Making Memories and Good Food

An amazing fact about me: I used to rely on Hamburger Helper as a staple in my kitchen. I know, gross, right?
We, meaning me and my whole family (yes, even the men) have fallen in love with the Food network, especially the show Chopped. have you seen it? Oh my, we gather around and are spell-bound. :) Add that love to a desire to become healthy and that leads to some interesting things being "chopped" in our kitchen.
Don't tell Greg, but the lasagna that I will serve him tonight has no meat and lots of mushroom, eggplant and spinach.....yum! Here is the recipe if you want it. (sorry I don't have a picture yet, it is in the crock pot as I type.) Crock-Pot Vegetable Lasagna
Now, look at this:

Photo by Jessie

We love, love, love some lemon zest and this is so lemony and so healthy. 150 calories per serving. Just enough and so good!
Lemon Chiffon Squares

1

cup flour

1/2

cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1/4

cup sugar

25

JET-PUFFED Marshmallows

2

tsp. grated lemon zest

1/4

cup lemon juice

1

cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

16

fresh raspberries

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Mix flour, butter and sugar; press firmly onto bottom of greased 8-inch square baking pan. Bake 15 min. or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, mix marshmallows, lemon peel and lemon juice in large saucepan; cook on low heat until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Cool crust and marshmallow mixture completely.

ADD whipped topping to marshmallow mixture; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Spread evenly over crust.

REFRIGERATE at least 2 hours or until slightly firm. Cut into 16 squares to serve; top each square with 1 raspberry. Store leftover squares in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Oh, one more! How about some baked vegetables? These were just wonderful. I have never had any that tasted any better!

 Getting it all ready. Jessie, snapping pictures, kids singing....its a happy place.

I want to help....I want to help....

Here is the finished dish (not my picture) 

and the recipe:

Mixed Vegetable Bake

INGREDIENTS

1

 lb medium red potatoes, (about 4), cut into 1/8-inch slices

1

 large onion, cut in half and into 1/4-inch slices

2

 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/4         cup extra-virgin olive oil

2

 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

1

 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1

 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves

1/2

 teaspoon salt

1/2

 teaspoon pepper

1

 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1

 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slice

1Heat oven to 400°F. Spray bottom of 13x9-inch           (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
2Place potatoes, onion and carrots in baking dish;            toss with half each of the oil, garlic, thyme, tarragon,          salt and pepper. Bake 10 minutes.
3Meanwhile, in medium bowl, toss bell pepper and        zucchini with remaining oil and seasonings. Stir into          mixture in baking dish. Bake 30 to 35 minutes longer    or until vegetables are tender; stirring halfway through bake time.
I have found that by involving the kids in the cooking, making it fun and happy, has resulted in them trying more foods that normally they would not. That is especially true for the little ones. It is a great way to end the day and make memories that I hope they will always remember. 
Have a blessed day!

Sick Days {homeschool style}

That is our stack of science DVDs.

I think it has been a good investment for our homeschool, especially on days like today.

Jessie has been feverish and tired with a cold this week. She really wanted to do school (a homeschool moms dream) but just couldn't stay up at her desk.

The little girls were quickly drawn into the Moody videos about the ocean.


:) When I brought some soup in for Jessie, she promptly asked if I had put garlic in it. (my cure all) ;)

If you have some suggestions of what to add to our sick day collection leave me a note.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Distracted Much?

Lately I've noticed that my attention span for reading is not what it used to be. I am a little, well more like a lot, drawn to my iGadgets. iPhone, iPad, iPods, you name and we've got it and are pretty much addicted to it.
I pick up a book and after a few minutes I compulsively grab my phone to check something. Well, now that I've noticed this trend I am determined to break the habit now. I can't imagine what this is doing to my children, who all have an iPod touch.

Yesterday I thoughtfully picked out a new book that I've had but not read. Oh, I've started to read it several times only to get sidetracked. My first thought while reading was how much I love the written word on good old paper. I LOVE the feel of a book in my hand. I'll admit, I really had to make myself focus. I'm not kidding. And this really bothers me.

So, I'm reading Sally Clarkson's Ministry of Motherhood. It is so good, especially with a cup of coffee! Ministry of Motherhood





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pool Care with Common Household Cleaners

Well, spring seemingly blew in like summer, to a break for Blackberry Winter and then gave way to summer.
When it gets hot here there is one question on everyones lips, "Can we swim?"
Just a few weeks ago, knowing that April was busy and May would be swimming time, I began thinking of how in the world was I going to get rid of that green scum water in our pool that was home to all kinds of swimming creatures? The fact of the matter is that in years past opening of the pool was a very expensive trip to the pool store. This year I just did not have the resources to go dump 300 dollars in our pool! I had heard for years that you could treat your pool with common household bleach and baking soda. I was so scared, but after one time of spending 200 dollars and having the water remain the same and then having to spend 150 more I was willing to give it a try.

Of course, the first place I went was Google. There are a multitude of very helpful sites that teach the method known as BBB. BBB stands for Bleach, Borax, Baking soda. The forums are hopping with people so knowledgeable about caring for your pool this way. They get a big skip in their step by beating the system, so to speak, of the pool store breaking your bank.

So, I studied and went to Dollar General. After 20 gallons of bleach, 6 boxes of baking soda and 2 boxes of Borax, this is what we have:

I do need to vacuum this pool, but the water is all sparkly! Yippee! It only took about 4 days.
Here is a link to where I got most of my information.
BBB for Beginners

This has been the easiest pool opening I have done. I spent the most time just brushing the pool daily to keep the algae stirred up so that the BBB could do its work. I spent 60 dollars on the cleaners. I did buy a good pool testing kit and added some stabilizer that I already had.
 

Happy swimming!
PS, maintenance has been 1-2 gallons of plain bleach per week. That is it. :)

Hello!

Wow, it has really been a long time since I have blogged! For many different reasons, I have just not been in the blogging world lately. When I first began this blog, blogging was the only social media that I knew of. With the Facebook craze and twitter and smart-phones that instantly connect you, it has been very easy to go into media overload. Although, I love my dear iPhone and all of its conveniences I  do miss the blog and really enjoyed it more than all the other. Most of the time Facebook leaves me scratching my head or just plain agitated. *sigh*

So, what have we been doing? Much of the same, homeschool, church, just trying to be a good steward over what I am given charge of at this time in my life. This past week we had a revival that was a pretty good drive. We were thankful for the iPods! Now, I know all kinds of memories can be made riding 2+ hours a night, but really, we are together all day and the quiet time that the iPods afforded were just great.
Here is a little funny picture.

We will be schooling all through the summer with little breaks here and there. This works best for our family. I really get to missing school if  more that a couple of weeks pass without it. I think the kids miss the routine.  I am totally excited, as always, for the upcoming homeschool conference. It is so WONDERFUL! I just get all fired up and refreshed. My oldest daughter has gone with me for the past two years and we have a blast! It is just a great get-away for us.

My struggle with the weight loss/healthy living is an ongoing battle that I am determined to win. We have been doing great and have found a new favorite food....Broiled Tilapia from Allrecipes.  It cooked in under 10 minutes and was fantastic! My whole family loved it!  We have been drinking only water (read that NO SWEET TEA) with our meals and that is quite an accomplishment. I just really want my kids to not have to struggle and have all the bad habits that processed food and soft drinks can create in us.


Well, I must go now and I really hope that I can be back here soon!

A Letter to the Mean Mommy~ repost

A Post from the Past
Originally posted on December 8, 2007

In the midst of stress and frustration, God has sent exactly what I needed to hear. In the following letter that I received this morning through an email from Homeschooling Today, the words that my heart was crying out (but my head would not let them through) were made real. When I sat down for a break to read this email I could not believe that it came today. It has been a busy week and many things are behind, this evening is busy as well and I really want to get caught up to put my greatest effort into school before Christmas. This morning everything I needed to do seemed overwhelming I am glad I was able to put it into perspective before mean mommy stayed too long at my house. You see, I know I am not alone because the person that wrote this poured her heart out to help someone else. To the author I send thanks and gratitude for her honesty.

 A Letter: To Whom It May Concern 

by Kara Murphy 

Dear Mean Mommy,
 I am writing, once again, to protest your visit to our house yesterday. I would have thought that my last litany of complaints would have given you pause before you returned, but no. You seem to come and go at will. Well, I have had enough. First, you never give me any warning that you are coming. If I knew you were coming, I would be able to prepare for you as I do all my other guests. Why must you always arrive when the house is in such disrepair? In general, we do a fair job of keeping things picked up, but without fail, when the house is at its messiest, you show up. Not only that, but you time your arrivals when I feel my worst. Your last visit was after a sleepless night with our newborn. Before that, it was during a stressful time when the bills were late. No one should feel free to visit at tax time, especially when I have put off important record-keeping until the last minute. I suppose you would not think twice of arriving at our door immediately after we have just had back-to-back company. These are not the times to make unannounced appearances at our house!

 Even if we were aware of when you were coming, I would still not appreciate your attitude. Must you whisper those words to me all day long? You can’t do this. You are failing. Another woman would do a better job than you. What are you doing to your children? It isn’t enough that you pick on me, but must you also be so grumpy toward my children? All day long, you nag and complain about them. Do this. Do that. Hurry up. Get back to your work. You are a broken record and you need to be replaced! Don’t you realize that children are not finished products, yet? They are adults-in-training, but they’re not there yet. And must you be so impatient with them? Sometimes, you are like a steamroller, plowing through the house. I would hate to get in your way! You are running us all over. But the worst of it is your appearance…you look so much like me, my children may not realize the difference between us. They might actually think that you are me! I have had to apologize repeatedly for your troublesome ways. This is it. Your reign of terror must stop. Please leave and never return. And should you be tempted to come back, just remember that I am onto your tricks. Your wiles will not fool me any longer. I am going to fight to keep you away. And I know the best way to do that, too. God’s word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Him. —Psalm 119:11

 First, I have determined in everything, to give thanks seeing that this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning me. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) I will rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4) for I am learning, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11, 13) When those doubts begin to creep in I will be confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in me will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6) If you could just stop blustering and ordering everyone around long enough you might see an eternal perspective. You would realize that there is so much more to life in Christ than the day-in-and-day-out ups and downs. Step back for a moment from the immediate stressors. Why, there isn’t a hair that falls from my head that the Father is unaware of. He cares for birds and flowers in the field. How much more does He care for me and my family? (Matthew 6:25ff) Not only that, but He is working every circumstance in my life for my good and for the good of my children who love Him. (Romans 8:28)Since I know that I must be sober, to love my husband, to love my children (Titus 2:4), I will be gentle among my little flock, even as a nursing mother cherishes her children: So being affectionately desirous of them, I will be willing to have imparted unto them, not the gospel of God only, but also my own soul, because they are dear unto me…even when I must labor night and day. (1 Thessalonians 2:7-9a) And most of all I will remember that charity—an antiquated term for our word love—suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity—or love—never faileth. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
 If I have to, I will get really radical. When you show up, I intend to meet you at the door intent on bodily harm. For I see who you really are. You are the old (wo)man that Scripture speaks of so clearly. But I know this, that my old woman is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth I should not serve sin. (Romans 6:6) I will likewise reckon myself to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So I will let not sin therefore reign in my mortal body, that I should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield my members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield myself unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and my members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (Romans 6:11-13)

Because I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
                                                                              Prepared to do battle,
                                                                                                      A Loving Mama

Homeschool Planners

Homeschool planning, sometimes it is my favorite part of the homeschool adventure. How many planners have I tried? I will not embarrass myself by sharing that. :)

This past year I tried the beautiful Well Planned Day. It was the first booth that I walked by at last year's convention. The young, eager salesmen wanted to talk to someone. It was a fine looking planner that, if I am correct, was written by a homeschool mom. So I bought one, with the matching binder. I wanted so bad to love this planner. From the start the binder was just too bulky and was made of a cloth like binding. Meaning, I was OCD about it staying white. I sold it while it still looked new. :/

Well, as much as I loved the design. I just could not get in sync with the planner. I am sure many mom's love it. So, what do I do for planning? I am totally eclectic. Here I will share links to the site I use for my forms. I make my own binder. First one: Donna Young

Honestly, she has a gold mine here and it is all free!

My other go to place for planning is: The Homeschool Mom

And if you are homeschooling high-schooler and the word "transcript" sends you into an emotional break down, check out this link: (IT'S FREE!)


While using these forms I just create my own binder. I love the cute notebooking covers at this site.This is a beautiful planner that you make YOUR OWN.  There are list, menu planning (that is another blog post) and everything you would need and they are too cute! (Did I mention cute yet?) Access to the site last one year. You can download these to your computer and use as long as you like. There are also many freebies here too!



So, go have fun and make for yourself a planner that is all your own and WORKS for your family and your school!
Blessings,Melanie

Lunch Break~ Mini Deep Dish Pizza

What's for lunch? That question usually comes before I am ready to answer and fix it! I love, love, love fast and easy lunch. However, I don't like to settle for processed food if I can help it. The down side of this tasty treat are the canned biscuits. But, it was a hit!

 Here we go: Mini Deep Dish Pizza

 Enough Can Biscuits to feed your family. (We use a full 12 serving muffin tin.)
1 packet of Turkey Pepperoni
Pizza Sauce
Your choice of shredded cheese
Other pizza fillings you like. (Next time we are going to do black olives)
Italian Seasoning {optional}
Cooking Spray


 I start by spraying the muffin tin, then patting out the biscuit dough while incorporating the Italian seasoning. Then press it into the pan. Add a dollop of pizza sauce and other fillings (olives, sausage, veggies). Then top with cheese and pepperoni.

Bake at 450 until the edges are brown and the top is bubbly. I baked them in my new convection oven that the kiddos picked out . You just wouldn't believe how often I use it. {we are trying to get rid of the microwave} It has also come in handy when the big oven is baking and I need to bake something else.

Here they are! They were a huge hit here!







{Photo credit : my daughter, Jessie}

What's Cooking {Crock Pot Cooking} Today~Slow Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken Recipe

Slow Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken Recipe
from SparkRecipes

Number of Servings: 6

Ingredients

*2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts *1 pkg Good Seasons Italian dressing mix * 1/4 cup water * 1 8oz pkg low fat cream cheese *1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup *3 cups cooked white, long grain rice

Directions

*1. Place chicken in crock pot
*2. Mix together Italian dressing mix and water. Pour over chicken.
*3. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours OR low for 8 hours.
*4. Mix together cream cheese and soup in separate bowl.
*5. Carefully remove chicken from crock pot to plate.
*6. Pour cream cheese/soup mixture into crock pot and mix together with dressing in bottom.
*7. Return chicken to crock pot and mix gently to shred the chicken.
*8. Cook on LOW until heated through.
*Serve with rice or noodles.

**You may add skim or low fat milk in very small quantities to thin the sauce a little. It does not significantly affect the nutritional value if you use up to 2 tablespoons**

Makes 6 servings. Approximately 2/3 cup mixture with 1/2 cup rice.

This recipe can be made with FAT FREE cream cheese and it saves about 6 grams of fat. However, I feel that the dish benefits from the flavor of the low fat over the fat free.

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user ORANGECOWCAT.

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 368.7

Total Fat: 10.3 g

Cholesterol: 115.5 mg

Sodium: 737.4 mg

Total Carbs: 24.1 g

Dietary Fiber: 0.9 g

Protein: 41.7 g

Gentleness Challenge.

This is a highly important aspect to mothering. Gentleness. As a homeschooling mom I can get so busy and stressed about everything from laundry to phonics and attitudes and character.....the list goes on...that I become one unpleasant mom. You know what that does? That totally tears down the very thing I am trying to build.

Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands. Proverbs 14:1

 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. Proverbs 15:1-2

"Let’s focus this January on dealing gently with our children. Touch them gently, use their names gently, use your words gently, slow down and be loving, kind, and gracious." from Women Living Well.

 The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson is  the basis of this study. If you would love to be a more gentle, gracious, patient mom (who doesn't) then check this out.

The Gentleness Challenge

Here is a direct link to the book:

Many blessings to you!

Confession Time

I am not a morning person. I have never, ever been one. I want to be really bad. I imagine all of the wonderful things I could do if I just got up earlier. It's a beautiful vision: Me all dressed and smiling with a nice warm breakfast to greet my kiddos after I have done my bible study and exercise and I have gone over the days to-do list and I am ready and in charge.

Then.....the alarm goes off. It is still dark. It is cold. The precious 3 year-old is snuggled in under my arm and all is right with the world (and I get nauseated just getting up before the sun) and my bed is warm and the house is quiet. I start the morning by failing. Failing to do what I have needed to do for years. I promise this has been going on for years. I clearly remember my mom waking me to the song "Oh, what a beautiful moring..." and me feeling like I was going to relive the scene from the Exorcist (you know, where her head spins and she pukes) And ever since I left the workforce when my 2nd born was one I remember those mornings of finally being able to sleep in and not having to drag the kids to my mom's house at 7:00 in the morning. It was heaven. Now, getting up early may not be for everybody. But, I have this grand  illusion that if I got up and accomplished those things listed above then my life would run smoother. I just have to see if that is the case.

So, as all of you bloggers know. The blogosphere is full of wonderful, godly women who help us all be better at what we do. I stumbled upon (divine intervention?) a challenge. It is called :

Hello Mornings



There is a free ebook. Today is the last day to register. It is free. It looks like a fun way to tackle a hard thing.
I really want to try to change the way things are going here at home. I think this may be the key to being more productive and successful in some things I am trying to do. I know it will teach the children a better example. I am just a night owl who is wanting to see how the other side lives. ( I stand in awe at  all of you morning glory types) :)

Wish me luck!

"prod yourself, kick yourself, it is the only way!"  The Disciplined Life by Richard Taylor.

How to get your 12 year old man child...

...to enjoy working through the Body Book.


Allow him to color it like a swamp thing and call it by his oldest sister's name. ;)


In all truthfulness, I was so excited to do this book. Earlier in our year I happily introduced it to him and boy was I in for a downer. The man-boy was not too happy about cut and paste. So after dwelling on it over the holidays I decided to not give up. I also relaxed and agreed that he could be as creative with it as he wished. He still thinks it is goofy. I still believe it is a neat way to learn about our body. Let's face it, Apologia science books will come to him soon enough.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

:)

What a way to get our school started back. PJ's, fuzzy socks, fleece wrap. ;)



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone