Fruit Salsa

Several months back, I went to a Tupperware party where they made a fruit salsa dip to demo one of their products. Whoa - I could have eaten the whole bowl. I tried making it at home and decided to replace my applesauce (which replaced maple syrup last year, which replaced the nastiness of Log Cabin Light the year before that) on waffles and pancakes. It was SO GOOD! I haven't made it in a while, but after giving the kids post-swimming baths at 4:30 and putting them in their PJs early, Ryan asked if we could have breakfast for dinner. Sounds fun - why not?

So here is my version of fruit salsa and a picture of a random whole wheat waffle recipe that I googled tonight. It kind of looks like vomit in this picture, but it's really good, I promise! You can use whatever fruit combo you have in the house, but I always make sure I include at least apples and strawberries.

2 apples, sliced

1 cup strawberries

1/2 mango, sliced

1 peach, pitted and sliced

1 kiwi, peeled and quartered

1 T. apricot (or similar) jelly

Pulse altogether in a food processor until there are no longer large chunks. (I'm sure you could also use a food mill or that Pampered Chef chopper thing.) I try to keep the apples kind of chunky, otherwise, it turns to mush, like applesauce. Which is still fine b/c it's like a sweetened, strawberry applesauce. Refridgerate in air tight container and use within 7-10 days.

I am...

This is for you April! For the rest of you, if you feel like playing along, please leave a comment so I know to check your blog.

I Am...a child of God, a sugar addict, organized, efficient, outgoing, optimistic, an only child, the successful product of a single mother.

I Want...a simple life, a peaceful home, a family who laughs and plays together, to be healthy, to learn from my mistakes and the mistakes of others, for my kids to love the Lord as much as (or more than!) I do.

I Have...a great husband, healthy children, good friends, good time management skills, very few real problems, a blessed life.

I Wish...I would get up earlier every day, I would slow down more and enjoy the "moments" in life, I had an over-priced camera that took amazing pictures and didn't have a delay, I had more self control, Mike didn't worry about our finances so much, my kids would listen the first time I say something, I was less opinionated, I didn't care so much about my body, I wasn't so critical of things that don't matter in the long run, that it was impossible for me to say something that would hurt someone else.

I Fear...screwing up my kids, what the world will be like in 20 years, getting Lasik surgery, scary movies, the dark (I know - how old am I?), that someone I love will get a painful fatal disease, my kids getting severely injured, that my grandmother is getting dementia, not making an impact.

I Hear...my A/C running constantly, Ryan asking for a drink of water, Mike brushing his teeth, papers on my desk blowing in the breeze of the fan overhead.

I Search...for parenting ideas that make sense for our family, for simple healthy recipes, for good deals, for the reasons behind everything.

I Wonder...if I'm making the right choices as a parent, if Mike and I will ever have a nice boring marriage with no conflict, if I will ever learn to be loving in all circumstances and have a quiet gentle spirit, how many kids we will have.

I Regret...raising my voice, using the tv as a babysitter when I have to work, not speaking up when someone is acting out of integrity.

I Love...God, my family and friends, being a mom, encouraging others, planning, rainy days, when my house is tidy, Paradise Bakery chocolate chip cookies, sleep, watching movies, baking, a sense of accomplishment, scrapbooking, getting a good deal, Trader Joe's.

I Hate...clutter, being wasteful, whining, traffic, drama, The Wiggles, knowing that someone is lonely, when people feel left out, when I do something stupid, people who are mean.

I Ache...when my kids are in pain, that so many people I know are in financial trouble, when someone I love is hurting.

I Always...stick to my convictions, drink plenty of water, make my bed before I go downstairs in the morning, watch "The Office," sleep with one foot outside the covers, have my Christmas cards done way early, overuse the words "so" "that" and "just" in my posts.

I Usually...pray at meals, follow through, show up on time, take my vitamins, am purposeful, am prepared, feel guilty after I eat sweets, overreact when I'm tired, follow a schedule/routine, think about how my words will effect others, go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, try to cram in one...more...thing.

I Rarely...worry, get offended, overexaggerate, do my daily devotions, burn dinner, wait until the afternoon to check my email, skip working out, watch live tv. (I love my DVR!)

I Never...lie, cheat during games, drink beer, skip meals, go more than 3 days without doing a load of laundry, wash my face before bed, buy greeting cards (I make them).

I Am Not...trendy, greedy, afraid of speaking in public, a pushover, a music lover.

I Dance...when I'm at a wedding, when others are dancing, when I've had a little "liquid courage."

I Sing...rarely, loudly when no one's listening, mostly Christian music.

I Cry...during Extreme Makeover Home Edition, when I see a baby being born on Discovery Health Channel, during sappy movies.

I Am Not Always...patient, empathetic enough, the "bigger man" in an argument.

I Lose...sleep when there's a lot going on in my head, track of time when I'm on the computer, my patience when my kids are testing me.

I'm Confused...about vaccines, whether I should homeschool, about how society's standards are getting worse with each passing year, when I'm focusing on something important and time sensitive and people interrupt with questions that can wait until later.

I Miss...Fall weather (I mean real fall, with changing leaves and crisp air...Phoenix's 100 degree "fall" doesn't count), Krispy Kreme hot fresh glazed donuts, Kansas City, traveling, my bridesmaids, having free time.

I Should...laugh more, count to 5 before reacting, have more realistic expectations of myself and others.

I Need...to relax, to be content, 8 hours of sleep every night, to feel safe, to step inside someone else's shoes before judging.

Nutella Rolls

Has anyone else noticed that the price of bananas is ridiculous lately? (well, the price of everything seems high...) Unfortunately for us, they are a staple around here. Mike eats one before going to the gym in the mornings, the kids have them for snacks, I bake with them, we always have bananas.

For some reason, our supply either went bad quickly this time or I bought too many because I noticed this afternoon that we had NINE browning bananas. I would automatically make a bunch of banana bread and freeze it, but I just did that last week. So I tried coming up with something a little more creative.

First, I made some Morning Glory Muffins with the kids, but then everyone started asking for cookies. Hmmm...I still had 6 bananas leftover, which is a lot to stick in the freezer for smoothies, so I looked through my recipes and decided to make these: Nutella Rolls. (not cookies, but they have chocolate, so more dessert-y, right?) I got the recipe from Becky Higgins' blog last year and have only made them once before, but YUM. And super easy. I had extra crescent rolls in the fridge that I didn't make when we had people over for dinner recently, so I had everything I needed.

NUTELLA ROLLS

1 pkg. crescent rolls (I use reduced fat)

1/3 container Nutella (it's a hazelnut spread; found near the peanut butter)

1 banana, sliced into 16 slices (overripe bananas work great)

powdered sugar (optional)

Spread out a crescent roll triangle, drop a spoonful of Nutella in the middle, add 2 slices of banana and then wrap it up, trying to keep the chocolate inside by pinching the edges of the roll. Place each on a baking sheet. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top if you want extra effect (and calories...) and put them in the oven at 350 for about 12 minutes, until golden.

Playroom Makeover

The Organizing Junkie does monthly challenges and I finally decided to participate. (Wha?...did you challenge ME? Oh, I don't think so...)

This project came just a few days after I decided I needed wanted some sort of organizational contraption for our playroom. Then POOF! Target generously put the perfect item on sale at the perfect time. It's exactly what I wanted! I put it together and filled the canvas drawers right away, but quickly realized that they needed to be labeled because no one could remember what was in them. I printed pictures of what was in each bin, put contact paper on them and tied them on this morning. How cute do they look!?!?! I realize the pictures are small, but I just love these cubes. The before and after are not that different, except that what's inside is no longer a mystery.
That little project totally got the ball rolling. I seriously couldn't stop. After having 2 new friends over for a play date this week, "stuff" was officially all in the wrong places...100 times worse than usual. During naptime today, I tore through the open bins we've had since we moved in (also a Target find - this is where everything gets tossed when the kids are asked to clean up) and took out all of the stray legos, lost tinker toys, train track pieces, parts to other random toys, game pieces that didn't make it back into the board game box, things like that...and put them all in their proper homes. I realize things won't stay "put" for long, but right at this moment, there is not a spare anything out of place. I think for the first time ever, actually! Ahh...what a great feeling. Below are pics of the closet (except the basketball hoop pic...that's in the corner of the room). I put shelves up shortly after we moved in because everything got SO lost in there. I was cursing all of the space that the walk-in closet provided until those shelves were put up. Now they're a life saver! I put most of the groups of piece-y toys (train tracks that should theoretically stay together, coloring books and crayons, Mr. Potato Head, etc) in the bins with the blue lids around the time that I wrote about this post.

I also wanted to show off this brilliant idea of mine. (oh yes, I am patting myself on the back!) I couldn't figure out what to do with all of the balls that we've accumulated. They don't stay where you put them, they're constantly under foot, and are a neusance when not being played with. Until now! I found a collapsable, stand-up laundry holder at Walmart recently for $4.99 and it fits all of the balls perfectly. They're contained, can be easily dumped then put away again...I feel like I need some sort of organizational trophy for coming up with this idea all by my little self. Is it just me or does this idea rock???

For more playroom organizational ideas, see the links to all of the other moms who took the challenge at the bottom of her post.

Easy Meatball Calzone

**Use what works best for you in this recipe!!! If you aren't one to cook from scratch, feel free to use prepared ingredients.

MEATBALLS: I'm a big proponent of making big batches of stuff and freezing it. When I make meatloaf, I make a BUNCH of it, divide it into 2 loaf pans, cook one that night and stick one in the freezer, then ball up the rest of it into meatballs that I cook in little mini-muffin tins while the meatloaf is cooking. Once the meatballs are cooled, they go in the freezer, too. So when I say this is easy, it's because I pull my prepared meatballs out of the freezer. If you don't cook from scratch, you can also use the Costco meatballs for this recipe. Also, I mix pureed spinach into my meatballs, but if you don't want to do that, you could always stir it into the sauce to sneak in some veggies. The dark green pieces end up looking like parsley and you can barely taste it.

PIZZA DOUGH: I no longer make my own pizza dough. Trader Joe's does it for me! I love their "almost whole wheat" pizza dough that is sold near the cheese and hummus. It's cheap (I think $1.29?) and freezes really well. I usually buy two and stick one in the freezer for last minute needs. But if you make your own pizza dough, great...or if you prefer the Pillsbury kind, perfect. Use what works best for you.

SAUCE: Again, I don't make my own sauce. Trader Joe's makes a great organic marinara...why reinvent the wheel when mine never turns out right anyway? But you can certainly make your own sauce for this recipe, too.

MEATBALL CALZONE

(a calzone is kind of like a pizza folded in half, but you need much less sauce and less cheese)

1 pizza dough, uncooked

1 cup pasta sauce or marinara

1/2 cup pureed spinach or broccoli

8-10 prepared, cooked meatballs

3 slices deli provolone cheese or 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll pizza dough onto a baking stone or lightly greased pizza pan. Arrange meatballs onto one half of the dough, about a 1/2 inch from the edge of the crust. Spoon sauce over each meatball and lay/sprinkle cheese on top. Fold the "clean" side of the dough over the prepared side of the dough, pinching the edges closed with your fingers. Cut a few slits in the top of the dough to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle mozzarella or parmesean cheese on top, if desired.

Bake for 15-18 minutes.

Easy and delicious. Kind of like a baked meatball sub. If you have big eaters, make 2. One barely feeds my family, so I have to add a salad as a side dish. Mike would eat this whole thing if I let him.

Monkey Munch, Muddy Buddies, Puppy Chow...call it what you want...it's GOOD!

I was watching Jon & Kate Plus 8 tonight while Mike was grilling and the kids were outside with him. On this particular show, Kate made "Monkey Munch" which is the same as what I grew up calling "Puppy Chow." Whatever you call it...it's good. Mike walked in and saw it on tv and asked why I haven't made it in a while. It didn't take much arm-twisting to get me to hop in the car and go get some Chex cereal. Yes, I did. And yes, my sugar detox is officially over.

Monkey Munch

Microwave for 1 minute, then for 30 seconds at a time until you can stir it smooth:
1 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. peanut butter (I used almond butter b/c of Kaylin's allergy and it tasted just fine)
1/4 c. butter

Add 1 t. vanilla.

Pour 9 c. Chex or Crispex cereal into a large bowl and coat thoroughly with chocolate mixture.

Pour 1.5 c. powdered sugar into a large zippy bag and add cereal mixture. Close the bag and shake, coating completely with sugar.

I thought ahead enough to take pictures of the process, knowing I wanted to post this recipe to entice you all. (is that mean?) I even took a picture of my monkey's munching on it...that bowl was gone in a matter of minutes!

EASY Crock Pot White Chicken Chili

One of the blogs I frequent is Frugal Upstate. She's in part 3 of a "frugal foods" series, which I need to go back through and scour for recipes. First was eggs, then tuna, now it's beans. If you're on a budget or just want some different things to throw into your menu rotation, definitely check these out. At the end of each post, there are links to dozens of other blogs with recipes to try.

One of the links lead me to a great suggestion on reconstituting dry beans. She puts the beans in water in her crock pot, on low, before going to bed and they're ready to go in the morning. Genius!

One of my favorite recipes that requires beans is chili. I make chili about once a week...either regular chili (I'm in love with the Better Homes and Garden's "New Cookbook" recipe) or my friend Erin's White Chicken Chili recipe, which I want to share with you. It is SO easy and really delicious. Frugal Upstate had a similar recipe for Chicken Chili Blanco that I tried tonight and it was great, too. (I left out the mushrooms because...well...ew.) I think I'll interchange the two because they have slightly different tastes and one obviously has more ingredients, but less chicken. I think hers is cheaper, but Erin's is easier because I've made it 100 times. Try them both and decide for yourself!

White Chicken Chili

- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 64 ounces canned great northern beans
- 1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
- red pepper flakes to taste
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
Optional
- sour cream
- salsa
- shredded Monterey jack cheese

Place chicken in crock pot in the morning (I even throw in the frozen bagged chicken) with 1 can chicken broth or water. Cook on low 5-6 hours. Take two forks and gently tear apart the chicken in the crock pot. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook 1 more hour.

To make life easier, you can use 3 big cans of chicken breast instead of cooking and chopping, and I use a container of frozen chopped onion from Trader Joe’s.

This can also be drained a little and served on tortillas.

* Most of the time what I do is stick 6-8 frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot with some cumin and stock/broth in the morning, cook it on low all day, shread the chicken in the afternoon and freeze about 1/2 of the shredded chicken (to be used in enchiladas or other recipes later), then dump the beans, onions and green chiles in and let it crock for the last hour before we're going to eat. Other times, I'll double the batch and freeze ½ in a large zip lock to defrost when I don’t have time to cook.

Cheap Summer Fun

Today we met some "we don't get together often enough" friends in Scottsdale. The mom and I chatted, the kids ran through the fountains. It was hotter than hot, but totally worth it.

We saved some money by packing a picnic lunch instead of eating at Paradise Bakery which I would have much MUCH rather done. Bringing food wasn't quite as much about saving money as it was about avoiding the temptation of the cookie that comes with every purchase. There is nothing - NOTHING, I say! - more amazing than a fresh baked Paradise Bakery chocolate chip cookie. And at lunchtime, they're always fresh. Whoa, mama...I love me some PB cookies.

I digress. I tried squeezing Kaylin into last year's swim suit, but looking at the pictures, I think it's time to pack this one away for a potential future little sister. Her torso is suddenly too long for a one-piece and in our own backyard, I'm not as picky about what she wears, but when you see the zoomed in picture of she and Ryan above, the bottoms of this suit are clearly too small.

Ryan had so much fun playing with my friend's three girls. It seems that sometimes, he relates to girls better. If he's in a room full of boys, he usually plays alone for some reason. Except his newest little friends around the corner. They're brothers, 5 and 3, and are so perfect for him. They're coming over for his little birthday party on Saturday, so that should be fun. I can't believe he'll be 4 years old tomorrow! Okay, I'm spider webbing. It must be the heat. Can't focus...need water...

Easy Homemade Granola Bars

For all of you health-crazies out there (like me!), this is a simple granola bar recipe that you can feel good about eating.

I found a similar recipe on another blog and adapted it a little to better fit my taste. I have to say that I tried making it with evaporated milk instead of condensed milk and it didn't turn out very well. I also used an 11x7 pan, which made them too thick and too crumbly because the evaporated milk was really thin and settled at the bottom, leaving the top too crumbly to eat like a granola bar. And it didn't occur to me that the milk is the only binder in the recipe...duh! I also have to say that I don't like coconut at all, but it softened plenty during baking and didn't bother me.

1 14-fluid oz can condensed milk
2 1/2 cups "Old Fashioned" rolled oats
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 cup mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame)
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup shredded coconut (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and oil a 9x13 inch baking pan or just use a disposable aluminum foil one.
2. Warm the condensed milk in a small pan on the stove or in a microwave safe dish for 90 seconds.
3. Meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients together and add the warmed condensed milk, using a rubber spatula to fold and distribute.
4. Spread the mixture into the oiled or foil pan and press down with an oiled spatula or, better still, your hands to make the surface even.
5. Bake for 1 hour, remove, and after about 15 minutes, cut into four across and four down, to make 16 chunky bars. Let cool completely.

Makes 16

Birthday HELP needed ASAP!

I just ran across a list of freebies for kids dinners and it occurred to me that with Ryan's birthday coming up this weekend, I should take advantage of the birthday freebies that restaurants have to offer.

So HELP! What birthday freebies do YOU know about? Please leave a comment or email me, even if the freebie requires that I sign up online first. If I don't have time for Ryan, I'll sign up for Kaylin in August.

Also, Ryan announced tonight that he wants a Spiderman costume for his birthday. On Friday. !!!!!!!!!!! Does anyone have a size 4-6 (I don't care if it's big) Spiderman costume I can buy? I looked on eBay and the auctions don't end before Friday, let alone would they ship in time. Anyone? Anyone? In fact, if you have any other dress up clothes, I would be eternally grateful. Girls size 2T + or boys size 4T +.

If you're reading this and aren't one to comment, now's the time people!!! Thanks for your help!

Living for an audience of One

As Christians, we are supposed to live for an audience of one. THE One. I've heard this statement before. Many, many times. Our pastor says it now and again (in fact, he said it tonight), it comes up in Bible studies and accountability groups, this was not a new phrase for me. I understand the concept: live only for God.

But yesterday morning, I did a devotion that broke it down much more specifically. Don't be a good wife to please your husband, do it to please the Lord. Don't be a good mom to please your kids, do it to please the Lord. Be a good friend to please the Lord. Be a good daughter to please the Lord. Be a good employee to please the Lord, not to please your boss or co-workers. LIGHT BULB. NOW I get it! If I'm doing as God wants me to in terms of loving others by honoring my husband or guiding my kids or supporting my friends, their response or reaction should not matter. I shouldn't look for praise or appreciation from them. If I don't get recognized for my "efforts," I am not supposed to be affected because people are not my audience. GOD is. Duh! He is the only person in my audience. It is that simple.

It's tough to stay confident in the fact that I'm trying to live for an audience of one when we don't meet the earthly expections of others. For me, it's hard not to be affected by that. But my new hope is that I would not get wrapped up in those feelings. If I'm doing everything God wants me to do, sometimes I will not only not get praise, but I will receive criticism. That's the kicker! And the worst of it all, I think.

So that was my "ah ha" moment for the week and I wanted to share it with you. I suppose this should have made sense a long time ago. But I must be slow...

My kids are "pleasant"

I utilized my new neighborhood babysitting co-op again last night. I'm tellin' ya - this thing is a wonderful resource. If anyone is interested, I'm happy to share all of the research I did and all of the forms I put together...I'm just so excited about this. Anyway...

I picked up my sleeping babies around 9:30 and the other mom commented on how "pleasant" my kids are. I've heard that my kids are well behaved before, but don't you ever wonder if someone is just trying to be nice?

My first thought is, "HAH - they must save their unpleasant behavior for home!" which is so true. Kids are so much better for others than they are for mom and dad. But still, it almost brought tears to my eyes to hear that she sincerely thought my kids are pleasant to be around and wasn't burdened by adding 2 more to her 3 for an entire evening. That was the best compliment I've had in a very, very long time. I'm doing something right as a parent?!?!? Praise God!

Blogging Relationships

I forget that I have more than a handful of readers sometimes. I know my mom and Mike's mom read my blog, but other than a few friends who comment all the time, I tend to forget that anyone else is out there! (no offense...)

So when I'm writing my posts, sometimes I keep the above "audience" in mind. The light bulb moments that I have in parenting are meant to be shared with 2 or 3 select friends who have my same parenting style and experience the same struggles I deal with. Stories that I would likely share through email or call them to tell them about. The pictures of the kids and the antics they're up to are mostly for my own memories and for the grandparents to see. (I will admit that sometimes they're to amuse the rest of you, too) But the rest of the time, I just have something to say and need an outlet. Other than poor Mike, who has gotten the brundt of my chattiness over the years. (I wonder if he thinks I talk less since starting to blog...doubt it.)

I was discussing this with my hair stylist yesterday and she asked, "Since you post most of your thoughts, do you still have things to talk about when you see people?" Honestly, I do a lot more listening nowadays! I saw a friend a few months ago and when I asked how she was doing, her response was, "I'm so sick!" to which I replied, "Oh man, my family has been really sick, too. It's been horrible!" She said, "I read your blog...it sounds like a mess!" (I didn't even realize she read my blog) At that point, I didn't need to go through the drama we'd been dealing with. She knew it all. So I asked more about what was going on with her family, since I didn't have any more to contribute about the germs spreading around during that time. It could have been awkward that what I was about to say was stopped dead in it's tracks, but it was actually quite refreshing to feel that she knew what was going on with me and I could give her the floor to talk. (you know...since I have a habit of stealing it for myself...the "floor," I mean)

I've also been getting a lot of people commenting lately that they feel like they talk to me all the time because they read my blog. Now that, I can totally understand. There are a few people out there in blogland that I will never meet, yet from reading their posts, I know so much about their kids' personalities, their thoughts and opinions and their lives in general. I find so many stay at home, Christian mom bloggers out there and love getting ideas and inspiration from them. And reading the blogs of friends who I don't get to see often makes me feel closer to them, too. In fact, I'm thrilled beyond words that my matron of honor is starting a blog! She has more kids than anyone I know (5 of her own and 5 by marriage) and we just don't talk as much as I'd like. Come to find out, she's been reading my blog and knows all about what's going on with me, but I have no insight into her world at all. So I'm waiting on pins and needles to hear about the daily happenings with her. (and wondering when she will have time to sit down and type up a post!!!)

I brought a new mom a meal last week and when I was introduced to her husband, he looked very familiar to me because I'd seen pictures of their family on her blog. Yet he didn't know me at all. And yesterday when we had a family photo shoot (more on that soon) my friend Shelly mentioned that she felt like she knows my kids really well from my posts, yet she'd never met them. What other forum would make that possible? I think it's the same sort of familiarity that we get with actors or reality tv participants.

I even went to Bunco last week and was a little caught off guard when several (like 6 or 8) people approached me one after another, saying, "I love your front room!" Again, because none of them comment (no guilt, girls) I tend to forget that they're readers. And another friend said the same thing about my front room when I ran into to her at the gym yesterday. It's so fun for me to have people know what's going on with me without me telling them directly. Is that weird?

I'm a pretty transparent person. I do have a mental policy not to say anything that would embarrass my husband or kids on my posts, but other than that, I lay it all out there. I'm also intentional about not giving out too, too much identifiable information (to a degree) so stalkers couldn't find us. Not that I expect to have blog-stalkers, but you never know in this world! I mean sure, someone could go through and read every single post and find out that we live in Phoenix and that my husband works close to our home, things like that, but Phoenix is huge. And I'm careful not to specify which area we live in, what church we attend, where Ryan goes to school, things like that. I'm cautious, but choose not to be a completely anonymous blogger.

Something else I'm aware of (though you wouldn't know it sometimes) is writing super-long posts and posting too often. I get a little self-conscious when I see that I've done one of those things. I'll try to skip a few days of posting to give everyone a break. But what's funny, is that people will mention that they wish I would blog daily or razz me for not breaking up a "brain dump" into several posts. So I guess I would rather post a longer post (ahem...Tuesday!) instead of many shorter posts on the same day. I also like writing only one post a day for some reason. There's a sense of order to it in my head. I also like breaking up all of the word-i-ness with pictures, if possible. (sorry, no pictures this time)

What's my point? I don't know. These are just things that come up when discussing my blog with others and I guess I find them interesting. I know someone who's very proud that she hasn't "followed the crowd" by starting a blog, but to me, it's not about doing the "in" thing...it's really about having someplace to put my thoughts and to journal about my life. That's why I scrapbook. Yet, if my house were to burn down, my scrapbooks would be dust (the thought of all of that wasted time makes me shudder), but I will always have this little website to safely store my memories.

So THANK YOU for being a part of my blog and reading what's in my head. Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself, so feel free to comment anytime. I look forward to comments.

Chocolate Oat Bars

I haven't shared a recipe in a while and these are to die for. I got it from my friend crush, Becky Higgins. If you want to see a better picture of these amazing little treats, check out her website. It's the picture on the "recipes" section. Yum. I actually think these are a little too rich, as is. So I experimented with cutting the chocolate mixture in 1/2 and that really helped. But to each his own. Follow the recipe first and make your own decision.

** Warning: notice certain items say "divided" - don't dump it all together!!! Be sure to follow the directions.

Chocolate Oat Bars

1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened, divided
2 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
3 c. quick-cooking oats
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1 tsp. baking soda
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
2 c. (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. chopped walnuts

In a saucepan, combine milk, chocolate chips and remaining butter and salt. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted.

While chocolate is melting, combine cream 1 c. butter and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl. Beat in eggs and 2 tsp. vanilla. Combine the oats, flour, 1 teaspoon salt and baking soda in a separate bowl; stir into creamed mixture. Press 2/3 of oat mixture into a greased 9" x 13" baking pan.

Remove from the chocolate mixture from the heat once it's melted and stir in walnuts and remaining vanilla. Spread over the crust. Sprinkle with remaining oat mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool. If you're in a hurry, stick the pan in the fridge to help the cooling process, otherwise the chocolate is still melty and the whole bar falls apart. Cut into squares.

Yield: 4 dozen

Summer fun

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually enjoying Ryan not being in school for the summer! We don't have to rush around on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and it leaves that time free for us to do things that don't require being back to pick him up at 11:30. Loving it!

I've planned some fun things for him to do over the next few months, including Vacation Bible School all of next week (which I realize completely negates my statement in the last paragraph) and his birthday the following week (I didn't plan that, but you get my drift) along with a few other things on the calendar for us all to look forward to.

Last week was my mom's birthday, so we celebrated with cake and a little party. Ryan made everyone wear party hats because really...is a party really a party without party hats???

Then tonight, Ryan and Kaylin are going with Grandma and Grandpa to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner then having a sleep over. Mike and his dad are golfing tomorrow (which means getting up at 5:30am for Mike) and I have a slumber party of my own to attend. I KNOW! I real slumber party with sleeping bags and movies and build-your-own-pizza and junk food. One of the leadership teams I'm a part of at church is doing this and I'm really excited. When was the last time you went to a slumber party? The hostess has kicked her husband and two boys out of the house for the night so it will be ladies only. So excited.

On Monday of this week, I took the kids to As You Wish pottery painting place for one of the Mommy and Me classes. This is what Ryan made. The peas and corn are his fingerprints (and a few of Kaylins), the carrots are his entire finger and the broccoli is three fingers together for the bunch at the top and another swipe from his finger for the stalk. The black painting in the middle was all him and the dots around the edge were paint on a pencil eraser. Genius! He had a lot of fun doing it and I was surprised how uninvolved I needed to be. Oh believe me, I wanted to help. But didn't. Until the end when outlining and writing the "More Please" were involved. Pictures of him during the process...

Then the other night, we planned to have new neighbor friends over for dinner, but they had a medical emergency. Since dinner for 7 was in the crock pot and a cake was in the fridge, we invited over some other friends at the last minute. The pool was freezing, but the kids swam anyway. (this makes me a little worried that the weather won't be hot enough in a couple of weeks for Ryan's birthday POOL party!!!) Mike ended up turning on the sprinklers to let the kids run through instead of submerging them in the fridged pool water. The 50 mile per hour winds couldn't have helped the chill-factor, but I wouldn't know. I stayed dry on the patio! More summer fun updates to come: stay tuned.

Learning and Teaching Grace

I'm really getting a lot out of Grace-Based Parenting. It's a great book for parents of all ages. Reading some of the stories, I'm much more grace-based than I thought, but my new focus is to have a grace-based home. Mike and I can be too perfectionistic (is that a word?) and rarely let the little things slide in our house. I'm so over that. And today I got the opportunity to explain the concept of grace to Ryan.

Let me give you some background before I get into this. Ryan has recently had issues with spitting, saying "potty words," and (our newest pet peeve) saying, "Oh my God" really dramatically for attention. (I think he originally got that from a kid at school, but Mike noticed my grandmother says it quite often, so who knows) I received some advice from another preschool mom about how to handle all three issues and it's really nipped them in the bud. I've been hesitant to announce this idea to the world because frankly, I don't want to hear about it. It's worked for us and that's all I need to know. I had no intention of coming out of the closet on this one today, but as I type, it's becoming less and less of a big deal. You ready for the big reveal? (drum rolllllllllll) I put soap in his mouth. I know, I know, very 1950s of me, but it worked for this other mom and this (seemingly) minor problem (x 3) was getting out of hand. I explained to Ryan, in detail, the consequences for the above three actions and it took a full day for him to slip up and forget. ONE FULL DAY when these were conversations we were having with him 2-3 times each hour. No exaggeration. I was DONE. Fed up. Over it. Soooo...he got soap in his mouth. And it worked.

Before you go judging me, you have to know that it took a week of stewing over this issue and judging this other mom (hey - I'm willing to admit it...I thought it was extreme for her to take such measures) before I was willing to give it a try. I realize these things may seem petty, but getting soaked during the spitting contests that Ryan would start with Kaylin was annoying at home, and embarrassing in public. And if he wouldn't listen and obey the "no potty words" or "we don't say 'Oh my God' in our family" rules at this age, why would he comply with the soon to come "don't call people stupid" rules or "no swearing" - ??? I needed to get his attention.

Okay, enough about that. Go ahead and judge me, but I never thought it would work for this kid and it did. I've warned him that all issues dealing with the mouth (spitting, biting, saying inappropriate words) will be dealt with this way and he's been scared straight. Nothing else was working and thank goodness my last and final hope came through for us.

Moving on...we were in the car today and Ryan was singing some song that was making Kaylin laugh hysterically. He was hiding out of sight from my rear-view mirror and finally popped back into view to say, "I'm sorry I did that, Mommy," with a big smile on his face, "it was an accident." Hmmm...I found myself needing to explain the difference between something accidental and something purposeful. And the smile lead me to believe that it was not an accident. (whatever "it" was)

He fessed up that he'd been spitting. "But it was an accident, so I shouldn't get soap in my mouth." We went through the definition of an accident, doing something by mistake (forgetting that something is unacceptable) and doing something purposefully. I went back and forth about the soap thing because in reality, he didn't need to come clean. I was day-dreaming and delighting in the fact that my kids were laughing together...I didn't see or hear the offense. So I announced that I was going to give Ryan grace. (blank stare)

"What's grace?"
"Grace means that even though you spit, I'm not going to put soap in your mouth."

"Are we having grace for lunch?"

"No, honey. Grace isn't food."

"So I don't have to get soap in my mouth? I get grace instead?"

"Nope - no soap. Grace means that you get something that you don't deserve or that you don't get something that you do deserve. Like you know that the punishment for spitting is soap in your mouth, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well me not giving you the punishment means that I'm giving you grace, even though you spit."

"Oh. Then what's for lunch?"

Who knows if he got it. He's a bright kid, so I'm sure something stuck. He's also a hungry kid, that's why he couldn't get his mind off of lunch.

Getting in shape inspiration

This makes me feeling incredibly LAZY! Of course, I've never looked like this lady's "before" picture in all my life...nor will I ever.

Check out this video for moms only! (okay, you can still watch it if you're not a mom...)

Who likes FREE STUFF???

I just visited the Money Saving Mom site and she has a whole post with A TON of coupons for free stuff at Walmart, based on this week's ads. Check it out soon before the prices go up and the stuff isn't "free" anymore!

Have your printer on and stocked with paper, because a few of these coupons just automatically print when you enter the site. Enjoy!

My front room is done!!!

I mentioned in a recent post that I got a wild hair and started painting one night. Well, the project is done - check it out! Mike and his dad put the chair rail up on Saturday and I painted the white baseboards to match. This is my new favorite place in our house...and it's actually used the least. Now I'm ready to sell the over-sized living room furniture and use the money to buy something that fits the space better. All of it doesn't fit in this house like they did in our last house. (Does anyone want some gently used couches with matching tables?)

Before and after of the hall wall...

Before and after of the family room (which was the dining room, but we flipped the furniture because the tall table blocked our fun fireplace)...

Before and after of the front area by the door...