Drift wood

This past weekend some of our fabulous friends were out here on the coast.  We joined them on the beach for an afternoon.  Because of all the rain, wind and flooding, there was a TON of driftwood.  They put together this amazing fort!  We just got to join in and play after they did all the work :)

Not quite ready...

(https://tinypants.wordpress.com/tag/vintage-kindergarten-chairs/)

This past week I've been helping out at the elementary school in E's kindergarten classroom.  The first day I had Heidi with me she did awesome!  She sat at a table, answered questions, followed instructions and blended right in with the class.  I was thinking I had a super advanced three year old that I should petition to start school early. 

The second day was a different story.  I was leading a shape and color bingo game for the class while the teacher was doing one on one testing with the kids.  Heidi was sitting at a table in the front of the classroom.  I called out, "red-circle".  Heidi called out, "I have to pee!"  I asked E to take her to the bathroom so I could continue with the game.  A few minutes later they came back, Heidi stood in front of the class and unabashedly gave me a full report of her visit to the restroom. 

The next thing I knew, a teacher's aid knocked on the door with Heidi standing by her side.  She asked if this little lost girl belonged in the Kindergarten classroom because she was out wandering the halls.  I didn't even see her leave the room!  We were nearly done with the game when I glanced over at Heidi to make sure she was still in her seat.  She wasn't.  She was standing in the middle of the classroom holding her dress up around her waist and her tights and undies were pulled down around her ankles.

I ran over to her and asked, "What are you doing?!?"
Heidi, looking at me as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, answered, "I have to pee."
"In the middle of the classroom?!?"
Shoulder shrug.
I pulled up her undies, pulled down her dress and gently excused myself and my distracting child from the classroom...grateful I hadn't started an application for early admission.

Lemon head Fred

Leah found this in the bag of lemons we had in the fridge.  Her creative little mind went right to work and turned a lemon into a fish!  I thought it turned out pretty cute :)

Chicken Herding

We have some friends.  They have some chickens.  Together, we had some fun.

 Leah and our friend R holding a chicken

 Naomi attempting to keep the chickens in the coop

 One moment of weakness....

 and he escaped!

"egg beaks"

A little bit of wind

This past week we've had a bit of wind and rain.  And when I say a bit I mean 109 mph wind and 9 inches of rain in three days.  This is the fence in our backyard.  This is also when I become really glad that we are renting :)

The Breakfast of Champions

This morning while I was showering, Heidi made herself breakfast. What else, but a plate of powdered sugar. That's my girl.

FM-Group 4 Recipes

Group 4

Meat Loaf
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nJVvAd__00SBXtRdQkC6l9sOX40hQZtrDfOk-_Q2OcA/edit?hl=en_US#
I prefer to make "meatloaf muffins".  Make the meatloaf mixture and then cook in a muffin tin.  That way you can take a few out at a time. 

Pop-Over Tacos
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zZbx1-AMFXk3kBC2G4YgiPf23jt_ZGN3p-LevigLoGM/edit?hl=en_US#

Macaroni Toss
(The file for this is currently MIA.  I'll try to track it down) 
You could actually just replace it with meatballs.
http://wightbunch.blogspot.com/2011/12/day-6.html#!/2011/12/day-6.html
Leave out making the sauce.  This way you can use the meatballs for spaghetti, swedish meatballs, or sweet and sour meatballs.

Cornbread Skillet
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U2YUEfG4HKz_NnBvUXiKmsJgvEIo8Y2_hOtXjifLotQ/edit?hl=en_US#

FM-Group 3 Recipes

Group 3
**Meal can be made without meat

Sloppy Joes
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-X8mQqOVkztcka55bxlAKtL9twq2La9gD5jQKf5NLMg/edit?hl=en_US#

Lazy Man's Lasagna**
http://wightbunch.blogspot.com/#!/2012/01/it-was-baking-kind-of-day.html
You can make a regular lasagna in a metal or disposable pan and freeze it.  To make it "lazy", make the sauce, cheese mixture and cook a bag of mini lasagna noodles or egg noodles.  Mix everything together in a big bowl and freeze in bags.  It tastes the same, just doesn't take as long (or look as pretty).

Meat Pie
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JRMUVVvRffJ20xrsrHKqyvYhnlwUnfEvH72GS7pdUP0/edit?hl=en_US#

Taco Soup**
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s9FtyvctIRKmURi7Q0qO2ih9r1lKalTGsw8utK8hXd0/edit?hl=en_US#

FM- Group 2 Recipes

Group 2
**Recipe can be made without meat

Pulled Pork Sandwiches
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6097368413826966903#editor/target=post;postID=7653326546484697679
Italian Wedding Soup**
http://www.thecookingphotographer.com/search?q=italian+wedding+soup
Chili**
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zX7mJcHXJPTJheqCCMYYW8JVWI5_jr6ical3K-LY2wA/edit?hl=en_US#
Spaghetti Sauce**
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=1jxChQoYMBq-tkVsQz3DWEUonqgKdM6I3y2uUvn90ihbr9IBabEcLH6remnWr&hl=en_US
Short Sharp Chops
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=1p16OtWmDSslOjXI14gVyEjzAPGBXfNi1B9YxOpjlZOio1fSC8tlPb0On3hag&hl=en_US

FM- Schedule and Group 1 Recipes

Cooking schedule
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AlsTAFm_DUCFdDRpQXpUdDAyb3lfMEQxUTJmaC1iMlE&hl=en_US#gid=0

Recipes-Group 1
**Many of these recipies can be made vegetarian**

Pizza Pockets**
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NnIIn2nv_bPjStbGWBeOl8rSddoAYSrYNclo-ecwkAk/edit#
Chicken Pot Pie
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JLlxekuIjh_KI44k9Uo-8trzaGaMjn7AID1_qSSJBVI/edit?hl=en_US#
Fajitas**
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14EoDiXh0vg3klz_2z2TK7hZwe3R1mjlgFOflHX9rYUA/edit#
Stir Fry**
http://dinnerforeveryone.com/?p=134#more-134
Chicken Noodle Soup
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w5FqK9tBhg8KP766Ipb_SmNUJ0AqyWnmHOGO7zVk6OE/edit?hl=en_US#
Mulligatawny Soup
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IsRdRJCFtucKP-QUeLo-4JKFAgRgFj9pHJvJjhZEJYE/edit?hl=en_US#

Freezer Meals

Back when I only had two young babies my friend introduced me to the concept of Freezer Meals, or "Meals for a Month".  Four of us young mothers would get together, let our babies slobber on each other, and plan out 14 meals, a shopping list, a prep list and decide on a weekend to cook.  On a Thursday we would go shopping and divide the food.  Friday was our prep day at our own houses.  Depending on what items we had, we would each chop veggies, cook chicken, brown massive quantities of hamburger etc.  Saturday we would get together for the whole day and cook until we were sick of it and then order out pizza for dinner. 

We have all since moved to different parts of the country, but I have continued making freezer meals from time to time.  Now that all my friends and I have larger families it doesn't make as much sense to have a group of four.  I usually do this on my own or with one other friend with an equal-ish sized family.  These recipes are divided to do cooking on two different days; chicken and pork on one day, and beef on the next.  I'll give you my recipes but feel free to adjust them depending on your families preferences or replace them with recipes of your own.   

Recognition to my sisters for their help in organizing, typing, testing and providing some of these recipes.  Love ya!

Step 1
Print out all recipes and cooking schedule

Step 2
Make a complete shopping list for all your recipes.  This is done most easily if you make categories.  Meat, Dairy, Vegetables, Fruit, Canned, Boxed, Frozen, Misc. **REMEMBER TO INCLUDE FREEZER BAGS OR CONTAINERS TO STORE YOUR MEALS IN** 

You may want to hold off buying some things on the list.  Example:  Fajitas.  You would want to buy the meat and veggies to make the fajita filling, but hold off buying the tortillas, and toppings until a few days before you eat this meal.  With Pulled Pork Sandwiches, buy the pork, onion and BBQ sauce, but hold off buying the buns.  You get the idea...

Step 3
Prep your house.  Do your dishes, clean off your counters and work surfaces, sharpen your knives, find all the pieces to your food processor, clean out your fridge and freezer to make room for your shopping and meals.  Doing all these things ahead of time will make the whole production more efficient.  Look through your cupboards and fridge to determine if you already have any ingredients on your list.

Step 4
Go shopping WITHOUT KIDS! 
If buying this much food at once seems overwhelming, do it in two different runs.  You can shop one day for all the non-perishable items and veggies.  If you have energy when you get home, go ahead and prep all your veggies.  The next day go buy your perishable and frozen items.  Prep all your meat.
**A note about prepping your food...It's easiest to chop all of one type of food at a time and it helps avoid cross contamination.  Chop all your onions and put in a zip bag.  One medium onion is equal to about 1/2 c chopped, one large onion is about 1 c chopped. 

Step 5
Cooking-Groups 1 and 2

Step 6
Cooking-Groups 3 and 4

Step 7
Order out for dinner and relax knowing you won't have to make dinner for a whole month!

It was a baking kind of day...

Yesterday school was canceled because of the weather.  Apparently the administration thought it would be mean to make kindergartners stand at the bus stop with rain blowing sideways at 60 mph.  That left us at home to cozy on in for the day.  First order of business was to take care of our drafty door...ghetto style. 

Yes. Yes that IS red duck tape around my door and I did indeed tape my scarf to the door as well.  It's not usually so drafty, but the wind was blowing directly from the south and directly through my door.         

After that we figured we would warm up the house by turning on the oven and doing a bit of baking :) 

  We discovered banana bread is really good warm with Nutella.

Cream 1 c sugar, 1 c butter and 2 eggs

Mix in 3 ripe bananas, 1 T milk, 1 T ground cinnamon and 1/4 t nutmeg

Mix in 1 t baking powder, 1 t baking soda, 1 t salt and 2 c flour

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.  Turn oven down to 325 for an hour. 

Lasagna with sausage, mushrooms and spinach. 

Saute one onion, chopped
8 oz chopped mushrooms
1 lb sausage
Stir in one can diced tomatoes and 28 oz spaghetti sauce

In another bowl mix ricotta cheese, 2 eggs, one package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained and 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese.

Layer in 9x13 pan
sauce
lasagna noodles
1/3 ricotta mixture
sauce
mozzarella cheese
noodles
ricotta
sauce etc.
Bake covered at 375 for an hour-ish.

No Fail French Bread.  Seriously.  You can't mess this recipe up.

In your mixing bowl put in 6 c flour, 1 T salt, 2 T yeast 3 T sugar.  Mix.  Pour in 1/3 c oil and 2-21/2 c hot water.  Mix for 5 minutes.  Cover and let double.  Divide dough in half.  Roll each half out to a rectangle.  Roll up and slash across the top with a knife.  Bake at 375 for 15ish minutes.

Basketball Star

On Saturday Naomi had her first basketball game.  She's never played before. Her team only had two "practices" before their game during which there was no explanation of rules, objective or expectations except to "go out there and have fun."  I was shocked to watch Naomi go out on the court and start dribbling, blocking and shooting like she's been playing organized ball for years.  She made her first shot and scored the first points of the season.  This picture is right after she scored.  She was SO happy!  I was pretty excited too :)

Phases of the moon

Just as the moon goes through phases, Heidi's potty training went through phases as well.

New Moon:  The new, tiny little bum of sweet baby Heidi in a diaper.

Waxing Crescent:  At 2 years old, Heidi stayed dry through the night...a clear sign that she MUST be ready to potty train.  (I'll admit I was a little anxious knowing once she was toilet trained I would never have to change my own kid's diaper again.)

First Quarter: At 2 1/2 I first attempted to but Heidi on the potty in hopes of spurring some excitement.  I might have dropped her in the frigid toilet water quickly reversing all positive effects...but I don't really remember :/

Waxing Gibbous: Just before she turned 3 I thought buying Pull-Ups might encourage her again.  She liked wearing them.  So much in fact that she didn't want to pee in them.  So Heidi would wear them all day, staying dry, and when she knew she needed to wet, she would bring me a diaper, take off her pull up and lie down so I could put the diaper on her.  When I did, she would take care of business, take the diaper off, put it in the garbage and then put her Pull-Up back on. 

Full Moon:  At 3 I thought buying undies would encourage Heidi to at least SIT on the toilet again.  I got her cute little Dora undies and got rid of the diapers.  Well, now she would wear her undies until she had to wet, then she would put on a Pull-Up, fill it, take it off , put it in the trash and put her undies back on.  

Waning Gibbous:  Any time I tried to get Heidi anywhere near the toilet she would scream.  I started thinking some therapy might be in order...for BOTH of us.

Last Quarter:  Heidi refuse to wear Pull-Ups and still refused to use the toilet.  After one accident at my friend's house, Natalie my friend's 10 year old daughter took it upon herself to potty train Heidi.  She gave Heidi a Hershey's kiss every time she sat on the toilet.  Natalie got Heidi to use the toilet twice.  When we got home, Heidi insisted she would only use Natalie's potty and continued to pee on my floor.  

Waning Crescent:  Heidi figured out peeing her pants multiple times a day really wasn't any fun...especially when we made her clean up her own mess.  Her compromise was to strip down, stand over the bath tub with one foot on either side ledge and pee.  That way she didn't get a drip on her AND she didn't have to clean up the floor.  As an added bonus...my bathtub has never been scrubbed so many times in a week.

NEW Moon:  At 2 am Heidi woke up whimpering that she needed to use the potty.  I was too tired to play her game and she must have been too tired to fight because I just plunked her on the toilet and she took care of business.  She's been going on her own IN the toilet ever since!!!!!  Happy day!  

Pulled Pork and Cabbage Slaw

Throw this in the crock pot and freeze the left overs. 

2 lbs. pork loin
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1 onion, thinly sliced

Put pork and onion in crock pot.  Cover with 2/3 bottle BBQ sauce and 1/2 c water.  Turn on low setting and let cook for 6-8 hours.  When the meat is soft enough, pull apart with two forks and mix with remaining BBQ sauce.  Serve on toasted buns.

Cabbage Slaw*

4 c finely shredded cabbage
2 T chopped green onions
2 T mayo
2 T sour cream
1 T Miso paste (optional but delicious)
2 t lemon juice
1 t apple cider vinegar
1 t olive oil
1 t agave nectar or honey
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t salt
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder

Put shredded cabbage and green onions in a bowl.  In another bowl mix all other ingredients.  Pour over cabbage and mix.  Let sit in the fridge all day.  Serve on the side or INside the pulled pork sandwich.

*If you want this to be vegan, use 4 T Vegenaise and leave out the sour cream...and don't eat it with meat :)  It's flavorful enough to stand on it's own!  (Did I mention I made it up?)

Chicken Pomodoro

This is seriously one of the easiest meals to make.  It's a great go-to recipe when the cupboards are bare because it only has a few ingredients :)

2 T butter
4-6 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1 lb chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1 small zucchini, 1 c chopped spinach or 1/4 c fresh parsley
Fettuccine noodles
Boil water and cook fettuccine noodles.

Melt butter in a skillet.  Brown garlic in the butter.  Add chicken and let cook a few minutes on each side.  Pour in tomato juice from can and cover chicken, letting it steam until cooked.  When cooked through, take chicken out of pan and chop.  Put zucchini, spinach or parsley in skillet and let cook a minute until tender.  Stir in cheese, canned tomatoes and put chicken back in.  Let simmer until noodles are cooked.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve chicken mixture over fettuccine noodles.

TMI !!!!

Leah's been getting a bit more observant recently and therefore more curious about life and how it's created.  We've had several plutonic discussions before about the differences between boys and girls etc.  This past discussion she kept asking more detailed questions, so I kept answering them.  After a rather "informative" conversation, she kept coming back to me with one concern, "But I just don't get how babies are made."  I didn't want to be too straight forward, but clearly my more gentle explanations just weren't doing the trick.  I told her.  I told her just how babies are made.  I gave her enough details to make her blush and declare that was disgusting and she was NEVER going to do that.  I told her to keep that opinion until she was thirty. 

Later that night after I had sent all the girls to bed, Leah came out of her room and said to me, "Something is really creeping me out...you know, about how babies are made?  I think I'm going to have nightmares tonight."

MY American Dream

<sup>When Lars got his job teaching I was amazed and grateful and felt very blessed.  I still do.  But I can't lie, after about a month I started thinking, "Is this really 'it'?"  We've worked our whole marriage to obtain an education and full time employment, good schools for our girls and reliable transportation.  While I am happy to have those things...a mini van just doesn't inspire me.  These feelings have nothing to do with "Keeping up with the Joneses".  I don't care what car I drive, what house I live in or even where I live.  I want to live an inspired life, full of creativity and opportunity. 
The thought of buying a house and living in it for 30 years freaks me out.  I don't give a rip about having the newest, the biggest or the best.  I crave new adventures, freedom, beauty and nature.   

Lars and I have been talking a lot about this recently and decided we are going to dream the big dream.  Lars wants to be a writer.  Always has.  I want to be an artist/photographer/graphic designer.  Always have.  So we're going to do it.  After this school year is over, Lars is taking a break from teaching and we are going to work our hearts out doing what we love.  Obviously we are going to be responsible parents and make sure our kids have food, clothing and shelter, but why not give it a shot?!?  We only get one life to live and I don't want to look back at mine and say, "I wish I would have......." 

I've started a new photography blog.  I'm a bit hesitant to do this now before I really
feel like I know what I'm doing, but it's all part of the learning process right? 
Check it out and give me any feedback.  http://birdhousephoto.blogspot.com/

So here's to a new year, a new plan and hopefully greater happiness, fulfilment and success.

Cheers</sup>

Over and Out

While watching a show where the characters were using walking talkies, Leah asked, "Why do they have to say 'Roger that'?  Why can't they say 'Tom' or something?!"

Guaranteed Goal Success

Generally for my New Year's resolutions I choose something I am absolutely sure I can achieve so I don't feel like a failure come December 31st.   I am proud to announce that I accomplished my goal for 2011 which was...

Avoid getting trampled by a herd of angry water buffalo. 

This year I am making two goals. 

1.  Brush my teeth at least once.  (Now every time I brush more than that, I will feel like an OVER achiever!  See, it's all about building self confidence which I will need for my second, more ambitious goal.)
2.  Use my fear as a catalyst for greatness.  

Life is brewing up some great opportunities and I don't want to get in my own way.