T16:32:00.003-05:00

The decorations are out. The kids are crazy. The tree will be up this weekend and baking will begin on Monday....Yes, it's Christmas!

My kids need a countdown. We always try to do the Christmas chain but there are way too many arguments over who gets to take down a ring. So this year we decided to do a book a day.

I got this fabulous idea from pintrest! Oh my gosh...I am addicted! We wrapped (or shall I say "I") 24 books. Most of the books were from our personal collection while my friend, Sarah, picked up a few new ones for me. Seriously, the kids will have no idea we had these...we have A LOT. Anyways, each night they can open a new book for us to read . How fun! Wish I would have thought of this one on my own.

Next on the list....Christmas email/picture!

Thankfulness

2011-11-16T14:14:00.003-05:00

We try so hard as parents to instill a thankful attitude in our children. "Now Kylie (Cooper, Addison), did you say thank you for...", is something that is said at least 3 times a day in our house. The older kids get it. They say thank you almost all the time...but Addy...she still needs a little help. When they come home from playdates, I hear, "your kids have the best manners", and it makes me feel great as a parent...I DID IT. Yes, I instilled "thankfulness" in my children.

Then it's 5:00...

They are hungry...

They are sleepy....

They are just grumpy and irritated and the "I wants" and "give me" starts! As a parent, you should correct your child's statements with a, "Mommy can I please have..." and "mommy, thank you for...". But sometimes that just doesn't happen. As a mom, that 5:00 hour is just a painful for us as it is for them. How many times have I neglected to say thank you? How have I shown a thankful heart when I just don't feel like it? Well...to be honest, I don't all the time. So today I decided to start living in a "thankful" home. To be thankful all the time. Of course we are commanded in the Bible to be thankful. Colossians 3:15 says, " Let the peace that Christ gives rule in your hearts. As parts of one body, you were appointed to live in peace. And be thankful.".

Being that it is the season of "thankfulness". I decided to instill this in our home...starting today. Although we have done this in the past, we will start again. At dinner each person will say one thing they are thankful for. We will change it up nightly to be someTHING or someONE or something about someone else...you know what I mean. I decided to bring out the "thankful bowl". As a teenager we had a bowl that sat our our table with a pad of paper and a pen. We would write down something we were thankful for and throw it in the cup at the top. It would then "overflow" and we would pick some of the papers out and read them. Anyone who came to our house was allowed to add to the bowl and it was great! Seriously, it was great...even if there were a few funny ones in there:) But now that I have 2 kids who can write and express their thankfulness, I figured it was time. Cannot wait to start this tonight!!

And yes, I NEED TO START MODELING thankfulness. As a mom, it is crucial that our children know what a gift they are to us. Psalm 127:3 says, "Children are a gift from the Lord. They are a reward from him.". So why don't we always treat them as such? I never want my kids to feel like they were a burden or that I did not value them. Each day I think of how thankful I am to have 4 beautiful children. 4 children who daily surprise me. 4 children who tell me how much they love me. 4 children who make me laugh more times than I can count on a daily basis. They need to know these things. So...because I am such a visual person, I am going to start leaving notes in their Christmas trees (yes, I said Christmas tree...we put them up last week in their rooms), telling them how thankful I am for them.

And my husband....wow am I thankful for him. He married an imperfect person for sure! But guess what, he still loves me! He works so that I can stay home with the kids. He showers me with love! He is a Godly example of what a daddy should be to our children as well. This morning Cooper said to me, "when I grow up, I want to be a daddy....and a paleontologist" . He said he loves his daddy so much and he will be a good daddy just like his! How sweet (and one for the thankful bowl...).

Anyways, just a thought for today. Who/What are you thankful for and how do you instill a thankful heart in your children?

Zach's creations

2011-10-28T15:24:00.005-04:00

So my awesomely talented husband has been playing around in the wood shop for a while now. He has organized our house more than I could ever imagine and is finally starting to sell his creations. They are VERY sturdy and well built! Let me know if you are interested!!

2x3 goes for $80

2x4 goes for $100

3x3 goes for $100

I love this table! It has a "secret" shelf to hide my ipad/laptop.

And the sofa table! This is GREAT for those of us who need a place to work while relaxing! They come in all sizes to fit all sofas.

Look for more creations in the near future!!

Oh and just in case you wanted to see my cute little babies face again...

The best gluten free apple cookies!

2011-10-05T13:43:00.003-04:00

I wanted to make some apple cookies...

BUT...

I also wanted Cooper to be able to enjoy them...

The recipes for GF apple cookies were just weird. Really, really, really weird.

So I made it up...

And to my surprise, they were great!

Here it is folks. The best ever gluten free apple cookies.

1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 cup oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cream the coconut oil and brown sugar together. Mix in the egg and milk. Stir in the apples. Add the oats, corn starch, rice flour, baking soda,cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg.
Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet Bake for 13 minutes.

Growing up...

2011-09-23T13:51:00.001-04:00

Cooper is officially a preschooler...

*and Addy thinks she is too!

Snack time!

2011-08-30T17:03:00.005-04:00

I don't know about your kids but mine are snackers. Now don't get me wrong, they like to eat meals (at least 3 out of the 4) but they also LOVE snacks. That being said, I try to (or course) make them healthy snacks.

Milkshakes AKA Smooties are our favorite snack. I enjoy them as well and they serve as a good protein boost for this nursing around the clock mama. I have honestly NEVER followed a "recipe" for smoothies and just put random delicious things in them. BUT recently I have found my favorite so I figured I would share with you.

Banana Elderberry Kefir Smoothie

1 large banana
1 cup of plain kefir
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup elderberries (or other fruit of choice)
handful of ice
1 teaspoon ground flax seed
milk

Combine them all in a blender until smooth and enjoy! This recipe feeds all three children plus me.

Looking for other delicious smoothie recipes! Please share!

Such love....

2011-08-25T13:39:00.000-04:00

Proof that my kids actually love one another! They are too sweet!

Mothering 4??!!

2011-07-16T16:02:00.005-04:00

Yes, I know...my blog has been neglected! It probably has something to do with this little one!
Because seriously, all he does is EAT! He is off to the docs on Tuesday and I am anxious to see how much weight my little man has put on because it is way to obvious that those little cheeks are filling right out!

But I am writing to assure you that one day I WILL in fact figure out how to manage 4 children under 6 (most likely in September when one will be a school full time and the other at preschool two days a week). Then and only then will I have time to write about all the fun things we are doing...or not doing! For now, you will get lots of pictures of my little one...just because he is pretty cute and growing so fast. AND lots of pictures of the other ones...when they stand still long enough for me to take a picture of them!

Our newest arrival

2011-07-02T21:27:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the world Kallen Zachary
7/1/11 at 12:42 pm
6 pounds 14 ounces
19 inches long

She's 2!!

2011-06-08T16:49:00.007-04:00

Addy turned two on May 28th! To celebrate, we had a "cupcake/candy" party this weekend! She was super cute and loved every minute of it! My baby girl is growing up...and fast.

New accomplishments:
~counts to 12
~sleeping in a big girl bed
~sings her a,b,c's
~tries to be just like her sister...
~loves her dollies
~and will be a big sister any day now!!

Weekly menu

2011-06-05T14:29:00.003-04:00

We have lots of eggs...lots and lots of eggs right now. Unfortunately, we don't have our own chickens but FORTUNATELY we have a great egg source. We get a dozen to two dozen a week and we L-O-V-E us some eggs....therefore, there are lots of eggs involved in our menu plan this week!

Monday:
B: Eggs, toast (GF for Coop) and sausage
L: PB&J with cucumber and watermelon
D: Beer lime grilled chicken with lime rice

Tuesday:
B: Yogurt, granola, strawberries
L: Egg salad sandwich with fresh veggies/fruit
D: Apple pancakes with bacon, sausage, strawberries and blueberries

Wednesday:
B: Oatmeal
L: Ham and Cheese rolls with fresh veggies/fruit
D: Bacon wrapped hamburgers with corn on the cob

Thursday:
B: cereal with fresh fruit and hard boiled eggs
L: Apples with peanut butter, cheese slices with crackers and fresh veggies
D: Grilled chicken salad with fresh bread

Friday:
B: Scrambled eggs, sausage, toast
L: Ham and Cheese rolls with veggies/apple slices
D: Pasta with any leftover veggies from week

*And yes, later I will post pictures from Addy's second birthday...just need to get to the other computer:)

a few more dresses

2011-06-02T12:25:00.003-04:00

I have been busy, busy, BUSY sewing these past few weeks. I finished up the flower girl baskets/ring bearer pillows for my sisters wedding (pics to follow) and made Kylie a few dresses. My most favorite is called the Bubblegum jumper. Of course she wasn't in the mood for modeling all three dress patterns but I did manage to get her to try two on.

Just a few I made from old stained shirts and left over fabric...

Weekly menu

2011-05-16T10:52:00.003-04:00

In the past, I have talked about how much we spend per month on groceries and ways to save. Even so, I am finding it much more challenging to stay within the budget with a growing family, gas prices, and the ridiculous price of groceries.

Let me start by saying, I love Aldi! BUT...the closest one is a good 15/20 minute drive and with gas sometimes it just isn't worth it. Even so, I try to make an Aldi run at least 2x a month. Now...what do I do on the off weeks? TOPS...barf! It is right in town (3 miles from our house to be exact) and very convenient. For a while, it wasn't too bad. Yes, their produce isn't much to talk about about the the price of many products was at least 50 cents more than those at Aldi. But now...it just insane! Today I did my weekly shopping at Tops and could barely (actually I went a dollar over) stay within my weekly budget. I didn't buy anything special and if you have read some of my former posts, you will see we really don't buy much.

I just need to let it go...I know. Food is a necessity and my kids would not be happy campers if mommy boycotted grocery stores. But I figured this is a time to bring back an old post on saving money on groceries. Stop by and revisit it and see if it helps. I believe the most important part to saving money is weekly menus....SOOOOO I included mine for this week so you could get a glimpse of meals at the Riedl household.

Monday:
B: Eggs, sourdough bread (or GF bread), with sausage
L: Yogurt, PB&J, and carrot sticks*
D: Stew with baked potatoes, GF brownies

Tuesday:
B: Pancakes with strawberries
L: Tuna, celery with peanut butter
D: Chicken Parm with ziti and baked broccoli

Wednesday:
B: Yogurt and granola
L: MOPS brunch...kids get leftovers
D: Pork chops with corn bread and mixed veggies

Thursday:
B: Eggs, toast, fresh fruit
L: PB&J with cucumber
D: Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and corn

Friday:
B: Oatmeal with fruit
L: Playdate lunch (Cooper get a GF sandwich)
D: Ballet recital...Leftovers

*lunches are different for everyone due to work/school schedules but we try to stick to one basic main course. I tend to eat leftovers...

So there it is folks...our weekly meals. I only buy what I need for these meals and a few snack items for the kids. Just and FYI....I don't actually plan weekend meals because we are in and out so much. We usually just fly by the seat of our pants for those meals.

Looking for more ways to save on groceries...any ideas???

skirt (dress) making adventures part II

2011-05-07T14:34:00.003-04:00

Oh how fun it is to make skirts! After making the dress above, Kylie stated, "I am really trying hard to not tell you I don't like it". So...it is up for grabs. No need to have it sitting around here if she will never wear it. It is a size 6x or 7....let me know:) *and it is my first attempt at this made up pattern.

Awesome giveaway

2011-05-03T20:22:00.002-04:00

To go along with the modesty I spoke about in my previous post, here is an awesome giveaway....

I have other books by Shelia Walsh and they are all fantastic! Love her!

Anyways...go on over and enter a chance to win this book.

Skirt making adventures

2011-05-01T13:38:00.004-04:00

For those of you who follow me on facebook, this is old news. I DISPISE a lot of the clothes out there for little girls right now. Not so much the under 5T clothes but the over 5T clothes. They are just plain old trashy! Many of them are form fitting and trendy. Why do we want our 6 year olds to look like 15 year olds? Seriously, I love my little free spirited 6 year old who just wants to wear skirts. Well guess what....you guessed it, a lot of skirts in her size are either $100's of dollars or short and trendy. Not my style! Nor is it hers. She really likes longer skirts with lots of little girls patterns....flowers, birds, pink, pink, and more pink. And modesty! Yes, modesty is something I believe in teaching her. 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 says, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."

After talking to my hubby about my frustrations, he said, "why don't you just make her a bunch". Yes, I can...I have...but did I really want to? Do I want her going to school looking like all her clothes are handmade?? Well, no, but if I am careful and meticulous, I can get them to look pretty nice (at least in my mind). So yesterday, Kylie and I headed off to Joann's to find some fabrics. SHE picked out most of them (with some guidance from her momma) and I went to town. Two skirts are made and they both took me under 45 minutes to make.

Did I follow a tutorial? Not necessarily. I have made just plain old skirts in the past so that wasn't hard. The only tool I used was one my SIL gave me a few years ago. You just put in the measurements and number of tears you want and it tells you want to cut. It's great.

So here are the first two....

She wasn't into modeling today so I wasn't going to force her...but she DID wear the first one to church this morning. I love it! I am going to make me a few once I can get a true waist measurement on myself (in about 2 months or so).

I figured I would share them as I make them with you all in hopes that you too will be inspired to make some of your own clothes. I am always happy to make some for you or teach you how to do it yourself. I have a few more designed I have made in the past and will hopefully take a few pictures of those shortly.

Happy sewing!

It's official...

2011-04-21T16:44:00.003-04:00

We have lost our first tooth!!!

clothing your kids for less

2011-04-12T13:15:00.002-04:00

Before I had kids, I swore I would have the most styling baby on the block! He or she would always be dressed for success and everyone would comment on his/her adorableness. Well, I will say that Kylie had a larger wardrobe than I as an infant. Being that she was the first grandchild, everyone bought her clothes and being that I was working at the time, I enjoyed a trip or two to the mall with my little diva. Needless to say, I decided to stay home and we had another and then another and well...you know the rest and life got a little more expensive. That being said, I had to learn to cloth my kids for less.

Here are my suggestions...

1. Welcome and enjoy clothes from others. It came as a shock to me to find out that many mom's are leery of seconds. They use excuses such as, "they are out of style" or "my kid will only wear new". Well guess what...that is all a bunch of hogwash if you ask me. Lets be real for a minute. A) Your kids don't really care all that much what they wear (especially the boys). B) They will get them dirty. So why not enjoy clothes from a friend. Fortunate, my best friend and I have had our kids within months of each other. We keep a bin per size of clothes for boys and girls and swap back and forth what we need. It has been a huge help in eliminating the need to buy new clothes.

2. Only keep what you need and share the rest. I don't know about you but I get overwhelmed when I cannot fit anything in my kids dresser. You know, once you have done all the laundry and you realize they have 7 pairs of dress pants/ 10 pairs of jeans/15 shirts/ and 1,000 pairs of underwear and mismatched socks. It makes me scream just thinking about it. So get real and only keep what you need. Realistically we do our kids laundry once a week. That means they only really need 7 pairs of pants/shorts/shirts/socks etc. BUT we also like a little variety...right? So I keep different items...for example (I just cleaned out my sons drawers) 4 pairs of sweat pants 3 pairs of play pants 3 or 4 pairs of jeans and 2 or 3 pairs of dress pants, 7 pairs of PJ's, 10 play shirts, 7 nice shirts, and a few polo's or button down shirts, also 3 sweatshirts and 3 or 4 sweaters. Now I am not saying this is for everyone and it may vary by season but this is more than we really need right. So go sort through your kids drawers and only keep the best of what you have. Donate the rest to someone else who may need it more than you!! By the way...I still am not sure on how many socks and underwear one really needs. We tend to go through quite a few these days...not sure why.

3. Use online swapping sites I have never participating in one, but if you don't have anyone who can pass items down to you, this may be helpful. For example, ThredUP is a site where you pass on some of your old items in exchange for ones in the right size. They send you boxes and you do the rest. There is a small fee for shipping but it beats actually buying clothes.

4. Participate in a clothing drive. Luckly, I am part of a mom's group that LOVES to trade clothes. We meet twice a month and always have a table where people can bring in their old clothes and pick up ones they need. It is awesome. I also know a lot of local organizations will host clothing drives where you can either drop off clothes and/or buy used clothes at an extremely reduced price. Most of these happen in the late spring or late summer so make sure you keep your ears open for one.

5. Shop at second hand stores. Why not? In my town, there is a little second hand store which is pretty particular about what it carries. I have found SO many useful items there over the years. BUT, it is a hit or miss thing. They carry a lot of nice, designer named clothes but maybe not all the ones you were looking for. But remember, don't just look for the kids, look for yourself as well:)

6. SALE RACK! If you do need something particular (like a yellow shirt for your sons team sport) then shop sale racks. You will be surprised. Recently, I was browsing at target and came across a boys spring jacket for $2.00 and totally grabbed it! Cooper needed one and there it was! YEAH. I know a lot of people shop at the end of the season for the next year. That is another way to save money.

6. Pray! Matthew 21:22 says, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” God knows what we need so why not take it to him. True story, a friend of mine was in need of some mud boots for her son. She asked around and looked everywhere for it. She then talked with her children about asking God to provide for these items (at the time her daughter wanted some footy pj's). They spend some time in prayer over these items and after a few weeks they went to a church rummage sale. While there, they found ONE pair of mud boots in the exact size they needed (and I believe they found the PJ's too). God know! If we bring our request to Him, he will provide. Maybe not with what we have in mind, but he will provide!

Okay so you ask if I buy clothes for my kids...truthfully, very rarely. I am pretty good about only buying what they need. Right now, we are in need of some rain boots for my 6 year old and I am doing some extensive browsing and praying about it right now. This may be an item I need to purchase in the near future and I am okay with that. It is more about living with less so that others can just live!

We have been a little busy

2011-04-06T16:36:00.004-04:00

But aren't they cute...

In case you wanted to see Addy's dress

2011-03-07T09:59:00.000-05:00

And yes...that is a cell phone!

Riedl Ramblings

2011-03-03T10:08:00.009-05:00

We have been pretty busy finishing up the winter months here at the Riedl household.

For starters, we have had to do A LOT of hand washing! Lots of germs this season so with a little bit of bribing, our hands have been very clean.

Since it has been very, very, VERY cold out, our learning time has been done indoors. Kylie is our little reader. She has entered the era of chapter books. Sometimes, I have to tell her to put it down because she just loves to read. Right now, she is reading the Magic School Bus series. It has kind of brought the desire to homeschool to the forefront again. Kylie just loves to learn...and loves to be challenged but isn't REALLY challenged at school. hmmmmmm....I guess this is an area of prayer and a whole other discussion.

Cooper is my eager learner right now. He has 'mastered' his name and is in love with anything with a pattern. He is convinced we are having another boy since we have girl, boy, girl...

We have also done a fair amount of 'cooking'. They absolutely LOVE their kitchen set and are now into making mommy soup so she feels better (refer to the hand washing statement). Kylie likes to have picnics in the living room in preparation for the real deal in a few months.

*My soup!!

Addy loves most anything anyone else is playing with. She loves to feed her babies and we are in the process of attempting to explain to a 21 month old that there is a baby in mommy's tummy. Yeah...not going so well. We are starting the process of moving her into Kylie's room and have some big plans for some super cool bunk beds in the near future.

And me...well...I have been doing a lot of this... (great book by the way...again..another blog post)

and this...

and this...

Love my life as a mommy. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I have been blessed with some pretty amazing kids :-)

Most simple dress EVA...

2011-02-27T11:11:00.004-05:00

Tell me this dress isn't cute (and the model of course)!!??

It took me about an hour TOTAL to make.

Go down to your basement/attic/garage and pull out an old bin of clothes (preferably last years). Find the stain shirts and one without a stained top.

Cut them in stripes...and sew them together...

SO EASY.

By the way. I made this one into a shirt for Kylie because she is into leggings and such right now!

Here is the tutorial in case you really want step by step instructions.

Like a said...great way to reuse old stained clothes AND it is just super cute.

Now on to making Addy's!

6 already??

2011-02-22T07:28:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe I have a 6 year old! I don't feel like I should be the mommy of a 6 year old...but I am!

Anyways..she had a fantastic "winter" party this past weekend. It is so much fun to watch 8 Kindergartners interact! They were little, silly grown ups. So cute!

Entertaining the troops

2011-02-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but some days I find it difficult to keep everyone happy. This snow and cold has kept us indoors for a while now and the kids are getting antsy.

So this mama has had to be creative....

A few ideas for those days when entertainment is NECESSARY!

Painting with pudding. Although I wish this was my idea, I can take no credit for it. I did it with Kylie back in the day but kinda forgot about this nifty craft idea. Recently, I read about it in a magazine and knew I had to let Addy get her turn with the pudding. Just give you kiddo some chocolate pudding, a silicone baster and some paper and watch what happens! It took her a while to figure out it was pudding (the other kids were painting with real paint) but once she did, she was entertained for a whole 30 minutes!

I picked up these really neat cookie cutters a while back on a free table at church and I have to say, they have been the best free thing I have every received! They came with the whole alphabet and number!! Since Cooper is learning how to spell his name, we had a playdough date with the letters. It was so much fun for the kids. Addy loved it just as much...even though she had NO idea what she was spelling.

Cooper was VERY proud of himself!

Are you a fighter?

2011-02-04T13:34:00.002-05:00

It's 5:00 and your husband calls to say he is stuck at work for a little bit longer, the baby starts crying for NO reason, your other children start running around the house, playfully at first, but soon start ripping each others heads off, and dinner...yeah, dinner! AND to top things off, sleep hasn't necessarily been productive for a few days...weeks...months....YEARS! So what do you do? YOU SCREAM and beg and plea for someone to come and save you. But you don't, because you can't. You are MOM...your a fighter!

Lately, I have heard of and seen many people just give up. When I say give up, they throw in the towel and say, "It's easier to give up than to try". I feel this is especially true with mom's. As I know all too well, we have those days where N-O-T-H-I-N-G goes right. After picking up the same toy for the millionth time, breaking up a fourth fight in one hour, and cleaning up after that potty training toddler, it can be pretty easy to start waving the white flag. I have had those days...many of those days. To top things off, our society says it is okay to be a burned out person. If your not burned out, than you aren't "normal". How many times do you hear, "it's okay, life just stinks"! Where did the optimism go??

My question is how do we start fighting and stop giving into the insanity?

As a kid, my parents would always say, "Kara, you are going to be a lawyer when you grow up". At the time I was insulted. How could they say that to me? How could they tell me I am being argumentative? But I now value that strong willed nature within me. It has gotten me far....and through more than I could even write on this blog. Of course, God is the main reason but the strong willed nature sure helped!! Why don't we encourage this in our children? There are so many books out there dealing with "the strong willed child". People look at strong willed-ness as a negative thing, not a positive thing.

Not everyone has that strong willed streak within them. I know that! BUT we all have God. I am so sick of people saying, "I CANNOT do it". Yes, I am guilty of it too and there have been times when I certainly feel this way as well. Even so, YOU CAN DO IT! You can be a good mom, you can loose that weight, you can seek help for you problems, you can be a good housekeeper, you can be a great friend, neighbor, wife, etc. You know why? Because YOU are a fighter. The Bible says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31. God designed us to be fighters. To not give into the temptations of the world. When our society says, "it's okay to give up" we need to take a stand and so, "NO! I WILL do it!". You know why....yup...because God is on our side!

So don't be lazy. Encourage one another to be strong women. The woman that God designed you to be...a fighter!

4 already?

2011-01-26T07:59:00.003-05:00

Cooper turned 4 this past Sunday! In honor of his birthday, we had a Thomas the tank engine celebration! He had a blast and STILL thinks it is his birthday....3 days later!

The sick ward

2011-01-21T07:16:00.003-05:00

That should be the sign that hangs outside my door. "The sick ward"! We have strep FOR EVA! It all started back in November (Thanksgiving to be precise) when this mama came down with the nastiest, more horribly painful, sore throat in the world. Yes, it was strep and yes, it is uncommon for adults to get strep. They suggested that one of my little people probably passed it on to me without knowing.

Fast forward 3 weeks when the nasty sore throat returned (however it wasn't as nasty). Once again I was diagnosed with strep and put on those absolutely horrible anti-biotics (because I was told there is NO way to get rid of strep naturally).

Fast forward approximately 12 days. AGAIN, the sore throat hit and AGAIN strep was confirmed through those ever pleasant throat scrapers. Now this time, Addy got a fever as well and was diagnosed with strep and Kylie was treated because she showed symptoms as well. Cooper was tested (although showed NO symptoms) and it was confirmed that he was our carrier! We all lined up and received our very tasty meds for 10 days....and here we are!

Well...Kylie has a fever again and her throat hurts! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! We cultured her yesterday and I am waiting for the results.

My question friends is WHAT AM I DOING WRONG??!!!??? We changed toothbrushes EVERY time, threw out lip balm, washed hands, changed sheets, and I have been a cleaning freak! I am also treating with olive leaf extract, GARLIC, emergen-c, and probiotics. (I myself have had to cut back on the probiotics because I believe they are not helping the situation in actually doing their job at fighting the antibiotic). I am open to suggestions here because this just has to go! As you know, I am pregnant and really what good are these nasty antibiotics doing to my little baby? Is it possible we have an antibiotic resistant form? Can they test for that?

AHHHHHHH Help friends!

*UPDATE! KYLIE DOES NOT HAVE STREP!!!!! YEAH!!!!!

Our little surprise!

2011-01-13T18:53:00.000-05:00

Baby #4 is due July 5th!

What are your goals for 2011?

2011-01-11T13:25:00.003-05:00

My friend Allison told me about a daily devotional a while back that you receive via email. It is called the Purpose Driven Connection and it has to be one of the best email type devotionals I have ever received. I have done this in the past...really...a lot of times actually and over time, they start to bore me. Rick Warren just does a great job at talking to ME! Love it!

Anyways, his present series is on goals. Go figure, it's the start of a new year and the start of so many goals. Last year, I set a HARD goal and actually achieved it! My goal was to loose 20 pounds. Well...I exceeded that goal and lost a total of 31 pounds last year through exercise and NOT dieting but eating the right foods. So this year, I am feeling like I need to set some more goals. Why not, I can actually achieve them, so I might as well get working on some. And what better way than to start your goals than by telling my blogger friends what I am working on.

1. Make daily time with God. Although I do try to do this, I am not as consistent as I need to be. As pastor Rick talked about in a recent devo, we need to be spiritually disciplined just as we are physically and mentally disciplined on a daily basis. Well I got the whole physical thing down and the mental thing...well that is debatable but do I REALLY have the whole spiritual thing down? Do I sit down for a quick 5 minutes and blubber off a quick prayer and check it off my list for the day? or do I REALLY spend some time with God? He is my BFF and all!

So how am I going to do this?

For starters, I am going to make my goal attainable. So to say I will be spending 1 hour a day in complete silence with God is not going to happen. To say, I will spend 20 minutes during nap time with God IN SILENCE is attainable. I am also joining a READ group with a bunch of my good friends from the area! Such a great way to hold each other accountable and work on our relationships with God!

2. Enjoy my job as a housewife. I need to embrace this role as a mom more. I have the most amazing family...the family I always wanted and am living the life I always wanted. Country living, staying home with the kids, baking bread, growing my garden...I couldn't ask for more. But some days it just gets a little....ummm...old. After getting the THIRD kid tested for strep or sweeping up the floor from a little one year old's accident with the spice cupboard. Yeah..you know what I mean. Just one of those days. Well, God put me here! I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to have children and look a what He gave me! THREE beautiful children and an amazing husband to care for. He will NEVER give me anything I cannot handle! So some days I just need to put on my big girl pants and embrace what God has blessed me with!

What are you goals for the year??? and how can we help each other accomplish our goals???

MIA

2011-01-09T07:46:00.002-05:00

I realize I haven't posted anything in a while. Between the holiday's and being struck down with strep 3 times, I haven't found time to "gather my thoughts".

Anyways, I thought I would let you know we are alive and battling another round of strep! For some reason we cannot get rid of it!!!

So for now, we will continue to eat LOTS of garlic, drink LOTS of throat coat tea, limit our sugar, and drink emergen-c like it is our day job!

Hopefully we will be back at it in the next few days so I can update you on our fantastic holiday!

Christmas Kisses for Cooper

2010-12-24T14:08:00.001-05:00

Gotta love these moments!!!

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-21T17:00:00.003-05:00

YUM

2010-12-14T09:32:00.002-05:00

So we made these cookies and used this recipe for the frosting.....DELICIOUS!

Felt...oh how I love thee TUTORIAL

2010-12-13T10:55:00.009-05:00

The other day I was thinking about the church I grew up in. I was remembering the felt board my teacher used to teach us the stories of Jesus. Who didn't want to be the one who was called to place baby Jesus in the manger or put the crown on Jesus' head?

Anyways...felt was fun! And it still can be fun!

I thought about making my own portable felt boards. You know, so the kids can bring them to the doctors office or to a restaurant. We also do a lot of traveling over the holiday's and we are always looking for car ride entertainment. And don't forget Christmas gifts! I have a number of small people in my life who would love to play with some felt!

So here it is...my little portable felt board tutorial!

Supplies:
Felt in all sorts of colors (I bought it by the yard because it was %50 off and MUCH cheaper)
scissors (regular and crafty ones)
cookie cut outs
ribbon

Step one: Cut out your background. Mine is about 12X12. Then make scenes to go with it. I made water and hills for the boys and hills and rocks for the girls.
Step two: Find your fancy cookie cutters. I got this whole bin on a giveaway table at church and pick out some fun shapes. Trace on felt and cut out.

Step three: You can either make a small little pouch for your felt pieces or just get a baggy for them. Roll up your background and tie with a ribbon...

Step three: Find a small person to play with it.

The tale of three children

2010-12-09T07:42:00.007-05:00

Once upon a time, there lived a family whom we shall call the Riedl's. They lived in a little house in the quiet country where they raised three beautiful children.

Although, the country was quiet, the Riedl kids were not so quiet. They were often times heard loudy playing in the yard, or seen streaking around the house. The neighbors stayed away from these "loud" children as they were not familiar with those of the louder breed.

Want to hear about those precious little children?

Chapter 1
Kylie the great

The eldest of the Riedl's, Kylie, was a musical little one. She did not enjoy toys very much and would much rather be dancing and singing! She was also quite independent and loved to tell others how to perform in her "shows".

On a cold winter day, Kylie was up to her usual "dancing tactics" when she put in some old tunes. Today's performance would be to Carrie Underwood's Jesus Take the Wheel. She got dressed up and put her "stage lights on" while her brother and sister waited patiently to see the show. To their surprise, they were not welcome at today's performance. Instead, she would be having a "dress rehearsal". She started the music and made sure NO ONE was watching.

Well, little did she know she had one tricky mama who was hiding around the corner. Today, the mama heard something different...she heard nothing BUT Carrie Underwood. No Kylie at all! When she looked, she realized Kylie's mouth was moving but no words were to be heard. Kylie had one hand in the air with her eye's closed with a microphone in the other. The mama let out of little chuckle at her 5 year old's cuteness and instantly was caught. Kylie stormed out of the room, telling the mom how much she had embarrassed her and RUINED the performance...her LIFE! Good thing the mama had a good sense of humor and decided to write a story about it instead of getting mad....if only one could have seen the look on her face.

Chapter 2
No Cooper, No!

Although one could tell stories of this handsome, blond haired boy for hours, in this chapter you will hear of the most resent.

It was an early morning (as it was every morning). The cute little dimple faced boy burst into his daddy and mama's room only to announce that, "HE DID IT". What did he do you ask? Well, you see this little boy does not need to sleep. He only needs a quick little recharge and he ready to go! But I digress... You see on this particular morning, Cooper actually slept until the ripe hour of 6 am. It was a miracle I tell you and we rejoiced together.

A little later that morning, Cooper had an announcement to make. "MOM...my farts smell like really, really, REALLY bad rotten eggs and I think you need to smell them". To the mom's dismay, she quickly redirected the conversation and corrected the term *fart* and instructed the little boy to use the term *toot* instead. Cooper just laughed...and laughed...and said, "fart, fart, FART". At this point the mama decided to do some planned ignoring only to hear, "Addy, smell my farts....Kylie, that was a bad one". The mama threw her hands up and said, "Cooper, we do NOT say *fart* in our house". The response you ask? "Mom, boys cannot say toot. Toot is for girwls (girls) becaws (because) it is just girwly (girly). Boy's say FART!". The mama backed down and decided it was a hopeless cause. You see, boys are boys and they will just be smelly boys forever!

Chapter 3
Addy goes fishing

Addison (otherwise none as Addy), was the baby of the family. And boy did she make it known. She was a spitfire from birth and did what she wanted to do when she wanted to do it. Now don't get me wrong, this little pig tailed beauty was the sweetest little thing too. She loved to give hugs and kisses and couldn't get enough of her mama! But none the less, she was persistent.

One day, Miss Addy decided she was ready to potty train. Although the mama wasn't familiar with children who potty trained before they could even really talk, that little one was persistent. She would rip off her diaper and sit on the potty and most often time would actually go to the bathroom. She quickly realized she got an M&M for the above stated action and would try over and over and OVER again.

As you can imagine, there was a new fascination with the potty. It was a big, huge bowl of water and what little kid could resist it! There were days of "No, no, Addy! Don't touch the potty!." But Miss Addy did not care what the mama said and did what she wanted to (remember..she was a persistent little cutie).

One snowy evening, the Riedl's were heading out to the annual Christmas walk in town. The mama was running around the house trying to get everyone in their snow attire and herself ready as well. Little Addy had another idea. It was brilliant I tell you! She was thirsty, yes I said thirsty after talking about the big bowl of water! She was given a little bowl of gold fish to "hold her over" while the mama did the above stated activities. "Why not dip those little sucker in the potty so they can swim...and then I will catch them and eat them! YUM!" thought Addy. To make matters worse, there was some "leftover" waste in the potty from a previous child. While the mama gagged, the little girl laughed and was proud of herself for succeeding at her mission.

And that is the end of today's tale of three children. Make sure you stay tuned for more great adventures of the Riedl clan!

*No children were injured during the events described in these stories

Christmas fun with your kiddos

2010-12-06T07:54:00.006-05:00

Every other day, my kids and I do some "learning" together. We sit in a circle and sing songs, talk about what day it is, the weather, and then do some activities together. When Kylie is home, she joins us but most days it is just Cooper, Addy and I.

Anyways, I am always looking for new and creative ways to teach my kids. It's always fun during the holidays to come up with new crafts and activities for the kids. BUT...sometimes, I forget about all of the crafts we did as kids. It is also difficult to find activities for all of my kids. Kylie will come home from school and ask to do a "project" so I like to have some handy for her (preferably one I did with the others earlier in the day).

I figured I would share a few crafts with you all that you can use for ALL your children.

The hand wreath...

Yes, some of us did this as kids but it is just fun....

The Teeny Tiny Book of Christmas Alphabet for your preschooler
Christmas Reindeer Craft
Directions: Make a reindeer by shaping the pipe cleaner into a V shape and gluing it to the top, back of the stick; glue on wiggle eyes and nose, and draw a mouth. You can make this a gift tag by writing To: and From: on it; you can use the ribbon and make it an ornament; or you can make it a magnet.
Egg Carton Tree

Directions: Cup the egg cartons so you have one row of 6 cups, one row of 5 cups, and so on to 1 cup. Paint the outside of the egg cup green. When the paint is dry, glue them on a large sheet of paper as follows: Glue the 6 cup row on the bottom of the paper, just above that glue the 5 cup row, and so on until you have used all the cups. It should look like a triangle when you are done. Decorate with misc. craft items
Christmas Necklace
Directions: Cut 2-3 feet of cling wrap and lay flat on table. Starting on one end, place candy in the center of the cling wrap. Do this the whole length of the cling wrap, leaving 2-3 inches between each candy. Fold the cling wrap over a few times - the long way- to seal the candy. Tie a piece of curling ribbon around the cling wrap in between each piece if candy. Tie the ends together to make a necklace.
Santa Hat
Directions: Cut out a large triangle out of red construction paper. Glue on the cotton balls to make a white ball on one of the triangle tips, and glue cotton balls along the
bottom edge to form the brim. You can also cut out two triangles and tape or staple them together to make a hat to fit the child's head.

Enjoy.....

It's a masterpiece

2010-11-23T07:50:00.001-05:00

We woke up this morning to this...

As Cooper would say, "that is God's masterpiece mom".

Boy was he right!

Super cute santa hat

2010-11-21T07:44:00.005-05:00

Have I mentioned that I love Christmas?

I do!!!

Yes, my house is semi decorated already and there are plans of getting all my Christmas houses out this week.

In the mean time, I found this awesome pattern for a Santa hat. It was very quick and easy...and just plain old cute.

Cooper decided he didn't want one (too girly he said) so I made one for Kylie and am modifying the pattern to fit Addy right now. When I figure it out, I will post the modified directions for the toddler size.

Happy crocheting girls...

Got to get motivated

2010-11-17T13:12:00.002-05:00

Christmas is coming which means I need to get working on some major projects! What to know what they are??? Well, I cannot share them all because I know for a fact many of my family members read my blog so I wouldn't want to ruin any surprises...BUT...I can share with you some gifts I am giving to the kiddos in my life...

A) PJ's. I LOVE little kids in their Christmas PJ's. So I thought, why not start a new tradition here at the Riedl house...homemade PJ's from Mommy!! Super quick...super easy! Along with the pants, I am making them shirts. At first I was going to sew on letters and the year but a friend told me I should just embroider it. We will see how it all turns out!

B) SOCKS! As a kid my grandmother made me socks all the time. I didn't value them at the time because, seriously, socks? But I still have those socks and I LOVE THEM! So for all my little people (nephews included), I will be making socks! Crocheting that is...

C) Robe. I will post my progress on this. I searched for a free robe pattern and found none so I am creating my own! Not the whole tie robe but one where she can velcro up the front. She never uses it for anything other than to stay warm in the morning anyways! So if it turns out alright, I will be making one for Cooper too!

D) Slippers...they are going to be adorable...little eyes on them and all! If you have been to my house, you know it is cold!!! We USE our slippers..A LOT!

I will post pictures as I complete all my projects!! AND..I know it's not far, but you will have to wait until after Christmas for all my adult presents!

little heartbreaker

2010-11-13T07:01:00.002-05:00

What to do with soup bones?

2010-11-10T12:48:00.005-05:00

We purchase a half of a cow about once every year and a half from my Brother in Law. We are super grateful for Jeff and all the hard work he puts into providing for the WHOLE family. Anyways...these cows are DELICIOUS! After eating our first piece of steak, (never frozen and freshly prepared THAT morning) we vowed to never buy store bought beef again (unless we ran out that is).

Anyways, we always get soup bones with our cow. I have always just kept them in the freezer thinking that someday I will figure out what to do with them. Well..I figured it out!

As you know, I strive to be healthy! I think it's just the way I am wired. I want to do what is best for my family nutritionally and am always looking for ways to keep us healthy. So...did you know what soup bones can do? They can treat lots and lots and LOTS of things like
inflammation, hypertension, fatigue, depression, hyper activity, and food sensitivities. You know how? Well soup bones (when they are cooked down to broth) have cartilage and collagen in them, both of which are powerful healing tools for our bodies. Cartilage supplementation stimulates immune cells while collagen is healing in coating to the stomach and digestive track in general, making it easier to digest foods! They also contain things such as, Glycine, Hyaluronic acid, Chondroitin sulfate, and minerals!

WOW! A herbal pharmacy has been waiting to be cooked in MY freezer for a few years now! Who knew?

So here is the deal! Our family needs to eat more broth...period! Here is a little recipe I found to make a delicious broth. Add in ANYTHING you want...make it a minestrone soup, bean soup, or whatever you like. JUST USE THE BROTH!

So, put your bones in your stockpot and cover with fresh cold water. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar (to help extract the minerals from the bone). Now simmer forEVER...anywhere from 2 to 24 hours. After it has simmered enough, strain out the bones ( and vegetables you have added) and divide the broth into usable potions. It will stay
good in the fridge for about 5 days (about 10 days if you boil it again after 5 days) and in the freezer for months.

Happy broth days my friends!!

I'm Famous...again

2010-11-05T12:30:00.002-04:00

Go check out The Frugal Mama's blog today! She wrote all about...you guessed it...me! She has a pretty cool blog too and talks about all of the things I love...especially saving money! Check it out!

My beef with schools

2010-11-02T13:21:00.004-04:00

We all know that I really thought about homeschooling Kylie. Although the idea still crosses my mind often, at this point she is still in Kindergarten and actually likes it.

But that is not the point to this post.

Today I had the privilege of eating lunch with Miss Kylie along with Coop and Addy. As soon as I sat down, a boy from her class came right up to me and sat next to me. I have seen this boy before. When I went to the pumpkin patch with Kylie, this same boy sat next to me and talked my ear off. Kylie has also made mention of this boy (we will call him "the boy") and referred to him as "the boy who gets in trouble...A LOT". I know on one occasion the class was asked who wanted to sit with the boy in art class and my sweet Miss Kylie volunteered. She even got a sticker for sitting with him (more on that later). I have watched him squirm and jump around when asked to sit still and I have heard him apologized for his impulsiveness a number of times.

How sad!

How sad that a little boy has to apologize for being a little boy. No, he is not always behaving properly. In fact, I would bet to say he probably doesn't "follow the rules" 80% of the time. Many of those times, he is actually just being plain old naughty and other times, he is just getting the "ants out of his pants".

As I sat with Kylie today, this boy tried to engage almost every student at the table. He would try to get eye contact and then laugh or make a funny face. If no one payed attention to him, he would sit on the floor or do something that would require a lunch monitor to come and redirect his behavior. At one point, the monitor moved another boy away from the boy (whom wasn't paying any attention to the boy) and said, "let me move you over here so 'the boy' doesn't get you in trouble too". We sat there for 25 minutes. The kids were told they couldn't move..breath for that matter. They have to sit on their little butts and talk quietly (as quietly as a 5 year old can). I could see this little boy getting more and more frustrated. His little body NEEDED to move! He tried everything to get in control..I could see it but he just couldn't sit there any longer. He got up and did something naughty and got caught pretty quickly. Guess what his "punishment" was....you guessed it...he had to sit out at recesses!

All I could think was how ridiculous that is. A) he is 5 B) he is a boy and C) HE NEEDS TO MOVE! So his punishment was actually probably going to get him into more trouble later in the day.

So the problem you ask...schools require our kids to sit for too long. Yes, they have made major modifications and I believe Kylie's teacher does a lot to get the kids moving during the day. BUT the expectations of a 5 year old are just too high. This little boy shows his behaviors in school but I know many other kids will hold it together until they get home and then blow (my Miss Kylie being one of them). It just isn't fair to make them sit and concentrate for 6.5 hours a day. Seriously...To top things off, Kylie told me that yesterday they couldn't even run at recess because someone was running and got hurt. Therefore, no one was allowed to run for the rest of the day AND they couldn't play on the playground...just the blacktop. Hmmmmmm??!!!

My heart went out to this little boy. Maybe it was the mom in me. Maybe it was the social worker in me. I don't know, but I do know something needs to change. Schools need to be more creative with teaching their students and letting them be kids. Kids need to move and they need to move often. Sitting still at lunch (free time) is just crazy. Yes, they need to stay at the table but why can't they play a clapping game or laugh for crying out loud. And adults need to realize children understand when they are labeled the "bad kid". I am sure this little boy didn't feel so great when the lunch monitor thanked me for sitting with the boy and I am sure he felt lonely when no one would sit with him in art and the teacher needed to bribe kids to sit next to him. He is only 5 and already is wearing the scarlet letter.

Just wanted to make it clear that I don't have a particular problem with the school my child attends...it is just the entire school system that has it's flaws.

Foto Friday...minus Kylie

2010-10-29T15:54:00.001-04:00

We have already established that I am crazy.

2010-10-26T13:34:00.003-04:00

Christmas....

I hear you all saying, "seriously??!!" BUT, I do need to get my butt in gear.

I am already getting questions about what the kids might want for Christmas this year and I know some has already been purchased. That being said, I don't want to end up with a houseful of the same toys or items they don't need. I also have some strong opinions about how much they should actually get but that is besides the point.

Creativity has been a strength of mine in the past. You know, I am always saying, "what if you did this?" and everyone says "wow..I didn't think of that" (at least that is the way it went down in my head). This year, I am lacking some major creativity. I am at a loss as to what my kids actually need or even want for that matter. Yes, I can throw magazines in front of them and tell me what they want but only a mom knows what will be used and what will be discarded within a month.

So here is where you, my fellow blog friends, come in...

I need some creative Christmas ideas to share with the family. My kids already know that Santa only brings 2 to 3 presents and they need to think long and hard about what they might REALLY want or need. But what do I tell all the others who ask what they want?? Come on friends...help me out here!

As an incentive, I may just have to send out a loaf of bread to the winner of the best idea...your choice as to what kind ;)

Vote for Cooper

2010-10-19T07:39:00.004-04:00

We all know Cooper is a cutie, so go VOTE for him...

Tell me she ain't cute

2010-10-12T15:38:00.000-04:00

The end of an era

2010-10-12T12:42:00.004-04:00

I turned 30 today!

I swear I did. At approximately 5:56 am I hit the big three zero.

Do I feel older you ask. No, I don't! Well, not exactly. I have been stressing about the big 30 for a while now. Not the real kind of stress where you have butterfly's all the time and feel like you might tear you hair out. You know, the kind where when someone mentions it you think, "for real". So I thought about it...and thought...and thought some more and decided it's not so bad after all.

For one, I have accomplished quite a bit for being 30...got my masters, married with 3 kids, own my own home...etc. ~~really, I'm not bragging~~. And overall, I love my life and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Now I will say I am not looking forward to those things that come with aging...you know, gray hair (not like I have any yet ~~or maybe just a few~~) , wrinkles, aches and pains, and forgetfulness. But I will embrace them as they come...seriously, I will.

I have also learned that IT ISN'T THE END! An old dog CAN learn new tricks. For one, I started running this year and have stuck with it. For those of you who know me, I hate running. I was athletic in high school ~~that's debatable~~ but never really did much after college. I would do the occasional Elliptical workout or take a Zumba class here and there but never really stuck with anything. When I finally looked in the mirror after having 3 kids in 4 years, I realized I needed to do something and QUICK, so I did. Anyways, I ran my first 5K this summer and am hoping to run a 10K in November! Not to mention I have lost a total of 35 pounds this year. WOW! I am in better shape than I have EVER been in at 30! Who would have thought...

So to sum it up, I would say yes, this is the end of an era but the start of a new:)

There's a fly in my room

2010-10-07T13:03:00.002-04:00

It was a gloomy day. The kind of day where a nap is necessary. I had already been awake for almost 8 hours and it was only noon. So I waited patiently for nap time to arrive with the idea of putting my children down and taking a quick nap myself. The numbers on the clock flashed 12:00 and it was time. Addy went down fairly easy and Cooper marched right up to his room and into bed. It couldn't have gone any smother. I then closed the curtains, turned on the fan, shut the ringer off, and found the most comfortable, warm blanket to snuggle up with. I laid down, shut my eyes and slowly drifted off.

Approximately 10 seconds later I heard the pitter patter of little feet and then a toy firetruck loudly honking it's horn.

Deep breaths, deep breaths...

After calmly ~~threatening no TV for eternity~~ putting Cooper back in bed, I laid back down. Again, my eye's shut and the world was quiet.

For about 10 more seconds...

I was suddenly awakened by a quick buzzing noise in my right ear. I waved my hand without opening my eyes in hopes of scaring the pest off. But no...there is was again! This time I sat up and looked around, waiting patiently for it to land. I swung hard at it once, then twice with no success. My hope was to put some fear in that little fly. You know, the kind of fear that only an overtired mama can bring about. Again, I shut my eyes. ZAP, right up my nose! I muttered not so nice words to the gross little fly. I even told it to go down in the kitchen as I was most certain there was a pile of cheerios under the highchair or a piece of stale bread on the floor. I am sure if he looked hard enough, he may even find a rotten apple hidden under the couch. Why did I put such faith in a little fly. I believe it's goal in life was to annoy me, keep me from sleeping. I decided to ignore the pest. Fly's are attracted to motion right? I laid motionless for a few more seconds. He may have even taken a tour of the bathroom in this time because I drifted off. Then, I felt a tickle on my forehead. AHHHHHH! I swatted at it again with no success and thought to myself, "we really need a fly swatter". I had visions of slowly taking the fly's wings off and watching it suffer (not really...) as that is what it was doing to me!

I then had an idea! I would hide under a pillow! Genius! So I propped a decorative pillow over the right side of my head and slowly drifted off again.

Well that fly was smart I tell ya. It CRAWLED under the pillow and buzzed right in my ear. I violently threw that nice warm, comfortable blanket off and again said some not so nice things to the fly and surrendered.

No nap for me and go figure my kids are taking a long nap. STUPID FLY!

The secret is out...

2010-10-06T13:34:00.003-04:00

After the MOPS meeting, a few women asked for some of my recipes. I realized I haven't posted my everyday whole wheat bread recipe on my blog! WOW! Anyways, this is from my dad (the master bread maker) and has to be the best bread eva!

Yields 3 loafs

Ingredients:
2T yeast
1T salt
3T sugar (raw if you have it)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4c butter-melted
3 3/4 cups of warm water
6 cups wheat flour
3 cups of white flour (I use a high gluten flour and occident flour blend)
More flour for kneading

In a LARGE bowl combine yeast, sugar, and warm water. Let sit for a few minutes (it will get a bit bubbly). Then add remaining ingredients except the flour. Combine well. Add flours slowly and form into a ball. Knead for 8-10 minutes on a floured surface adding flour to eliminate stickiness. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a towel. Let rise 1 hour until doubled.

Punch down and divide into thirds. Place in 3 pans and let rise until doubled (about 30 mins)

Heat oven to 375 and back 30-35 minutes.

So go bake yourself some bread!!!

Eating well on a budget

2010-10-06T13:25:00.003-04:00

Today I had the privilege of speaking at MOPS with my homemakin' sistah Sarah. We both tackled different topics revolving around eating well.

Anyways, I thought I would share some of our "secrets" about how to eat well and stay within your budget. Here are my notes from today's meeting.

How often do you go to your pantry only to find stale cookies/crackers/chips?

How many leftovers do you put in the fridge only to throw out the next week?

How often do you throw out moldy bread or spoiled milk?

~ 27 percent of the food available for consumption is throw away. That is about 25.9 million tons and about 30 billion worth of food.

~costs the U.S. around $1 billion every year just to dispose of all its food waste. Rotting food releases toxins that need to be regulated.

Think about how much money your family spends on groceries each week/month that is wasted? And now think about what your husband would say if you told him 25% of the food that you buy is wasted!

Now that you have the picture, what can I do about it???

1) set a dollar amount of what you want to pay for groceries each month. Start with a practical number and then work your way down.

a. My husband has set up a separate account which he puts $ in each month for groceries. That way, I don’t really have to keep tract of how much I spend.

2) Make a menu

a. Make a master list of your families favorite meals/healthy meals/ meals you want to try. (you can always add to this)

b. Get a menu planner (mine is from the dollar section of target)

c. From your list, make out a meal for each day. You can do this for all three meals a day or just dinner. (I do just dinner…will explain more on that later)

i. TIP: look for meals that include similar meats. Chicken fajitas one night, roasted chicken breast another (so you only need one item)

3) Start your grocery list

a. Do this in your kitchen so you can look for the ingredients you need for each meal and add ones you don’t have.

b. After this add breakfast and lunch items that you DON”T have in the house

c. I also add 1 to 2 snacks for the week (pretzels, tricuits) You can even ask your kids what they want.

4) Stick to your list!

a. If it isn’t on the list, don’t buy it!

Money saving tips

1) Make a lot of your own food.

a. Bread (super easy and MUCH cheaper and healthier) I have some recipes if you would like (50 cents per loaf)

b. Yogurt

c. Granola for breakfast

d. Fruit leather

e. Trail mix

f. Smoothies

g. Kefir

h. Peanut butter

2) Avoid buying packaged/processed food

a. Do you need to buy frozen waffles?

b. Premade meals are extremely expensive and can just as easily be made before hand.

c. My rule: If you great great grandmother couldn’t buy it, Don’t buy it!

3) When cooking a meal, make double and freeze the rest

a. Baked ziti, casseroles, bread (that way if you cannot make a scheduled meal, you have a back up plan)

4) Make meals with other moms

5) Buy certain things in bulk and freeze

a. Chicken $1.99 per pound, ground beef (half a cow)

6) Find a bulk food store

a. I get my flours, nuts, dried fruits

7) Find stores that have good deals

a. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy closer to home than to waste gas on driving to the “cheap” store

8) Buy in season fruits/veggies and can/freeze them

a. It’s a lot easier than you think…I can jams (blueberry/strawberry) apple sauce, pie filling, butter, pickles, sauce, salsa. Freeze beans, carrots, corn.

9) Grow your veggies

10) Compost!

Do I do this all the time? I do menu plan each week but there are days I don’t stick to it..sick kid, sick mama, just don’t want to! And yes, I do buy take out every now and then!

Never ending

2010-10-01T07:51:00.003-04:00

HOUSEWORK!

It is one of those things that is NEVER ending. As soon as you feel a slight bit of accomplishment, WHAM, it's all gone.

Even so, I still do it. Regularly as a matter of fact. Some days you would seriously think I sat on my butt all day eating bon bon's (well I actually don't care for them..maybe some dark chocolate) but I really don't.

I tend to get overwhelmed easily with the amount of things required of me on a daily basis. I am SUPER sensitive when someone ~~my hubby~~ mentions something that needs organizing or cleaning. Sometimes, cleaning (folding laundry, organizing, dejunking, cooking) becomes my priority over spending time with God or my children. So I have decided I need to take a step back and re-prioritize.

God is #1! I NEED to spend time with Him each day. For me this is during nap time because all is quiet in the house and I can just focus on Him.

My family is #2. If someone needs a little "mommy time", I will STOP what I am doing (or finish) and spend some time with them. Cooper is doing preschool at home this year and needs much more one on one attention than Kylie ever did. It is perfectly fine, just something I need to get use to.

Housework #3. I do believe we should have a welcoming home. An environment that is warm and somewhat picked up. Therefore, I need to assign ONE task per day that needs to be accomplished. Along with this one task, I need to do the daily things...laundry, cooking, sweeping. Whatever else doesn't get done...well that's for tomorrow. I have also come to realize that NO ONE really cares if you have freshly moped floors and sparkling windows. It is a no win situation for me. I wash things, my kids spill things. I vacuum, someone dumps a bowl of popcorn on the rug. I do laundry, there is another load waiting to go in. I also don't like walking into houses (especially with my kids) that are perfectly organized. I'm afraid I will mess something up (or my kids will spill, break, or barf on something). I like a house that has toys out and laundry waiting to be folded!

So there it is friends...and I case you were wondering, here is what is on the list today.

For starters I will be spending time with God around 12:00 today!

1) Major task: Organize Addy's room. Put 12 month close into ONE bin and get rid of the rest (anyone need any?) Hang up those pictures that have been on her dresser for a while ~~year~~. AND put away the laundry basket that has been sitting in her room for 3 days now.

2) Work on the letter "B" with Cooper today and read some stories to both Addy and Cooper.

3) Fold all of the laundry I washed yesterday and put away.

4) Wrap gifts that need to be distributed this weekend to my brother and sister (Happy birthday Shawna and BJ)

5) Prep dinner

6) RUN...seriously, this clears my head.

7) If I have time...wipe down the bathrooms!

Okay..now I need to get off of the computer and get to work! Have a great Friday everyone!

Oh no I didn't...

2010-09-28T20:06:00.002-04:00

I love the holiday's....and by holiday's I mean, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. This use to include my birthday as well but now that I am getting older, I am not to fond of that day.

As you remember from last year, we make most of our Christmas presents so I NEED to get into making mode...

I have a few new things this year and a few neat tutorials I will share with you all in the near future.

But, I will leave you with this!

Christmas Countdown - Christmas Layouts

Happy Holiday's

My most favorite time of the year

2010-09-24T12:43:00.004-04:00

As you all know, I am a fan of fall.

I love the SMELL, crisp air and all the bright colors. (although today it feels more like summer).

You know one thing I REALLY like to do in the fall....yup, pick apples. So we took the kiddos to Johnny Appleseed last weekend to pick tons of apples. In the past we have gone to other orchards..you know, the ones that put on a show but we figured we would stick close to home this year. I am so glad we did. This has to be one of the best orchards. Plus, it was beautiful.

Cooper couldn't reach yet...he said, "maybe one more year".

Addy tasted EVERY apple in the orchard and screamed for more
Kylie's funny apple
Are you feeling the love?

AND...it was super cheap. $10 per bushel!!

AND..we have been back to pick more already because we like ourselves some applesauce, apple butter, apple pie, and apple crisp!

With that being said, I want to share with you a recipe I found for canned apple pie filling. Now, I did make some changes to the recipe. I added a bit more sugar and a few more apples than it calls for. I also added a lot more cinnamon and some nutmeg and it turned out GREAT!

So go pick some apples and make some yummy apple things!

I am slacking!

2010-09-14T13:04:00.003-04:00

Yes, I know I haven't posted much lately...

As you have read, my baby girl is now off to Kindergarten and we are ALL just getting a routine down.

After I pick her up, I have devoted all my focus to her (at least now) so there is not much time for blogging!

Hopefully in the next few weeks I will be able to catch you all up on the happenings here at the crazy house!

For now, I will leave you a picture...if only you knew the conversations before hand....

Kylie: I don't want my picture taken.
Me: I don't care..mommy wants a picture
Kylie: Nope not doing it
Me: Yes you will..or else...
Kylie: Fine..whatever!
Cooper: I no want to stand hewre
Me: Cooper...NOW
Addy: whine, whine, WHINE
Me: Zach, hurry up and take the picture already...
Zach: Chill out
Me: EVERYONE SMILE NOW
Everyone: Cheeeessseeee
Me: that wasn't good enough
Everyone: Whine...we don't want to do this..
Me: One more time...or else...
The End...

And she's off....

2010-09-09T08:24:00.008-04:00

Yup, my baby is officially a Kindergartner!

She was so nervous these past few weeks about it so I was expecting a mild crisis this AM

BUT...

She did great!

Cannot believe my little girl is off to school....

Missing her already!

We are famous

2010-09-02T09:50:00.002-04:00

So my friend Jen is the worlds BEST photographer. Everything I have EVER learned about photography, I learned from her. Anyways...look who is featured on her blog today!!!

Go look around and see what AWESOME pictures this lady takes....AMAZING! Oh and then give her a call to do some shots of YOUR family!

Is it really September?

2010-09-01T20:46:00.003-04:00

September?

Seriously?

Apples, pumpkins, school buses, and crunchy leaves already?

Although I am sad to see the summer go, I am excited to see what this fall holds for us.

For starters, Zach and I (and Addy) are heading to Charlotte, NC on Friday to visit my sister and her fiance! Lots of fun things planned as we will be two kids down for the weekend.

Kylie will be starting school (hold on, I need a Kleenex) a week from tomorrow. My baby, my little fat baby, will be riding the school bus and going to class WITHOUT her mommy holding her hand. She will love it, I know she will. And I know this is what God wanted for her...even though I wish it were different.

Cooper will now be the "big kid" in the house. It is time for him to get some more attention from mommy. We will be starting our preschool "learning" time next week as well. He is super excited to have his own pencil box and area to do "his work".

Addison just changes each day. She is a busy little girl, always looking to get into something new. Her new thing is when she is doing something naughty (like climbing the stairs or playing in the potty) I will hear her say, "no, no, no". It's kinda handy... She will also be getting a little more mommy time. We plan on reading lots and lots of books and stacking lots and lots of blocks. By the end of September she will be a toddler genius...Really!

September is also a month of canning for me. Yes, I did can all summer...blueberry and strawberry jam and pickles are a few of my favorites. But fall is my busy time...APPLES. My family LOVES apples! We will be making applesauce, apple butter, spiced apple butter, apple pie filling, and maybe a little apple juice! Fun times.

Happy September friends!!

Sweet Addy

2010-08-30T13:28:00.004-04:00

Awesome giveaway

2010-08-26T07:53:00.004-04:00

SO I know that not everyone loves getting books...BUT

This one is so worth it!

Even if I, myself, do not win this book, I am TOTALLY buying it!!! I think it is worthy of a book study my friends....anyone want to do it with me???

Check it out!

By the way...please browse around the Heavenly Homemakers blog! It is truly inspiring.

"Foto" Friday...okay, I know it's Saturday!

2010-08-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

Love these kids! I am so happy that my BFF and I have kids the EXACT SAME AGE (within a few months of course). And you know what is even better...They actually love each other.

Cade and Cooper hanging out at the Genesee Country Museum while the girls where at camp.

They girls loving each other (I know Kylie looks sad but she was seriously loving on Brilyn). I just loved their little outfits for the week!

LOVE IT!

Help, fellow Blogger friends...

2010-08-20T14:10:00.004-04:00

I moved things around. I tend to do that when I am itching for a change. AND, if you read my post on simplicity, you know I said I wanted to use my Hoosier more. Now I have an empty wall with pictures that use to be next to my hoosier and I NEED help deciding how to decorate it.

Here is the room...see my pretty Hoosier! I used to be in the far left corner of the room but now it is right smack dab in the middle of the room!! Now, when you walk in, you see my hoosier instead of the wall. AND, I put all of my flours in it and all of my recent can goods.

Now here is where it was. I need to do something here friends...Thinking it needs some paint...

Ideas friends?????

Love one another...

2010-08-15T08:03:00.003-04:00

I know you all have people in your life who drive you NUTS! You know, that person who wants you to watch her kids ever other day or that neighbor who is emotionally needy. That person who is just sooo-harrrdd-toooo-LLOOOVVEEE!

I struggle with this. Really, I do. Certain people tend to annoy me and I find myself distancing myself from them. Honestly, they really haven't done anything wrong. It's not like they harmed me in any way or said anything that hurt my feelings. They just plain old annoy me. (I case you are wondering, I am NOT speaking about anyone in particular ...just describing a type of person).

You know what is even worse...when God convicts us of this.

I don't know about you, but I tend to "find" a verse in the Bible which "supports" my decision to "shun" certain people. You know..like, "guard you heart and soul for it is the wellspring of life" .
Or make an excuse, such as, my kids need me more than YOU need me.

But is this true?

Today I read this devotional and it made me think...

Least but not last, as Christians we are told to love our neighbors (Matthew 22:39). This is a commandment that many of us (including myself) fail time and time again. We as Christians try not to boast about the works we do, but at the same time we hold a prideful feeling, or a feeling of how good we are to do these things. And yet, how often do we turn people away who need help? How often do we let people struggle simply because we do not have the "time," the "energy," or the "resources" to help them.

Perhaps the greatest danger with being foolish is that we only end up tricking ourselves. We try to convince ourselves of how good we are, or that we have done enough already. We try to tell ourselves that we are right in our thinking and that contradicting verses are simply a translational error, or interpreted incorrectly.

BAM...that is the sound of my face being smacked by God (in a good way of course).

Sometimes, not matter how much I want to love others, I still fail. Being a mom takes so much out of me some days and there just isn't much left over.

Then I realized that I was right. YES, I, KARA, do NOT have the energy to help or love the unlovable. But guess who does....you got it..GOD! And God lives in me and the Holy Spirit CAN love others! He CAN give me patience. He CAN show me love.

So today my prayer is that God would place people in my life that challenge me to show his love. AND that the Holy Spirit would help me to love them. Because we all know that we are CALLED to love our neighbors.

*on a side note, I believe there are situations where one needs to take a passive role in loving someone. For example, in an abusive relationship or in a relationship which doesn't glorify God. In those situations, I recommend you pray for that person who has harmed you and know that God loves them too!

Simplicity

2010-08-11T14:58:00.003-04:00

This has been a CRAZY week for me. Okay so let me clarify..it hasn't been THAT crazy but at times it has felt totally overwhelming.

Kylie is participating in a camp at the Genesse Country Museum this week in Rochester. She was SUPER pumped for this and has literally been planning her trip for months. Well.... she still loves it but let me tell you it has been sweltering hot here. I know it isn't in the 100's but it has felt like it is. The heat is one thing but the humidity is the icing on the cake. And when you have A/C at home and are not staying in a non A/C home, you feel it even more. Fortunately, my parents have a pool...but the mosquitoes..

But I digress

Although we are a bit on the edgy side, I am trying to see the upside of things...Like today!

Today I got the opportunity to go to one of my favorite places (I just wish it was a favorite when I actually lived in Rochester). I seriously love the Genesse Country Museum. Really...I do. When I am there, I feel simplicity. I love the way of life and strive for it. One house we visited was built by a man with lots and lots of money. Well, he also had 11 children. They let the kids play with toys in the kitchen while the mamas learned a little more. Oh how I wish we had a wood burning stove to cook on, or fewer toys, or a big kitchen table, or just a case iron pan. But then I realized that I was AGAIN wishing for things.

Isn't it funny how when we strive for simplicity, we sometimes tend to want more?

So I thought about what I can do to live more simply WITHOUT wanting things. Here is what I came up with.
1. GET RID OF TOYS: We have way to many and they totally overwhelm me. I just want toys that stimulate my children's imagination.
2. GET RID OF EXCESS KITCHEN ~~CRAP~~ ITEMS: I am going to go through my cupboards and pull out things that haven't been used in a while...or ever. Seriously, how many mixing spoons do you needs? It's not like I am running a restaurant!
3. LIMIT TV TIME (for myself) and READ MORE: I love my tv shows. I have tried and tried to break myself of a few and have failed. Well, maybe not but I still watch too much. Books are good. Did you know that? So I am going to start reading at night before bed instead of watching shows the whole time. I do still have a few I like and sometimes I need brainless tv time but at least I am striving...
4. USE MY HOOSIER: Yes, I have a beautiful hoosier that my husband bought me 4 years ago. And it sits in my dinning room for storage. SO...I need more counter space and I have a HUG HOOSIER...hmmmmm! I am going to try and move it so I can use it more.

Those are just a few things I am going to do to start. I am hoping to find someone to watch my kids one morning next week so I can go through and de-clutter.

Some things I already do that you may be interested (or not) in doing yourself.
1. Use cloth diapers (that is if you have children that age)
2. Line dry as much as possible
3. Make your food. Yes, make it all! From scratch...like bread, yogurt, kefir, granola, cheese, etc.
4. Make a menu each week and only by what is on it.
5. Make sure you plan meals which are made from only ingredients your great-grandparents could buy at the grocery store. So NO Hamburger helper!
6. Have a daily schedule for your home and STICK TO IT.
7. Limit TV time for you children to one hour a day or less (especially in the summer)
8. Only have clothes that you need. Don't have a closet full of useless stuff..give it away.

Okay I will add more as I think of them.

So go LIVE SIMPLY and take your kids to the Genesse Country Museum in Rochester!

Good old fashion English Muffin bread

2010-08-05T17:22:00.002-04:00

So I have been totally craving some english muffins lately. I just love english muffins with some good homemade strawberry jam. So I figured I should make me some good bread (I guess I will share with the others).

Here it is friends.

INGREDIENTS
6 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 Tablespoon of yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups warm milk (110 to 115 degrees F)
1/2 cup warm water (120 to 130 degrees F)
Cornmeal

DIRECTIONS
Heat milk and water in a saucepan until bubbly. set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add warm milk and water. Stir together good. Stir in remaining flour (batter will be stiff). Do not knead. Grease two loaf pans. Sprinkle pans with cornmeal. Spoon batter into the pans and sprinkle cornmeal on top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately to cool on wire racks.

So go make some strawberry jam and bread and have a great breakfast...or lunch..or dinner...or whenever! ENJOY!

*This recipe was totally taken from my girl Jocelyn over at Tillaboro Orchard!

new blogs I heart!

2010-08-05T08:45:00.001-04:00

Just in case you were wondering, I have a new favorite blog to read....

Well, two, I guess

Check them out!

http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/

www.passionatehomemaking.com

What's cooking?

2010-08-03T12:02:00.003-04:00

It's hot!

My husband would say it's too hot for a roast but in my opinion, it is never to hot for a roast. Okay well maybe if the roast is in you oven but in crockpot is just fine with me!

So here is what is for dinner tonight...

Ingredients:
roast of your choice ( I had an arm roast in my freezer for our recent cow purchase)
diced tomatoes (either fresh or canned...about 1 cups worth)
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
teaspoon of fresh Oregano
other herbs of your choice ( I used some chives)

Place all ingredients in your crock pot on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Then cook up some potatoes. Now I do not like crockpot potatoes. They are just too mushy and taste like meat. Potatoes are suppose to taste like potatoes, not meat. So I chop them up, put them in a 8x8 pan sprinkle them with olive oil and some garlic salt and broil them until they are brown. YUM.

So there you have it...an easy dinner for a busy mom.

on a side note: while chopping the onions, Addy decided she wanted a taste (I think she thought it was an apple). I gave her a pice and now she is in love with raw onion..yuck!

I'm going to miss this

2010-07-26T13:29:00.002-04:00

As difficult as it is to be a mother of a 5, 3, and 1 year old, I realized today that I WILL in fact miss this time.

Today is a good day! The kids are all adjusting back to their routine very well and have had a great time playing with each other. They wanted to have a picnic together so they gathered up a blanket and headed for a shaded part in the yard. I even got the, "this is a kid only picnic, but if you want to come mom, you can". So I made some hot dogs and cut up some cucumber. While doing so, I looked out at them. They were just laying in the yard, snuggling, watching the clouds and counting the number of cars that rolled past (for you information it was only 2...we live in the country people). It made me start thinking about how much they really love each other. Cooper just adores his older sister...he wants to do everything she does. Kylie loves being the big sister and bossing everyone around (in a good way..sometimes). And Addy...well, she is just starting to play with the older ones. Outside, I laughed at some really not funny jokes and just enjoyed their company. Who would have known that I would be sentimental type?

Then it hit me...

Kylie is going to Kindergarten in the fall. What will Cooper do without his playmate?

So I promised myself that we will make the most out of this last month that Kylie is home on a daily basis with us. We will play, and play, and play, and just spend time together.

The past five years have been filled with craziness and I never thought I would be this sad about sending Kylie to school (remember my homeschooling dilemma?)

They grow up to fast...WAY TO FAST!

I came across this post a few days back about how our children are our disciples. How true! It is MY JOB to raise these kids according to God's word. To teach them what is right and what is wrong. Instead of feeling guilty for all of the things I think I haven't taught my kids yet, I took it as a challenge to continue to teach them the right way. How fortunate have I been to be able to stay home with my three little ones? They are my daily blessing!

Now I am off to be a mom...

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

Vacation picture of the day.

2010-07-22T07:41:00.004-04:00

Back to reality

2010-07-21T19:17:00.005-04:00

We had a great time up at the cottage! It has to be the most beautiful, relaxing (well as relaxing as it can be with 3 kids under 5) place in the world. The simplicity of being there is amazing...no TV (well DVD's on rainy days), no internet, very limited phone access, and not a lot of the every day things I depend on. I actually love it! Really..not to be distracted by facebook or reading up on someone's blog. It was great. Anyways..here are a few highlights from our trip..

1. Addison's 5 attempts to empty her stomach on the car ride down (I guess that wasn't a highlight but makes it a little more entertaining).
2. Cooper sailing with his Poppy a few times (even fell asleep once)
3. Kylie winning a medal at the cottage kids day.
4. READING A BOOK
5. Dutch Blitz with the fam every evening
6. Running some KILLER hills and learning the definition of shin splints
7. Watching Shawna, Kylie, and Cooper ride on an aqua port...standing up!
8. Swimming, swimming and more swimming
9. Boat rides
10. Just spending time together!!!

It's great to be back but man do I love that place...

I swear my kids love to see how much mommy can handle in the store!

2010-07-10T21:11:00.002-04:00

Shopping with three kids 5 and under IS CRAZY! It never use to be this crazy. I think it happened when the baby decided to have an "opinion" along with the others. So here is how it goes..

Goal: Get necessary items at Target and Kohl's for upcoming (tomorrow) trip up to the cottage.
Deadline: 11:30/lunch time

We finally got out the door around 9:30 only to have Cooper report his desire to use the restroom...NOW.

Cooper: "I have to go (number two)...REAAALLLL BADDD"
Mom: "we are right around the corner from Target, you will have to wait".
Cooper: *whine* "RREEEAAALLLL BAAADDD MOOMMM"
Mom: "HOLD IT"

So I get the baby in the ergo, and sprint into target with Kylie and COoper. I carefully lined the toilet seat with firm instructions to NOT touch anything.

Mom: "Are you done yet?"
Cooper: "Yes mom"
Mom: "are you sure? There is no (number two) in there"
Cooper: "tricked ya"
Mom: *arrrrggggg* reminder to self to tell the story about the boy who cried wolf.

We wash hands and load into the cart only to have Kylie start pulling things (glitter pens) out of the dollar section.

Mom: "Kylie put that down, we have some at home".
Kylie: "NO MOM..I WANT THESE ONES"
Mom: "Kylie..NOW"
Kylie: " But mooommm, I NEED them" *whine, whine*
Mom: "I am leaving now"
Kylie: "I don't care..go".
Mom: "People are starting to look at you, now put it down NOW and lets go".

I pull her into an aisle and give the, "you will listen to your mother or there will be consequences" speech.

And we are off....

Cooper: "Kylie keeps pulling the cart"
Mom: "Kylie Get off of the cart...NOW"
Kylie: "FINE" but really didn't get off and continued to wiggle.
Mom: "You have already earned a 5 minute time out...would you like me to add some more minutes".
Kylie: "I don't care, I will stay there for one million years, because (once again) I don't care".
Mom: " Watch it Kylie, your mouth is getting you in trouble".

Pick up some toilet paper, paper towels, and cleaning supplies. Then we were off to the vitamin aisle when I hear...

Kylie: "I have to go pee".
Mom: "Seriously Kylie, we were just there"
Kylie: "I didn't have to go then, now I do...NOW"
Cooper: "me too"

So we headed to the bathroom for the second time.

Then we headed for the grocery section to pick up a few snacks for our trip.

Kylie: "I want candy and gum and fruit snacks"
Mom: "no Kylie we need healthy snacks"
Kylie: "FINE"

I was asked if we could buy almost every bit of junk food in the store before checking out.
At the check out line we had another meltdown over Cooper wanted a bag of his own. Ummmmmm, NO!

We get back to the car and the kids get a little lecture about how we need to behave in the next store or ELSE! I then was able to redirect another temper tantrum over food in the car.

In Kohl's we found one of those thrifty double cart/stroller things. Yeah..not so much fun to push. The kids then decided to have a few Chinese fire drills while mom picked out some new shorts (because I have NONE). I firmly reminded them of their consequences if they didn't behave ONLY to hear...

Cooper: "She won't share her seat..it is my turn to sit in the back"
Mom: "Kylie are you taking turns?"
Kylie: "I changed my mind, I am going to sit here now"
Cooper: *scream* "IT'S NOT FAIR"
Mom: "we are leaving now..NOW"

As we check out, I watched Cooper pull Kylie's hair and then Kylie gently push back at him...

Ummm this is why shopping with kids is absolutely CRAZY. But I did remain calm through most of the trip.

As we pulled in the driveway I got the "Mommy we are sorry, can we not go to time out" line...again, "NO".

Let me tell you, the rest of the day, the kids were rather well behave due to fear of what consequence I would give them later.

Like I said, they love to see how far they can push there mama.

And this is why we are going on vacation for a whole 11 days....YEAH for the Cottage!

I am officially a runner.

2010-07-04T15:35:00.003-04:00

Some of you may know (or not) that I decided to run a 5K back in April of this year. It was a crazy idea at the time but in order to loose some of the awesome baby weight, I needed to set a goal and stick to it...

and I did...

It wasn't easy at all! The entire first mile was up a hill and lets just say I defiantly saw my breakfast after I was done BUT it was worth it! The feeling of accomplishment I had afterward was just what I needed after a few hard weeks.

It was great to have my dad run in the same event...even if he did run the 10 mile (maybe someday I will join him).

Already planning my next adventure!!!

Foto Friday ( I know, it's been a while)

2010-06-25T12:37:00.002-04:00

At our afternoon, "tea party". ( I say it with quotes because we actually used water instead of tea due to my little ones HATING tea).

Oatmeal anyone...

Strawberry jam...without pectin!

2010-06-21T11:39:00.004-04:00

For the past two years, I have made our strawberry jam. My kids just love PB&J but this mama hates store bought jelly (and peanut butter but that is for another day). At least when I make my own, I know what is going into those little bellies!

Anyways...here it is!

I started with 4 quarts of strawberries (you can use as many or as few as you would like)

1. cut the green off your strawberries and place them in a measuring cup.
2. Place in a large sauce pan and mash with a potato masher
3. Add 3/4 cup of sugar per cup of strawberries.

4. mix, mix, and mix some more while mashing until the jam starts to foam.
5. put in 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice per cup of strawberries (mine was 2/3 cup)

as you can see, mine got a little too foamy due to a missing child....

6. mix, mix, and mix some more until it really starts to boil.
7. Turn heat off and poor into your jars.

8. Boil jars for 10 mins...and there you have it...strawberry jam for the whole year!

* This recipe was orginially given to me by Joceyln over at Tillaboro Orchard.

She's pretty cute...

2010-06-15T21:10:00.005-04:00

My good friend Jen is an AWESOME photographer...really..check out her stuff!

Well Jen took some super cute pictures of Addy...

She is one talented lady I tell you.

I love me some baby toes
Fluffy tutus rock!
Seriously???!!
SUper cute
Beautiful little girl
Thanks Jen!!!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...(or country)

2010-06-15T13:53:00.003-04:00

The sun is shinning. Yes it is! And I am actually being productive today. Even so I have a to do list the size of Texas...

You as what it is?

Well....

wash diapers and hang out
wash MOUNDS of clothes
clean the bathrooms (all three of them)
prep for making cushions for the cottage sofa (a larger task than I had anticipated)
read a chapter in CRAZY LOVE
get raw milk from my super secret, yet awesomely close dairy farm
clean up EVERYTHING and when I am done with that, do it again
weed the garden
wipe things...butts, counters, windows, etc
fix water damaged landscaping in the front yard
prep chicken for this evening
prepare for and go to last soccer practice of the year
give my babies some much needed mama time with a nice long walk!!

Yes, this is just a glimpse of my everyday life. It's crazy, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

Call me crazy!

2010-06-10T20:41:00.002-04:00

As I said before, I am reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. And YES you should ALL read this book..seriously!

Well God is speaking to me. It's funny how he does that right? And then we are all surprised when God changes something in our lives.

Tonight I came across this line in the book, " Having faith often means doing what others see as crazy".

How many times have you (or I) done something or said something that we knew wasn't what God would want? I mean deny Him or His work just because we don't want to be social awkward?

I got news for you folks, that is NOT what God wants. It truly hurts him when we straight up deny his works. So, guess what? I WILL be the crazy girl now. The one who says what might not be what others want to hear, the one who helps the "annoying" person of the group, the one who loves the unlovable, the one who gives her seat up for the elderly, the one who SERVES Jesus!

My personal challenge this week is to look for those situations where I would usually ignore and GO FOR IT!

so you ask, "What HAS Kara been up to?"

2010-06-09T12:59:00.003-04:00

Yes, I have been taking the cheaters way out these past few weeks and just posting pics on my blog with no real content of what we have been up to...

So here is the deal. We (I) have been up to a lot. You ask what that may be...while here it is.

1. My baby turned one! What you didn't know?? So we have been partying it up here. Unfortunately, my little one was pretty sick the week before and up to her party. After four days of anitbiotics, she started perking up a bit. BUT, she had a HIGH fever for almost a week before it broke. Anyways..the theme was strawberries and she was pretty sweet ;o)

2. My big princess got the results of her Kindergarten screening and her teacher for the fall! WOW. Can you believe my baby is turning 5? Well, I cannot!! PLUS..as you know, we struggled with the decision to send her to school. I was very very VERY willing to homeschool my little bug but after much prayer we decided school is where God wants her to be. My stubborn self STILL shudders when I think about sending her but I know God will take care of her.

3. I have been reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan and WOW is it the best book I have ever picked up. I have to be honest with you and tell you that most non-fiction/spiritual books bore me. Not because they aren't filled with great stuff, but because my attention span is nil.. This book IS GREAT! I cannot stop reading and re-reading it! SO I highly recommend it to ANYONE who needs or wants to change their life. God is changing me through this book.

4. I am in the process of finding some raw milk in my area. If you want to know why go here or here and you will see...

5. Planting, growing, and starting my summer canning! Strawberries are out here and I need to get my butt in gear and pick some for my jam. Last year's canning made it through the ENTIRE year as well as leftovers for xmas gifts. There is something very rewarding about growing your own veggies and feeding your family with them all year long.

Well hopefully I didn't bore you...just an update my friends. Happy blogging!!

I know, I have been MIA...

2010-06-07T21:19:00.002-04:00

I really really REALLY have some things to blog about..

but...

I have had my hands full lately with lots and lots of things.

What are those things you ask?*

Well....

*We celebrated Addy's dedication/first birthday this weekends with the whole fam! Pics to follow!

THE BEST GF bread recipe

2010-05-31T08:38:00.004-04:00

And it's easy...

1 cup rice flour
1 cup corn starch (or potato)
1/2 cup GF oat flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon yeast
1 1/3 cup WARM water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of honey
1/2 teaspoon of vinegar ( I use apple cider)
2 eggs mixed with some water to make them frothy (about 2 tablespoons)

IF you are feeling lazy just place all of the ingredients in the bread machine on a basic white cycle.

IF you want to do it the long way (and more satisfying)...prep your yeast in warm water, mix dry ingredients, then mix wet ingredients and combine. Will look wet but that is okay. Bake 350 for 80 minutes.

Just as I promised, more pictures

2010-05-29T13:56:00.003-04:00

We had a great little birthday celebration for Miss Addy complete with cake and presents.

She loved the cake. At first she attempted to lick it but the camera wasn't fast enough. She pretty much loved the frosting but ditched the cake after a few bites. (FYI..it was a gluten free cake and not my favorite either).

She love love LOVED her new toy from us. It is an ice cream truck and sings a song. She kept dancing every time it went off. (We now have races with the ice cream truck and the tonka truck in our house...)

Overall, it was a great warm day! She was the happiest she has been in a while all day long and even intentionally said "mama" a few times just to see me smile ;o)

I'm ONE today!

2010-05-28T12:41:00.002-04:00

More pictures to come...

My baby girl is ONE!

2010-05-27T17:57:00.003-04:00

It's official, my baby is now 1!

Where has this year gone? Seriously...I feel like it was yesterday I was waddling around the house waiting for this little "boy" to come! To MY surprise, she came out a she and NOT a he and I couldn't be happier!

We love our little Addy!! She makes our family complete!

Happy birthday little one....

Some of my favorites from this past year.

simplicity

2010-05-17T20:49:00.003-04:00

Some days I wish I were 5 again....

Running threw the grass barefoot
with your best friend.

Can you feel the love?
Not a care in the world. Just happy to be playing together...

Detour

2010-05-12T20:56:00.002-04:00

Yes, I know I haven't updated you on my journey of the Proverbs 31 woman. BUT...God has had me reading, Crazy Love by France Chan. Let me tell you, it is a life changing book. Really!

Anyways, I wanted to share with you a short part that really struck me today.

Frances is talking about being a Lukewarm Christian. You know, the one that none of us want to admit to being. So I don't swear, I give my time to the needy, I read my Bible (and study it), etc... so why would I be a lukewarm Christian? Yeah, I am..Darn! Well he gives a lot of examples of a lukewarm Christian and this particular one really struck me.

"Lukewarm people don't really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don't genuinely hate sin and aren't truely sorry for it; they're merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don't really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one. "

hmmmmm. I have to be honest with you, this is true. Really! Who wants to live a life in hell? Not me! But do I ask for forgiveness for my sins because I want to live like Jesus or because I am just afraid of hell?

So my challenge this week is to genuinely love God and ask for His forgiveness because my life in Him is the MOSt important thing....

Thoughts...

I love being a mom

2010-05-09T19:23:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!!

AND THE WINNER IS...

2010-05-06T13:14:00.002-04:00

#3 Mrs. Dayton herself.

and just in case you think I may have rigged this somehow, I used random number generator to pick the winner.

Now Mrs. Pamela..please email with your choice (either a bonnet, dress, or PJ shorts)

One year ago....

2010-05-04T15:25:00.000-04:00

Crazy to think she will be one in just a few short week....

Strength

2010-05-03T13:38:00.003-04:00

She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

The word Vigorous is defined as "Strong, energetic, and active in mind or body; robust."

I don't know about you but I am not always strong, energetic, active, or robust when it comes to being a homemaker. Don't get me wrong, I do have some spurts of energy here and there but when the baby has been up all night and won't nap, the 3 year old poops his pants for the second time, and the 5 year old refuses to clean up her toys, I am a bit WHOOPED! (note: as I write this the baby is SCREAMING because she is refusing a nap again which has zapped my energy once again).

But here she is displayed as having strong arms for her tasks which she does vigorously. Where do you get your strength? As Christians we know where we get our strength...GOD but we don't always call on him. *insert a smack on the head here* Psalm 28:7 says, "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.". There it is...He is our strength but he asks for one thing in return...Trust! Trust that God will give you the strength to be the best homemaker, mother, woman, friend, neighbor, or wife that He created you to be. The words of Chris Tomlin's song "Everlasting God" come to mind when I think about strength in the Lord.

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary

You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

So use Him...use HIS strength because we alone are NOTHING...hear that NOTHING without Him. I know I pray all day long, especially when I want to scream "LISTEN TO ME...I AM MOM". God does give me strength to complete the task he has given me. I know this task will change as I grow older and I know that God will continue to strengthen me.

GIVEAWAY!!!

2010-04-29T14:31:00.003-04:00

So here is the deal...

I was cleaning my minivan out this afternoon (don't laugh, I know you love to rock the minivan) and I found some pretty interesting things. Not only was it absolutely disgusting, there were some objects that should never belong in a vehicle.

You ask what I found....

A outlet cover
melted crayons
spoons (that had some unidentified leftovers on them)
Diaper cream (hasn't been used in YEARS)
m&m's (melted and gross of course)
Hand wipes
many many many rocks (okay these were from trips to the park...~~last year~~)
barbies
A statue of a pilgrim (my family will understand this one)
and just plain old garbage...GROSS

So my idea was to do a little giveaway. I want you to go out to your vehicles and find something strange or tell me about something strange you have found in the past. Post it on here and you will be entered in a chance to win either a bonnet or a dress made by me!! You pick the size (and item) and I will pick the colors!! If you only have boys, I will make you a pair of PJ shorts for the summer time instead! The giveaway will close on Thursday May 6th so make sure you get your comments in before then!

Want extra chances to win...write about this giveaway on your blog, Facebook it, or twitter it and let me know!!

What are you waiting for...GO...

money money money money...MONEY

2010-04-28T13:08:00.004-04:00

She considers a field and buys it;

out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

Money...

It can bring out good or bad feelings in us. Right? Some of us have a lot of money and do just fine with it. Other of us are just barley making ends meet...if that. So what does this verse really have to do with finances?

I will start by saying, this was a difficult verse to talk about. A lot of the literature out there talks about how this is encouraging mom's/wives to work or start up their own business.

Although I agree that it could mean this, I do not feel this is what God wants. I believe that God wants us to put our energy into being mom's and not into our careers right now. Yes, I know some of you don't agree and I respect that...really I do but I believe differently. Even so, it doesn't mean we cannot be entrepreneurial. We all have gifts that God has given us. For me, I like to make things and would love to sell them some day. To have money that my hands have earned is rewarding to me. I love what this Pastor had to say about it.

Okay, so, what do I think this means....

"She considers her field and buys it". The word "considers" pops out to me. She doesn't just go out and buy because she feels like it, she considers it. I am sure that she weighs how this purchase will effect her family. Is it something that is necessary for survival? Can we do without it? Can I find something just the same for a cheaper price? Do I need it or is just a want? Will spending my money this way bring glory to God? All of which are extremely important questions to ask yourself when making a purchase.

I can hear you saying, "really...you really want me to go through these questions when I am considering buying grapes instead of apples? Seriously?". Well maybe. I guess it depends. Personally, I do these things. I think of the food we NEED for nutrition and the MONEY (there is that word again) that we have set aside to purchase food. It's not just for those major purchases, it for those little ones as well. Try it next time. God will provide.

And the whole "vineyard" thing...I think this represents our future. Vineyards are not the easiest to grow. They require a lot of attention and only produce more when in a prime environment. So the Proverbs 31 woman invests in her vineyard so that it will produce the most fruit.

hmmmmm...

Are you investing in your "vineyard"?

Would love to hear your thoughts girls... (or guys)

Oh the outfits these kids come up with

2010-04-26T12:36:00.001-04:00

Kylie loves color and by color I mean EVERY single color! She defiantly has her own sense of style!!

what's for breakfast?

2010-04-25T07:47:00.002-04:00

¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

I sure do! Many many MANY days I get up before the sun. As you know, Cooper is an early riser. By early I mean 5:30am!!! Most mornings I ignore him until 6 at the earliest but he is my alarm clock. Not to mention that the baby usually wakes up between 4:30-5:30 for a morning feeding so by the time Cooper comes in, I have just drrriifffttteeddd off into dddrrreeeaaammmm llaanndd...

*Yawn*

But this verse says it all my friends. The Proverbs 31 woman is suppose to get up before her family and provide food for them. (I would provide for my servant girls if I had any, but none here...).

I have always felt it was important to start the day off fresh. I would love to wake up before the crack of dawn and have a hot breakfast all ready for my family but that just doesn't happen...right now that is. As I said earlier, it is impossible to get up before Cooper so I have to make due. I get up WITH Cooper and make a meal for him. Many mornings this is before the other two get up so I have everything in order by the time they come down to eat. I also strive to "serve" them breakfast each morning. It may be the usual...yogurt, granola, and emergen-c or something different like waffles but it is breakfast.

You hear of some many kids who just get a bowl of cereal and milk (if they are lucky) for breakfast or have to wait until school to eat and this is just not how we are suppose to start the day. We are suppose to have a good start! A start with food and family.

So girls, lets serve our family this week. Make them breakfast and make sure they are ready to start the day.

Sailing...Sailing

2010-04-22T12:57:00.005-04:00

¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,

bringing her food from afar.

The first thing I felt necessary to do before writing this post was to do a little research. I thought it was pretty straight forward...you know..she goes out of her way to bring food to her family. I came across a few good posts about the topic but both seemed a little different. So I thought I would start by looking at the analogy of a merchant ship...

Merchant ships in the day did NOT use propellers. They relied on their sails and ores to get them where they needed to go. I think of my dad in his sailboat. There are times when he FLYS and the waves jump over the sides of the boat and other times where he slowly sits and waits for a little bit of wind to push him 5 feet. There is no telling how long it could take him to go for a "short" sail. I am thinking it was the same in Biblical times as well. It could take a ship months just to get to their destination or it could take just a few weeks.

Talk about relying on God! I think of the young man on the ship who NEEDS to get back before his wife has a baby or the woman who so desperately needs to see her child again. There is no timeline to give their loved ones. They just go. They trust...

TRUST. There is that word again. Trust! They trust that God will get them where they need to go. Not on their own time line but on HIS time line!

The proverbs 31 woman needs to TRUST that God will provide for her family. He will take her where she needs to go to get food for those she loves.

John 15:7-9 says, "⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. ⁸This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. ⁹"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love."

To remain in God would be to trust God with everything. He has promised that if we trust (remain) in Him, he will PROVIDE!

Another point made about this verse is that the merchant ships often times carried new fruits, spices or grains that were not available at the times. They were nutritious and different from those they ate everyday.

As the other of Keep it Simple says, " Spice it up ladies!". Give your family some variety in the foods you prepare. Make a HOT meal once in a while and actually put some seasoning on that chicken!

My challenge today is How are you going to rely (trust) in God to keep you sailing today?

I am going to pray. Pray, pray, pray. The devil has a way of getting in the way sometimes. Since I have started this journey of becoming the Proverbs 31 woman, the devil has made it VERY difficult to apply some of the principles taught here. My kids will just be plan old naughty and not listen to me so I respond in anger and not patience or my husband will come home grumpy from a hard day at work and I will just snap at him for not helping clean up. The devil has a way of TRYING to get in the way. I need to make a conscious effort to pray in these moments, knowing it is the devil. I will TRUST that God will keep me on my journey and help me provide for both my husband and my children!

Dear Lord,

Thank you for the promise of providing for those who "remain" in You. Just knowing that You will be there at the end of the day can make it all better. I pray that the devil would stay FAR from me. Help me to stand up to him when things are going sour. Help me to provide for my family the way you want me to. Thank you Lord! Amen

Wool and flax!

2010-04-20T13:18:00.005-04:00

¹³ She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

Wool and flax huh? Wool (as you know) is taken from sheep and then used in many different articles of clothing. While flax is a fibrous plant used in making linen. The most famous flax was grown in Egypt at the time due to ideal conditions. There was no better linen than that grown in Egypt.

So they were both pretty valuable at the time and necessary to make clothing.

I am going to take this a step further and say that wool and flax could mean things of value or things of importance to her family.

Now...EAGER hands! Eager is defined as keen or ardent in desire or feeling; impatiently longing. If you are eager for something, you just cannot wait to do it! Not only can't you wait, you WANT to do it. You do it willingly.

Now lets put this into "Kara's" terms. For me, I actually like to make things from scratch and I feel as though God wants me to do things this way. No, I do not go shave a sheep and bring home the wool to spin but I do make a lot of our things (or contrary to my friend Loren's believes, I do not grind my own wheat with a stone in the backyard). Not only do I make most of our food, I make the kids PJ's, the girls hats, mittens, curtains for the house, and many other various things. This could lead into another conversation (once again) about a need verses a want and how we are to use the things God provides instead of always wanting...

But I digress..

I will be the first to admit that I do not always do this willingly or eagerly. There are many times when my to-do list gets WAY to long and I get overwhelmed by doing things this way. I personally want to scream and say, "lets just go to the store and buy it". Even so, I know that this is what God wants me to do.

I can see you all shaking your head saying, "really...you really want me to do THAT". No, I don't. I don't believe that everyone has to do things the same way. For you it may be something like having a hot meal ready when you hubby gets home or taking walks with the family on a weekly basis. Pray about it. Let God show you what he wants your "wool and flax" to be and then EAGERLY work with your hands to make it happen.