Tuesday's Time Saving {Multi-Tasking} Tip

Ladies, pay attention.  We were made to multi-task.  Not all of us do it well, but for those of us who can multi-task, we should take advantage of this amazing gift God gave us!

A few weeks ago, my BFF called and said, "I'm not in the mood to clean my bathroom, so I thought talking to you would help the time go faster."  What did I do?  I plopped down on the couch and chatted for 20 minutes.  When she was done cleaning, I ended the conversation with, "Ugh - now I need to go fold my laundry." 

Um, HELLO?!?

I could have been folding my laundry while we were talking!!!  What was I thinking?

Over the past year, I've gotten out of the habit of talking on the phone, mostly because, well...I'm a talker.  And when I spend more than 5-10 minutes on a phone call, I get lost in the moment and end up blowing off errands, the gym, my to-do list, or worst yet...my children.

As a sidenote, what's awesome is the fact that my kids rarely act up when I'm on the phone anymore. It used to be a given: I answered the phone, everyone misbehaved.  We're talking dancing on the coffee table and purposely body slamming each other.  It was awful. 

But now, my kids know that I'm not on the phone for long, so they only interrupt me for safety reasons.   I noticed that a few days ago and praised them up one side and down the other for behaving so well while I was on the call.  Then I realized that this is their new pattern.  It's a beautiful thing.

So next time you get a call from a friend, look around and see what you can be doing at the same time.  Dishes, laundry, dusting, clipping coupons, chopping onions for dinner...there's always something to do, right?

Fear of the Elf

Have you heard of the book, "The Elf on the Shelf"?  It's a cute story that comes with a very retro looking elf.  The premise is that the elf sneaks off to the North Pole every night to tell Santa how the kids in the house have behaved. When the kids wake up every day, the elf is in a new place in the house (because Mom or Dad moved him). 

Well.  We don't have this book, nor have I ever told the kids the story.  But we have an elf.  He was handed down to us from my mom...she had many around the house when I was growing up and somehow, I ended up with one.  Just one.

As we decorated the house this weekend, Ryan found the elf and explained the story to Kaylin.  His friend Jake had explained it to him the day before, obviously having heard the story or read the book mentioned above.

Ryan told the story with passion and excitement.  His gaze turned to me for validation of his story, longing for me to verify that his facts were correct.

I responded passively, knowing that Mike wouldn't go for this charade throughout the rest of the month.  "Wow, that sounds interesting.  Wouldn't that be cool if it were true...?"

"It IS true, Mom.  Kaylin, I'm telling you the truth.  This is REAL.  He comes alive after we are asleep and he takes off his hat...only he can take off his hat...and he goes to the North Pole to report in to Santa.  Every house has an elf and this is ours."

Kaylin, listening cautiously to the tale, was suddenly scared out of her mind.  "Ifhecomestolife, whatifhecrawlsupthestairsandcomesintomyroom...and...

and GETS me?!?!?  Whatifhe...whatifhe...triestoHURTme?!?!?"

Me: "I promise, Kaylin, that if anything in our house ever tried to hurt you, we'd get rid of it.  Even an animal.  If we got a dog and it bit you, we'd give it away to keep you safe."

Kaylin: "How would you get rid of it?  The elf, I mean."

Me: "I'd throw it away in the trash can outside."

Kaylin: "But he could crawl out of the trash can." (making a crawling motion with two fingers, like the Yellow Pages symbol) "Up the side and then he'd lift up the lid with his little hands..."

Me: "This toy will not hurt you, honey.  I promise."

Kaylin: "Because he's a good elf?"

Me: "Um...yes. Sure.  That's it."

Fast forward to the next day.  Ryan noticed that the elf was on a different branch of the tree than he left him on.  Gravity moved that elf, because Mike and I did NOT.

(notice the elf on the right)

This completely freaked Kaylin out.  I comforted her again, reassuring her that she is safe in our home and that no one and noTHING will hurt her.

She wasn't convinced.

The next morning, she came downstairs DELIGHTED to find that the elf hadn't moved.  Then she admitted her secret plan: she took his shorts off so he would be too embarrassed to leave when he came to life.

This girl means business!

I laughed so hard, I almost peed my pants.

The next day, just to be sure this whole "elf" story was a hoax, she tried to take his hat off.  Because, according to Ryan's rendition of the story, only he can do that when he comes to life.

The poor elf didn't see it coming.  And surely he can't leave the house without his head screwed on...right?

Kaylin felt horrible for pulling his head off, but Mike was able to wiggle it back into place.  There has been no mention of the elf since the accidental decapitation. Hopefully, we can all just put this whole "elf" issue behind us for a while!!!

Meal Plan 10/18/10

Last week, I tried Southwestern Chicken and White Bean Soup and it was great!  I added some pureed squash and the rest of a bag of pumpkin and leaf shaped pasta and everyone loved it.  The pasta added a lot - I might post my version of this recipe on my blog soon so I can make it again.

I also tried Salmon Cakes with Creamy Ginger-Sesame Sauce.  Did you know that salmon comes in a can like tuna?  Except that it has the skin and bones in it.  Getting to the salmon was a mess, but these little salmon cakes were easy to make and all of us liked them. I used a cookie scoop to gather the "dough" and flattened the cakes with my hand before putting them in the oil.  These won't go into our regular recipe cycle, but I'd definitely make them again!

I'm trying lots of new recipes this week...

Monday - {Healthy} Chicken Pot Pie
Tuesday - Crock Pot Chicken Burritos with Whole Wheat Corn Bread (*new*)
Wednesday - Crock Pot Minestrone Soup plus squash and winter-shaped pasta
Thursday - Ravioli and Olive Oil Bread
Friday - Cream of Potato Soup with Light Oat Bread (*new*)
Saturday - leftovers
Sunday - Carne con Papas - Beef Stew with potatoes (*new*)

Baking
Easy Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting (*new*)
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

#78 and #60...again

One more item crossed off my 101 Goals in 1001 Days list, plus another crossed off for the second time...

#78 - Purge old paperwork from our file cabinets.  I finally cleaned out the paperwork in our file cabinet!  I didn't think it was that bad when I started the project, but by the end, I was shredding receipts from 2006. Wow, I knew it needed to be cleaned out when I made the list at the beginning of 2009, but it literally got twice as bad because I accumulated just as many receipts and just as much paperwork over the course of 2009-2010 because I put it off this long.  But now it's done and that's the good news.

#60 - Take a photography class.  Last year, I took an amateur class from an amazing wedding photographer to learn about my camera, but  I didn't apply what I learned right away and forgot most of it.  Jason was also 6 weeks old, so I may have had a little bit of pregnancy brain, too.  Last weekend, I took the class that is finally going to get me out of "auto" mode with my DSLR. (I know someone will ask: I have a Canon Rebel T1i and the class was through Val Westover Photography - they hold workshops in various cities.)  This class was a gift from my mom and was an all-day adventure: 8am-noon in the classroom and 2-4pm in the field practicing our knowledge. 

I took the class with a friend (which was really fun, but not mandatory...most people were there alone) while our husbands took over with the kids for the day.  I'm so excited to finally know what everything means on my display screen!  I can change focus points on the camera, meter lighting, adjust the aperture to create that fuzzy background that everyone loves...all of this was hit-or-miss when I was on "auto."  I could manipulate some of the features in "program" (P) mode, like white balance (thanks to one reader for that tip!) and whether I would use the flash. But now my little dial is set to M for all "manual" settings - !!!

Here are some of the pictures I took that day.  Nothing spectacular, except that I did everything intentionally instead of accidentally.

Friday Favorites - 10 Things I'm Thankful For, Right Now

1. Salvation.  Thank you, Jesus, for dying for me.  Without You, I'd be in a world of hurt!!!  I am so thankful for God's grace, because I am an ever-changing work in progress. And I mess up.  A lot.

2. My responsible husband who works so hard.  And drives me crazy when he's changing the air filters or sweeping the pool while I'm loading the van and we should be out the door. BUT I forget that he, too, works best under pressure. And as much as I've begun to dread college football season each year, I'm thankful that he's not  this passionate about any/every other sport, like many men out there. 

3. My gigging children who love to laugh. All. The. Time. Even when it gets them in trouble (like during dinner or while getting ready for bed), they're the household comedians.  I am so thankful that they lighten the mood in our double-type-A-parents household.

4. My amazing mom.  Honestly, this parenting thing is TOUGH.  How I turned out so normal with only one parent raising me will probably always be a mystery.  Thanks, Mom, for sacrificing so much of yourself, even to his day.  And for putting up with my attitude and sneakiness from 1992-1994. And for instilling such a solid sense of confidence in me.  And integrity.  And accomplishment. And for teaching me how to bake.  And cook.  And host a party like Martha Stewart. And decorate for Christmas like Santa's workshop exploded in my family room.  I wish you would have taught me how to sew, but we will discuss that later, young lady...

5. The fact that I get to stay home and raise my babies.  Because Mike is so financially responsible, we make our dollars stretch pretty far.  I'd wait tables to help out if I had to, but I'd so much rather stay home and wipe noses/change diapers/referee fights/cook/scrub toilets/fold laundry/do dishes...you get the idea. I never pictured myself as a stay at home mom, but now I can't imagine it any other way.

6. Being debt free. Piggy backing (not piggy BANKing) on #5...if I were running the budget, we wouldn't have any credit card debt, but I'd probably still have a leased car and student loans.  Now if we could just get this pesky house paid off, Mike would be thrilled!

7. Balance.  Just in general.  I feel like I have pretty good balance in my life.  Everything's not perfect...I could spend a little more time at the gym and a little less time on the computer, but overall, I think I have decent time management.  I go to bed each night pretty proud of how I spent my day. Work hard, bake play hard.

8. Friends...so many friends, I can't list them all.  Oh, why not, it's my blog, right?  Michelle, J Dubb, Jill, Julie, Ali, Erin, April, Melissa, Cathy, Sari, Brooke, Amy, Diane, Mary, Kim, Andrea, Becky, Jovina, Wendy, Cindy, Nicky, Gina, Janna, Tiffany, Alicia, Lori, Lisa, Annie, Jen, the 327 people who call me a Facebook friend and all of the cyber-friends that I've made out there in blogland. I am positive I forgot people that I see regularly, so please forgive me.  Can I blame it on the fact that I've been up since 4:30am battling Black Friday crowds?  Why I'm blogging instead of sleeping right now (Mike has the kids and I'm home with napping Jason) is beyond me.  I need to hurry and finish this post so I can go take a nap in this quiet house!

9. The health of everyone around me.  I'm not sure how much longer I can be thankful for that, considering the fact that no one's getting any younger!  Sickness and death are sure to creep up on me one of these days...I'm a pretty optimistic person, but I'm also a realist.  Things have been too placid for too long...I have a feeling that someone close to me is going to have health issues sometime soon, and it's probably going to catch me off guard.  So today, I'm thankful for the health of those I know and love.

10.  All of YOU.  Seriously.  Not to be cheesy, but I'm so thankful that you stop by every few days to read my random ramblings.  Even if you skim each post, I still love you. (*cough* JESSICA *cough*) Thank you, thank you for letting me into your world, even though we may never meet.  Though if I ever need tourist tips when I'm traveling, I may beg my Roman reader to come out of the shadows.  Or my reader in Portugal.  Or Croatia. Or Brazil or Switzerland or Australia or New Zealand.  ;)

Have a great weekend, everyone!!! 
XOXOX

Happy Thanksgiving!

(to my American readers, that is...)

...from my little Pilgrims

Q&A Wednesday - Moms Groups and Christmas Decorating

In response to this post, Only On Monday asked, "What kind of speaker was at your MOPS group? I would love to have someone speak on that exact topic at ours. I am our new coordinator and don't know now where to find these great people/speakers :) Thanks for starting my mind a thinking on perspective in the holidays."

How exciting that you're the new MOPS coordinator!  I used to run the mom's group at our church (which was very similar to MOPS) and I loved, loved, loved it.  Totally my passion.  After that period of my life ended, my blog really took off.  I needed an outlet to reach moms and blogging has fulfilled that empty space! 

To find great speakers, I used every resource possible, including calling other churches (I'd talk to the Women's Ministry leader to network), asking women I respected to speak, up-and-coming authors who could promote their new books, even leaders of other nearby moms groups.

You can also work backward: what are moms interested in learning about at this stage of parenthood?  The dynamics of birth order?  How to build confidence in young kids?  Discipline?  Find moms with teens who seemed to do things right and ask them if they would be open to sharing their best tips.  Also think outside of the parenting box: do you know someone who is extremely organized who could share her strategies?  What about couponing tricks?  Kid-friendly recipes and cooking secrets?  A personal trainer could  even give nutrition and fitness how-tos.

I also did "Been There, Done That" mom panels.  That was an annual favorite.  The moms  in the group submitted questions and the day-of, and I'd interview the 3-4 moms (all with older kids) on the "panel" to get their advice and wisdom about the topics that interested my moms. It was honest, funny and extremely helpful to hear their opinions of what worked and what didn't.

As far as the post you asked about, I was just visiting this particular MOPS group as a one-time guest, but I remember it was the coordinator who gave this specific talk  She went through a whole topic of "Composing Your Christmas from A-Z" with alphabetized mini-topics like Advent, Budget, Christmas Cards, Deck the Halls, Emmanuel and Family Traditions.  (you get the idea)  Each person received a folder with everything she spoke about, including recipes, poems, craft instructions and decorating ideas.  She also had fun giveaways for each letter category. (an Advent calendar, a package of Christmas cards, etc) It was a great message and I'm fairly certain she came up with everything herself.

One of the decorating ideas that I walked away with was keeping a color theme.  I always gaze longingly at the December catalogs, wishing my decor looked less..."thrown together." 

She made a suggestion that was very cut-and-dry. (and might be a decorating rule of thumb, for all I know)  Her personal decorating strategy was to choose a color (anything except green, because green is neutral), choose a texture (plaid, satin, velvet, calico, wood, etc) and finish off with a metallic (silver, gold or copper).  When you see decor that aligns within these categories, feel free to add it to your collection.

(photo courtesy of Crate & Barrel)

Look at the theme of the picture above.  I wouldn't naturally pick purple for a main staple Christmas color, but it looks awesome, doesn't it?  You'd have to be careful selecting trendy new colors that designers decide are popular for a year, then you can't find anything to match it down the road.

This is definitely something I'm going to consider as I pull out my holiday decorations in a few weeks.  I love the streamlined look, but never knew how to get it.  With all of the stuff I've accumulated in my short married life, maybe I could even change up the color, texture and metallic each year?  Pack like-things together and rotate them in and out every couple of years...hmmm, I'm liking that idea better than getting rid of most of my memorable items. 

I'm seriously getting excited for Christmastime.  It will be here before we know it!!!

Our New Command Center

I've always had a junk counter.  Some people have a drawer, I have a counter.  I hate it, but I need somewhere to stow my stuff when the table needs to be set for dinner or the rest of the kitchen is taken over by baking.  Everything ends up on the junk counter until I have time to put it away.

My junk counter is our "command center."  It's the place where I drop my purse when I come home, charge my cell phone, sort through mail and coupons, take messages, you name it.  But it's always been awful to look at.  Even when it was tidy, it was cluttered. 

This was the old "clean" look

This weekend, I needed to grab a recipe off my blog and was so annoyed that I had to go all the way upstairs to get it.  Again.  This is a daily occurrence...sometimes multiple times a day.  But there's no good place to keep the laptop downstairs, mostly because it's old and the battery is dead and it needs to stay plugged in all the time. 

Then it occurred to me: what if I turned my junk counter into a little media nook?

Before

After

This popped into my head because soon, I'll be getting my mom's china cabinet for our formal glasses and dishes, which are currently kept in a weird closet off the back hall by the garage door.  But I've been wanting to turn that closet into a "kids closet" for years...keeping their arts and craft supplies, socks and shoes, gloves and hats in the winter, swimsuits and sunglasses in the summer, etc.  Once that happens, I can carve out a shelf in there to act as our "command center." 

In the meantime, I turned our laundry room counter into a temporary drop zone.

Before

After

Those stackable black shelves each have a vital purpose in controlling my incoming paper clutter: The top is a catch-all for mail and items to go through, the next shelf is for coupons, the third shelf is kids paperwork and the bottom is for unread magazines (that I grab for the gym).  I also added a couple of little buckets to contain smaller items of the kids' that seem to get lost, like Ryan's mouthpiece and stickers for football.  And the little white basket is for Christmas cards that need to be hung.  (yes, I already received my first Christmas card - I'm waiting to get a few more before putting them on the wall)

I haven't been this excited about an organizational project in a long time.  When I get the china cabinet, I'll post before and after pictures of that back closet.  I can't wait to get that done!!!

Tuesday's Time Saving {Serving Platter} Tip

This week's Time Saving Tip is my Thanksgiving Day/Christmas Party edition. Really, it's for any event that you throw at your house, but it's just in time for the holidays!

I do this whenever I host a gathering where there will be lots of food served; I got this tip from my hostess-with-the-mostest mom. While I'm getting the kitchen ready and choosing serving dishes, platters for the veggie tray, chip and dip bowls, whatever - I write notes about what's going to go where, then I put the note IN the bowl or ON the serving platter. I know this sounds pointless, but sometimes when guests are arriving and there's a lot going on, I'll get distracted and forget why I got out a certain basket or bowl. Also, if there's a note that says, "cheese and crackers" on the plate for the cheese and crackers, you can easily ask your husband or a friend to pull the item out of the fridge and put it where it belongs. (Can you tell I get a lot of "Which plate does this go on? This one? No...? THIS one?" when my husband offers to help.)

I host our joint family Easter dinner every year with anywhere from 15-25 people. My kitchen isn't fit for large crowds, so I've figured out that if everything is set out to serve the meal buffet-style, it needs to have as few "bottleneck" areas as possible so the dinner line doesn't get out of control. Putting the gravy before the potatoes or the butter before the rolls makes people wander around, searching, instead of flowing through the line quickly.

Does anyone else have any hostess tips???  Go ahead and leave a comment if you do!

Staying Organized Through the Holidays

This weekend, I packed away my autumn decorations and began mentally preparing for Christmas.  The thought of making the house warm and festive brings most people joy, but many people feel anxiety.

Decorating the house isn't what stresses me out...it's the upkeep of the rest of our daily life in the midst of the clutter.

Each day in December seems to be busy for everyone.  In addition to  shopping for gifts, wrapping and shipping them, Christmas parties, cookie exchanges and school events, I think the change in the energy surrounding the season adds a different dynamic than we're used to the rest of the year.  The anticipation, excitement, even stress...there are a lot of expectations surrounding Christmas.

On top of everyone being busier and more distracted, there's all this extra stuff around.  Otherwise clean(ish) counter tops are suddenly covered with snowmen and nativity scenes, making it harder to do simple tasks like cook dinner, prepare sack lunches or go through the mail.

My biggest suggestion during the holidays is to take care of clutter quickly.

One thing I like to do is to establish drop-zones for things like incoming Christmas cards and gifts that need to be wrapped.  Have a basket near your computer for invitations that need RSVPs, annual newsletters to read and new addresses to update.  But don't let them pile up; record the information within a few days, then toss the paperwork.

I've made it a routine in December not to open an envelope (that's obviously a Christmas card) unless I have time to read it.  The ones with a family picture and short greeting are quick, but when I'm in a hurry and I open a long newsletter, I feel guilty if I toss it aside for later.  If I even get to it later...

What I usually do is open the holiday mail after dinner, while the kids are getting ready for bed and Mike does the dishes. (PS - we have the "I cook, you clean" rule in our house)  I show him pictures and share big announcements, then tape the card/picture on the wall with the others.

The other major contributor to holiday paper clutter is receipts for gifts. (I stole this idea from Mike's mom - thanks, Barb!) To organize gift receipts, write each person/family's name on a business-sized envelope and put their gift receipts inside.  This makes it easy to track how much you spend on each person.  You can also easily find a return receipt if you find a different gift you want to purchase or if the size/color is wrong and the item needs to be returned to the store altogether.

Don't get overwhelmed this Christmas: be proactive and make a plan for the upcoming clutter and chaos. 

Anyone else have any holiday organizational ideas to share?  Leave a comment if you do!

Meal Plan 11/22/10

Last week, I tried a recipe for Seasoned Baked Potato Wedges and they were delicious...a big hit with everyone in the family.

I never got around to making the Sweet Persimmon and Toasted Walnut Bread, like I'd hoped.  I have  TON of persimmons from the produce co-op.  So I'll try to make it this week.

Monday - Southwestern Chicken and White Bean Soup (*new*)
Tuesday - Chicken Pot Pie (double)
Wednesday - Salmon Cakes with Creamy Ginger-Sesame Sauce (*new*)
Thursday - THANKSGIVING!!!
Friday - turkey leftovers
Saturday - Vegetable Penne with Pesto
Sunday - Turkey Tetrazzini

25 Days of Christmas, 2010 Edition

Last year, I mapped out activities for us to do as a family for the first 25 days of December.  The kids loved, loved, LOVED pulling out the slip of paper from the Advent calendar every morning and looked forward to doing the activity that afternoon or evening. 

I asked the kids what things they hoped would make it on the calendar this year and Ryan added a great one: visiting Daddy at work for lunch.  I love his contribution! I slotted it in to the schedule to do while Ryan is on Christmas break, so he can (obviously) join us.

Day 1 - Make a Chain Link Countdown to Christmas

Day 2 - Make Ice Cream Cone Christmas Tree craft

Day 3 - Attend "Cookies and Milk with Santa" event at Ryan's school
Day 4 - Visit Santa at the mall

Day 5 - Pick 2 angels from the tree at the mall (each child's age) and have the kids shop for them 

Day 6 - Take the kids shopping for Christmas gifts for each other

Day 7 - Load the kids into the car in PJs with warm cocoa and drive around town looking at Christmas lights

Day 8 - Make homemade Christmas cards for teachers and family

Day 9 - Go to the $1 Store and let the kids pick out anything they want
Day 10 - Christmas camping by the tree

Day 11 - Snow Day at Desert Ridge

Day 12 - Visit the Live Nativity
Day 13 - Family Movie Night* - "Elf"

Day 14 - Build a Gingerbread House
Day 15 - Holiday Storytime at Desert Ridge, then walk through the Gingerbread Village at JW Marriott

Day 16 - Go to the McCormick Train Park and ride the train through the Christmas lights
Day 17 - Roast marshmallows over the fire pit, drinking hot apple cider with neighbor friends

Day 18 - Go to the Star of Wonder Christmas production
Day 19 - Family Snow Day in Flagstaff!!!

Day 20 - Family Movie Night* - "Polar Express"

Day 21 - Christmas craft day - make ornaments, candy cane reindeer, look up other ideas on Family Fun's website

Day 22 - Bring a picnic lunch to eat with Daddy at his work
Day 23 - Bake Sugar Cookies for neighbors and deliver goodie boxes

Day 24 - Bake a birthday cake for Jesus
Day 25 - Have Mike read the Christmas story from the Bible and have the kids set up the figures in the nativity set, piece by piece, as the story is read.

* I planned our Family Movie Nights around the 2010 TV Holiday Movie Schedule - I'll DVR the movies, then watch them when it works out best for us!

Friday Favorites - My Top 10 Favorite Songs

I have a confession: I'm not that into music.  In fact, I worked on this Top 10 list for over a week to come up with ten whole songs that are timeless for me. Well, maybe #10 isn't "timeless."  That was the wrong word...how about "10 songs that I love." Anyway, I haven't bought a CD since the 90s and I often find myself driving with the radio turned down.  And I don't recognize most of the music over the intercom at the gym.

I primarily listen to Christian radio, but even still, I don't know who sings what.  I know who Stephan Curtis Chapman is and Point of Grace and Mercy Me, but that's about it.  Oh, and Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant, but duh...they've been around forever.  I even knew who they were in high school, and back then I was into hard-core rap and heavy metal.  Before you ask: yes, really. And, why?  Well, I was obviously confused, that's why.

1. I Will Be Here, by Stephan Curtis Chapman.  That was the song that we played for the first dance at our wedding.  We changed the first dance song at the last minute and the DJ had to go buy the "Wow 2000" CD on the way to the reception.  He was so accommodating...I didn't find out that he did that until afterward.  I sigh every time I hear it...I guess it's "our song."

2. Yeah, by Usher.  I'm sure it was over-played on the radio during it's day, but it is impossible not to bob your head when you hear this song.  And I bop around a bit when I hear O.M.G. too.  What can I say?  Usher knows how to throw a good beat together!

3. Dare You to Move, by Switchfoot.  This is played on Christian and secular stations anymore.  It was from the movie A Walk to Remember, which I've mentioned, I just love.

4. Against All Odds, by Phil Collins.  He did a live album when I was in college and it reignited my love for this song. Because I was 7-8 years old when it was first released and I think I was still into Cindy Lauper or Hall and Oats back then. 

5. Revelation Song, by Kari Jobe. This is my favorite version of this song.  The link is a longer version, but it's powerful.  Love it.  Chills.

6. Round Here, by Counting Crows.  Instead of waking up to an alarm during my senior year of college, I woke up to this CD gently playing "Round Here."  I continued getting up and dressed as the next few songs would play, then I'd head off to class.  Hearing this song brings me back to my sorority room, on my top bunk, snuggled in my navy and hunter green flannel down comforter. Every. Single. Morning. Ah...memories.

7. November Rain, by Guns 'n' Roses. Listening to this song on You Tube (after searching it to attach the link) took me immediately back to high school.  I LOVED this song.  I loved that it was 9 minutes long.  I loved that the video was such a production. I loved Guns 'n' Roses from their first album in 7th grade. For some reason, as I've been typing this post, this song kept popping into my head, so I decided it must be included. 

8. Hello, by David Cook. Yes, from American Idol. Again, this version of the Lionel Richie song gives me chills.  I loved the arrangement, Dog.

9. It's Business Time, by Flight of the Conchords.  This is a comedy team, not a music group, but every once in a while I get the tune stuck in my head.  Especially when I hear the term "business socks."  This and the Toyota commercial with the song "Swagger Wagon" will pop into my head at the weirdest times.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you must click on the links for a laugh.

10. Holla Back Girl, by Gwen Stefani.  I realize this song was also probably over-played in its day, but a re-mixed version was on a CD that many of the gym instructors use in class. Every time I hear it, I get pumped up and work out just a teeny bit harder.  It makes me very bouncy in step aerobics, that's for sure.

So that's my list.  I could have listed many, many songs on K-Love Christian Radio. That's all I listen to, unless I'm at the gym or something's playing on the speakers while I'm shopping.  I'm pretty out of touch with mainstream music, but my kids and I can sing most of the lyrics of any song played on K-Love.

What's your favorite song???

Planning for Tomorrow, Today

I've been feeling so behind on so many things recently.  And when I get overwhelmed, I tend to go to one of two extremes: crazy "get it all done NOW" girl or unproductive, procrastinator girl.

Lately, I've chosen to avoid responsibility. Certain items on my to-do list have been rolled over day to day, week to week...it was getting out of hand. But I'm done now.  My to-do list will not go away if I ignore it.  In fact, it will continue to grow like a weed.  Or a rash.  Or the unwanted hair in that odd place that you won't tell anyone about.

Every day, I have a list of things that I want to get done.  The list is new each day, crossed off items stay on yesterday's list, incomplete items are rolled over to today. The list could have 4 things or 14 things, but anything that I hope to accomplish goes on the list.

From that main list, I chose 2-3 "most important tasks," or MITs.  Those are my top priority.  Some days it's bigger stuff like getting the oil changed, other days the items are simple, like putting away laundry or clipping the kids' fingernails or taking a shower.

For some reason, I have gotten myself into the horrible habit of procrastinating this regular habit of personal hygiene. It should not be this difficult to fit in a daily shower!  I have a confession to make: I just showered for the first time since Monday.  Today is Thursday.  How did this happen?  Yesterday, showering stayed at the bottom of the list as everything else got done ahead of it.  Why?  Probably because I knew I wasn't leaving the house and there was so much other stuff to do.

I could write a whole post about showering, but the purpose of this post is to encourage you to plan your day tomorrow before going to bed tonight.

Every time I take a few minutes at night to plan for the following day, I end up checking most everything off my list. I pull coupons for errands I need to run, grab receipts for returns, look up contact information and account numbers for calls I need to make, I do as much the night before as I can, so I have no excuses to put anything off.

I feel prepared.  Maybe even mentally psyched up for chores that I normally dread. (ahem...cleaning the bathrooms) There are also times when, instead of adding something to tomorrow's list, I think, "I can just send this email really quick...that way there will be one less thing to do tomorrow." 

But when I plan the day-of, my chances of productivity decrease substantially.  Maybe it's just me...?  This week, I've finally gotten my act together and pre-planned each day the night before.  My to do list has been shrinking at lightening speed. I feel like I can breathe again.

So give it a try tonight.  It shouldn't take you more than 5 minutes to write out 3-5 things that you'd like to do tomorrow.  I hope it works for you as well as it's worked for me this week!!!

Teaching Financial Responsibility

Mike and I feel very strongly about teaching our kids to be responsible with their money early in life.  This is essential if you want your family values instilled, otherwise the media and their peer's opinions will have a greater influence over a child's spending decisions. 

There are a few schools of thought on allowance:

1. If the child does their daily/weekly chores, they receive an allowance.
2. The child gets paid per chore completed each day/week.
3. The child does chores as a contributing member of the household and is given a weekly allowance separately.
4. The child doesn't get an allowance, but is given money for specific items (movies, trip to the mall, etc) on an as-needed basis. Chores are usually completely separate issue in this case...or not at all.

We began paying Ryan an allowance of $1 per week on his 6th birthday.  After going back and forth, we decided that he will not get paid based on chores completed since he's expected to do what he's told, whether or not there is a privilege associated with the request.  It works for us so far.

I was also just introduced to a website called Allowance Manager.  It tracks each child's weekly allowance and is basically a virtual piggy bank.  Older kids can access their account and look at the balance of what they've earned, adding entries as money goes in and out of the "account."  Check it out...it's completely free!

We haven't yet figured out what to let the kids spend out of their piggy bank, but I'm sure that will come later.  The idea of "tithe 10%, save 10% and spend 10%" doesn't seem appropriate for kids! 

When I was eight years old, my mom had a unique way of teaching me to save: I got $25 for my birthday (from someone) and our bank had a minimum requirement of $50 to open a savings account.  She explained that I could spend the $25 on anything I wanted, but if I chose to open a savings account, she would double my money on the spot AND continue to match anything I put into savings from that point forward. 

Even at eight, I was smart enough to understand the concept of 100% interest!  She matched my deposits for several years, until I started babysitting a bunch and I began breaking her bank account...but by then I had saved hundreds of dollars in my account.  I hope to do something similar with my own kids in a few years!

What about you: any thoughts about how to encourage saving vs. spending at an early age?

Q&A Wednesday - Developing a Christmas Budget

Nat asked, "How do you determine your budget for Christmas? What did you eliminate? How many gifts do your kids get each from Santa?"

First of all, earlier in the comment that ended with this question, Nat shared, "I have a Christmas account that I put money in each paycheck. It is an ING Direct online account, and whatever balance is in that account is what I spend on christmas. I have the same thing for a vacation fund as well. I've started shopping a little, but I'm a Black Friday shopper, so I'll probably get about 75% of my shopping done that day (and mostly online lately)..."

I LOVE that. Saving a little money all year long is the best way to save for Christmas; it's not nearly as shocking to the system.

Because Mike and I are so stringent with our pennies, our budget has line-items for gifts that we buy each person for the entire year.  We also have vague categories, like "Baby Showers," "Friends," and "Generic Gifts."  I tend to stash good finds that I buy on sale, and these random gifts are slotted into those categories.  Otherwise, our parents, kids and even grandparents have a line item in the budget.

This helps me to be able to shop all year, lessening the burden of cash flow (a big deal to Mike) and shopping (time constraint for me) at the end of the year.

Traditionally, we've had pretty lean Christmases.  Back when we were DINKs (dual income, no kids), I think we spent a lot more on each immediate family member.  We also purchased gifts for my aunts and cousins and many of our friends back then. Once I stopped working, we chopped our Christmas list down to the bare bones.

Whatever is left in the gift budget for our parents and Mike's brother (after birthdays and Mother's/Father's Day), that's what we spend on them for Christmas.  Our annual budget for them isn't very high, since we're all at a point in our lives when we're trying to accumulate less "stuff." 

To come up with a Christmas budget, I recommend writing down everyone that will receive a gift from your family (think of absolutely everyone: each family member, close friends, neighbors, teachers and co-workers) then write a dollar amount next to each individual.  $20 for Grandma, $100 for your parents, $100 for your in laws, $30 for each sibling, you get the idea.  Also think about each child: $50 from you and $100 from Santa...or vice versa. Add up the total and if it's too high, scale everyone back.  Your dad won't miss the extra neck tie and your sister will appreciate a $20 gift just as much as a $30 gift.  Consider baking for neighbors and friends instead of buying them gifts from the mall. 

For our family, I do a lot of photo-related gifts (ornaments, calendars, photo books and frames) and homemade gifts from the kids. (I'll post about all of those ideas another time.)

For the kids, around this time each year, I ask Mike what my budget is for each child.  The year he got laid off, he gave me a $25 budget for Ryan and Kaylin.  Do you know HOW HARD it was to buy gifts  for two children from us AND from Santa for $50 total?  That year, I got creative and replenished jeans, socks and underwear, then took it out of the clothing budget, letting Santa give all of the fun gifts, which were mostly $5 Black Friday board games, craft supplies and learning toys.  Thank goodness they were 4 and 2 years old and barely noticed the lack of extravagance! 

I once heard a great line from a mom of four who was in a very low income bracket: "Jesus only got three gifts, so each of my kids only get three gifts."  We've tried to stick with that, without necessarily explaining that to the kids. 

This year, I have a dilemma because I went post-Halloween shopping with Kaylin in tow and she saw me sifting through the 75% off costumes.  I loaded UP.  My kids are so into dress up, that I couldn't pass up $3.75 cowgirl and police outfits.  I planned on wrapping them up for Christmas, but I bought each child three and now can't give them as Santa gifts because Kaylin will recognize them as soon as they're opened. (she was looking at toys most of the time, but I know she saw at least one of Ryan's costume gifts)

SO...I might have to bend the "three gifts" rule this year.  I need to talk to Mike about it...we'll see.

Typically, though, we do THREE gifts from us and the rest of the budget from Santa and their stocking stuffers.  I try to make it as even as possible as far as number of gifts to open, but it doesn't always work out that way. 

Hopefully that answered your question, Nat!  If anyone else has Christmas budgeting suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment!

Teaching Godly Character

I recently stumbled upon this blog post, which lead me to the most amazing list of Godly Character Trait printables.

Each page has the definition of the trait, a picture to help your child associate that word, plus a scripture verse about the character quality. The traits include: orderly, attentive, teachable, obedient, respectful, honest, forgiving, peacemaker, courageous, discerning, content, servant-hearted, thankful, self control, loving, humble, prayerful, modest, joyful, generous, responsible, compassionate, kind, patient, diligent and faithful.

Every day at breakfast, we've been reviewing one of the character traits and discussing ways to practice it.  I also try to challenge Mike and the kids (and myself) to focus on that quality throughout the day. 

For example, the day we learned about being "attentive," we talked about looking for opportunities to help others without being asked.  Such as picking up trash on the ground at the park, wiping up spills in the kitchen and replacing the empty toilet paper roll in the bathroom.

I'm actually taking this a step further by praying for my kids to develop these character traits.  I took a spiral index card notebook and wrote one character trait per page.  I keep it in the bathroom and pray for the kids when I brush my teeth.  Every couple of days, I turn the page to pray for a new item. 

I love a nice, organized, simple way to teach my family Godly values and these printables have been fun and easy to review every day.  I hope they're helpful for you, too!

What Makes You Thankful?

In our house, Mike and I recently began challenging ourselves to express gratitude to each other and the kids at least twice a day (for each person). Your brain chemistry changes when you break the cycle of complaining and begin expressing appreciation to those around you.

A while back, I found a package of 30 paper acorns at the Dollar Tree.  They were in the teacher's section, but I figured I could use them for something.

Last week, I found the PERFECT use for them!

I created a "thankful wall" on our pantry door.  Every day, each of us (including the kids) write something that we're thankful for on a acorn and tape it on the door.

It's a great exercise in appreciating the little things.  I may even keep the acorns to read next year or when the kids are older...we'll see.  I just love that everyone is focusing on gratitude as we enter the Christmas season!

Meal Plan 11/15/10

Last week's new recipes were a hit!  Mike LOVED the Vegetarian Tamale Pie.  I accidentally left it in the oven too long, so the cornbread was a bit overdone for my taste, but Mike raved over it, regardless.  TWO THUMBS UP from him and THUMB IN THE MIDDLE for the kids.  They're not fans of anything with tomatoes, so take their rating with a grain of salt.

The Quinoa Waldorf Salad was the other new recipe.  I've had quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah") in the pantry for weeks, wondering how to incorporate this wonderful item into our lives.  This was a great introduction!  We ate it next to sandwiches at lunch and I've snacked on it mid-day.  I will definitely make this again.  (PS - Any quinoa recipes you have and love would be very appreciated!!!)

I haven't made the Southwestern Chicken and Bean Pasta in months.  When I first made it, everyone loved it.  Mike and I thought it tasted like the pasta version of a Chipotle bowl.  But the last few times we've eaten it, everyone's been unimpressed.  I don't know if I did something differently or what, but I think we're moving on from one of our old go-to dinner recipes.

This week's menu:
Monday - Chicken on the grill with corn on the cob and brown rice
Tuesday - leftover White Chicken Chili
Wednesday - Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot with steamed broccoli and brown rice (then make chicken stock in the crock pot overnight)
Thursday - Sloppy Joes with Seasoned Baked Potato Wedges (*new*)
Friday -Chicken Stir Fry
Saturday - Rice, Bean and Cheese Casserole with tortilla chips
Sunday - Chicken Noodle Soup

Treats:
Rice Krispies Trail Mix
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Sweet Persimmon and Toasted Walnut Bread (*new*)

Preparing for Christmas BEFORE the Holiday Rush

I know November isn't even half over, but have you seen the stores?  Have you been to the mall?  Have you noticed that the Christmas music channels are suddenly available on t.v.???

This week, I visited a nearby MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) group with a friend.  It was a pre-Christmas meeting with lots of ideas about simplifying and enjoying the holidays, not to mention incorporating Christ back into Christmas.

We began the meeting by answering a few questions.  Consider answering these for yourself:

1. This year, I want my Christmas to be...(my answers were joyful, purposeful and festive)
2. List your three top family Christmas activities.  Now ask your family about their top three and decide what needs to make it on the calendar this year.
3. Are your Christmas traditions stressful or comforting? How would your family answer?

After answering all of these questions, sit down for a family meeting to assess your priorities this Christmas season.

The speaker shared a statistic that shocked me: $2.8 billion is put on credit cards EVERY 10 MINUTES between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  $2.8 billion.  Every. Ten. Minutes.

Do you know how much you spend on Christmas?  Have you ever considered making a budget?  It should include things like: extra meals for visiting relatives, gifts and wrapping paper, cards and postage, extra grocery money for baking supplies, even post-holiday sale purchases.

I know it feels early, but consider taking a few minutes this weekend to decide what you want your Christmas season to look like this year.  Interview your family and talk through everyone's expectations so that no one is disappointed.  Lower your own expectations about having a "perfect" experience or memory or turkey dinner...whatever the case may be.  Look at your answers to #1 (above) and keep the end goal in mind every day during the month of December.

Can you tell I'm already getting into the Christmas spirit?  Expect more Christmas posts from me...I'm feelin' festive!

Friday Favorites - My Top 10 Favorite Movies

Let's welcome back Friday Favorites, shall we???  Here are my Top 10 Favorite Movies.

1. Dan in Real Life.  This is currently my all-time favorite movie.  It is clean, wholesome and refreshing, yet so genuinely funny.  I just love Steve Carell.  He cracks me up.   If you haven't seen it, go rent it.  Your husband will laugh, your mom will laugh, your teenage kids will even laugh.  It's a great movie about families.  When I saw it in the theater, I told my girlfriends, "THIS is why I want a big family!"

2. The Notebook.  This is when I fell in love with Rachel McAdams.  And Ryan Gosling.  And I was thrilled to find out they were dating in real life after they filmed the movie!  Back when I used to read for fun, I would pass out copies of The Notebook to friends and co-workers, begging them to read it.  No joke: I had multiple copies for this purpose.  It was the first and only book I've ever cried through and I was giddy when they made it into a movie.  The movie did not disappoint, except the Hollywood ending, which wasn't nearly as good as the book. (I know, I know...the movie never is...)

3. A Walk to Remember.  Because once you like Nicholas Sparks, you just sort of go with it.  The Notebook is the only novel of his I've ever read, but I fell in love with this movie, too.  I think it's part of what I wanted my high school story to be.  I was a good, Christian girl who ended up going after a wrong-for-me guy, hoping to save him from himself.  But my story didn't end up anything like the movie.  For those who have seen it, that might seem a little obvious, but that's not what I meant!  My story resulted in me ending up with a nice guy who didn't need to be saved.

4. Dances With Wolves.  Wanna hear a true confession?  This was my favorite movie in high school.  Sure, I liked Singles and Pump Up the Volume and Clueless like everyone else at the time, but something in this movie stirred up a righteous indignation in me.  I even loved the soundtrack and I wasn't at all into instrumental music. The CD sat on my shelf right next to Guns 'n' Roses and Naughty By Nature.  Well, not next to...they were alphabetized, after all.  You should know that about me by now.

5. Liar, Liar.  This movie seriously cracked me up.  I'm not a huge Jim Carrey, over-the-top-for-a-laugh fan, but I loved his forced bluntness in this movie.  Plus, it had a great moral message to work-a-holic, absent parents.  Warm fuzzies.

6. Forrest Gump.  I think I saw this four times in the theater while I was in college.  I just loved so many things about it.  I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats.

7. The Family Man. This is my favorite Christmas movie and  before you argue with me...YES it IS a Christmas movie!  Pay attention next month...it will suddenly pop up on TBS and USA repeatedly with Christmas Vacation.  Again, I think I like that Nicholas Cage is transformed into a better man at the end.

8. Hitch. Awkward, uncomfortable, honest...talk about LOL.  It reminds me why I am ecstatic that I never have to attempt dating again.

9. Notting Hill.  Wow, I'm on a streak of romantic comedies, aren't I?  Still, I love this movie.  I can't hear "Ain't No Sunshine" without thinking about Notting Hill.

10. Wedding Crashers.  This movie is wrong on so many levels, but I can't help but love it.  I far prefer to watch the t.v. version (as I do many movies anymore...because I'm a complete prude) but I have to admit that we do own a copy.  We fast-forward the boobies-falling-onto-the-bed scene every time.  Come to think of it...wouldn't it be great if movies were sold in a "made for t.v." version?!?!?  Man, if someone were to just ask, I have some awesome ideas.  I'd buy a lot more movies, that's for sure.

So that's it.  I hope you don't think less of me for my random movie choices.  Anyone want to chime in with their two cents?  What are some of your favorite movies?

It's {already} Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

I know it seems early, but if you haven't already, you might want to start thinking about your Christmas cards. 

Many photographers are booked up for Christmas sessions, but not all is lost!  You can have a friend, neighbor or family member snap a few shots to use for your family Christmas picture.

If you can't get a good picture of everyone together, consider using an online website to create a photo collage with a Christmas message.

Shutterfly has an easy uploading system with tons of templates to choose from.  They have Christmas designs, photo cards and even Christmas address labels. 

I've been making my grandmother an 8x8 photo book through Shutterfly (Diapers.com emailed me a free code!) and it's been VERY easy to put together.  You can upload multiple pictures at a time and, even with my slow computer, they uploaded fairly quickly.

So if you don't get a great Christmas card picture, consider using a photo collage with "good" pictures of each family member.  If nothing else, have everyone make a funny face and use that as your annual family picture.  Who sits around smiling all the time, anyway?!?!

(this was almost our Christmas card last year, but I decided Jason should be included and he was still in my tummy)

Christmas is just around the corner...the sooner you get your cards printed, the less stressed you'll be in December!