Working on #22...

Ah yes, it's almost February. For our family, that means it's officially TAX TIME. Mike is an Accountant and, if he had it his way, he thinks everyone should begin their taxes on February 1st.

(I think I just heard a roar of laughter from across the nation...)

Bless his heart, right?

We recently got an Income Tax Organizer from Smead and Mike is actually giddy to get started on our taxes this week. Finally an organizational tool that makes HIS life easier! 

It's a file folder with six divided pockets to organize tax paperwork for categories like deductions & credit items, charitable contributions, medical expenses, mortgage interest and more.  Instead of tossing all of the tax-related receipts through the year in one file folder and separating everything out when we do our taxes in February (or for most of you...April), we can put the paperwork in the right section throughout the year, making tax time much easier for Mike!  It was so cute watching him agonize over which labels to put on which file tabs.  Welcome to my world of organizational bliss, honey!

We also got a monthly accordion file to sort receipts and other paperwork for each month.  It can work instead of a file cabinet and can be taken on-the-go. 

Why would I need this, you ask?  Simple: I have an issue with paperwork.  For one, I keep too many receipts.  You wanna know why?  Because everyone requires a receipt for everything anymore!  I always think, "What if I need this for a return...?" or "What if it breaks or fades or shrinks or goes on sale in the next two weeks???"  So I file it away and may or may not ever find it when I actually need it.

In the past, I've organized non-tax receipts by category (groceries, clothing, gifts given, household, etc) but some receipts belong in multiple categories (I blame Walmart and Target for this issue!) and I forget where things are filed when I need to return something.  (I know what you're thinking: YES, I do return that many things.  I'm a horrible impulse shopper and often find myself with too many wants vs. what we actually need.)

Now that we have this fun new monthly accordion file, I'm going to sort all of our non-tax receipts by month.  In January 2012, all of the receipts for January 2011 will be shredded. 

I spent about an hour this weekend pulling all of my old receipts, labeling them "2010" and sticking them in the December section.  I'm starting with a clean slate this month/year with a new system for our paperwork and receipts.  I'm ready to know what goes where and am hoping to be able to find the things I'm looking for in our office!

I'm excited that our paperwork will have an expiration date for purging purposes.  We'll see if this new system helps me cross #22 ("Develop a workable system for paperwork in the office") off my list of 101 Goals in 1001 Days - ?  Here's hoping!!!

Meal Plan 1/31/11

Monday - Leftover {Crock Pot} White Chicken Chili
Tuesday - Citrus Baked Salmon*, Orange Rice* and salad
Wednesday - Braised Balsamic Chicken*, broccoli and mashed potatoes
Thursday - Spaghetti and Meatballs with Whole Wheat Bread
Friday - Southwestern Quinoa Casserole*
Saturday - BBQ on the grill
Sunday - Super Bowl Party - yellow, green and black tortilla chips and homemade salsa, teriyaki meatballs, sugar cookies with chocolate frosting shaped like footballs, homemade chocolate cake with green frosting (decorated like a football field)

* New recipes - will review next week

#39 - Visit a friend in the hospital

I fully intended to cross this off my 101 Goals in 1001 Days list in a couple of weeks when my BFF has her 4th baby (and I still will, Jess, no worries!) BUT I got the unfortunate opportunity to accomplish this task a little early.

My aunt Carolyn, who just turned 50 last week, had to be hospitalized after having a stroke on Thursday.  She's doing better, but really needs your prayers.  She is a single mom to a 17 year old autistic son with ADHD and several other behavioral issues.  Because of my aunt's financial situation, she receives medical aide from the state, so they will likely have to be involved in my cousin's care while she is in rehab for the next month.  It's a scary situation that will certainly result in him back-sliding in his (already slow-going) behavioral progress. 

So if you think about my aunt Carolyn and cousin Shane, could you please lift them up in prayer?  We know that God is in complete control of this situation and that everything happens for a reason...we're just praying for a full recovery and wisdom in how to move forward with the state assistance they require.

Now go hug your family. Most of us take our health for granted...myself included!

Friday Favorites - Top 10 Kitchen Things

It's been a while since I posted Friday Favorites!  Here are my favorite kitchen tools. (Some of my pictures are a little blue-ish because my white balance was on the wrong setting.  Oops!)

Apple Corer/Slicer - This product is in my dishwasher almost every time I run it. We eat a LOT of apples in our house and this is absolutely a favorite product of mine. (you can use it for pears, too) This and the apple corer/peeler/slicer thing that makes apple pies so easy to make. My kids love helping crank the handle when I make Apple Fritters.

Bread Machine - Because without it, we wouldn't eat homemade bread.  In this season of my life, I just don't have the energy to mix, knead, rise, punch down, rise again.  The bread machine does it all for me.  I set it on "dough cycle," 90 minutes later I dump it into a loaf pan for one final rise, 20 minutes later it bakes for 25 minutes while I cook the rest of dinner.  Done. My house smells delicious and my family thinks I walk on water.

Crock Pot - (I just realized I'm accidentally listing these in alphabetically order...I'm anal even when I don't try to be!!!)  Throw dinner together in the morning, come home to a homecooked meal in the evening.  What's not to love?

KitchenAid Mixer - Could I live without it?  Yes.  But with three little kids "helping," it's so much easier to be hands-free when mixing ingredients.

Mini spatulas - These are so perfect for getting out the first piece of cake or brownie without tearing apart the whole pan.  I really do love my little tiny spatulas.  I have three of them, believe it or not!

Pizza cutter - Not just for pizza anymore!  This is in my dishwasher almost every wash cycle, too.  I use it to quickly cut up food for the kids: eggs, pancakes, waffles, quesadillas and, of course, pizza.  It's so much easier than the old school fork and knife!

Scraper - (I *think* this is called a scraper???) Making homemade sugar cookies or anything that needs to be rolled is so easy with this tool!  I use it to pull up the cookie dough shapes and place them on the cookie sheets (so they don't tear) and I use it to scrape the counter of flour, directly into the trash can. Easy clean up with no messy, floury hands!

Cookie scoops - Again, a multi-use tool!  I no longer hand-roll meatballs anymore, plus I obviously use these for cookies and filling muffin tins or cupcakes...I love, love, love them.  (I'm seeing a theme here of tools that keep my hands clean while cooking...)

Magic Bullet - Smoothie for one, please.  When my blender broke last year, I replaced it with this little guy.  (actually, Mike's mom bought it for me for my birthday, but still)  I once ran out of tomato sauce for a recipe, so I just dumped a can of stewed tomatoes in the Magic Bullet, pulsed for a few seconds and voila. The container takes up as much room as a glass in the dishwasher.  LOVE!

Glass storage containers - I bought these at Costco and they're just wonderful.  I can reheat things without worrying about the weird "no plastic in the microwave" issues.  They nest easily in the cabinet.  They're pretty in my fridge.  I mean really, what's not to love?

So that's my list. What kitchen tool could you not live without?

#96 - Go to bed at 9:00 every day for a week straight

Well, I did it.  WHY it took me TWO YEARS to cross this simple task off my list of 101 Goals in 1001 Days, is beyond me.

I'm now in the habit of going to bed between 9-9:30 instead of 10-10:30 and overall, it's making me a much nicer happier person to be around.  I've figured out why this is a good thing for me, even though I'm naturally a night person:

- I've been waking up before the kids instead of waiting for the kids to wake ME up.  This is a much kinder, gentler way to start the day!
- I have a few minutes of peace and quiet to wake up slowly instead of being bombarded from the moment my mind is approaching consciousness.
- I don't waste time on the computer or watching stupid tv shows for that extra hour every night.
- There's no early afternoon decrease in energy, which is when I used to be tempted to take a nap or sit down and procrastinate things that need to be done because I'm "too tired."
- Having a 9pm bedtime created a sense of urgency.  For that week, I noticed myself rushing around to tidy the kitchen, pack lunches, throw in a load of laundry and return emails before 8:30 so I could have enough time to wind down and actually be in bed at 9:00.

I recently stumbled upon a post with quick tips on Why and How to Become a Morning Person.  If you need some motivation to become a morning person, these tips are worth a quick read!

It took me a few days to write about completing this goal, and since the last 9pm night, I've been turning off the lights around 9:15-9:30.  I like the new, earlier bedtime routine!  It's working for me.

Q&A Wednesday - Kid Vitamins and Clarifying "No Sugar"

Living By Faith asked, "Curious to know, what vitamins do you give {Jason}? I'm on a search or vitamins for my 15 month old and he WILL NOT take those drop ones you can get. I'm about tempted to hand him a gummy bear!"

Recently, we've switched all of our kids to liquid vitamins that we buy at Costco, called "Reviva." They're around $20, I think, but it lasts quite a while.  We give Jason 1/2 of the dose we give the bigger kids and they all love it. I hope that's helpful!

---------------------------------------------------------

BethAnne made a comment regarding my post Good-bye sugar, hello gum! "Oh my.....that is a huge undertaking!!  Does that include all things that list sugar as an ingredient?"

In a word, yes.  If sugar is in the first 5 ingredients (or any form of sugar, including high fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, honey...also no artificial sweeteners) - it didn't touch my lips. 

I tried just doing "no desserts" which included something sweet after lunch/dinner and usually during Ryan's after school snack, but that didn't cut it.  Allowing any kind of real or artificial sweetener in my diet kept the mid-day and after-dinner cravings on the forefront of my mind.  After 3-4 days (of sticking to absolutely NO sugar in the first 5 ingredients) got the cravings out of my system and the temptation was completely gone.

I last about 2 weeks without sugar, then Mike insisted on making homemade chocolate chip cookies.  Apparently, he didn't realize I had taken myself off sugar and made the kind of loving, supporting comment only a fellow sugar addict would make: "Just because I make cookies, doesn't mean you need to eat them."  Um, RIGHT!  Smell up the whole house with the warm, melty goodness...they are my favorite sweet treat, after all. Thanks for helping the cause, honey!!!

Needless to say, I caved and had one.  Then I ate 4 more.  The good news is that I felt nauseous the rest of the night, so it deterred me from being tempted for a few more days.  Then I made some Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting for our Bible study and just had to have a taste.  Oh man, it was so worth it.  (ahem...both pieces...)  But then I felt sick again.  Thankfully, my body is no longer used to mass quantities of garbage anymore!

The natural sweetness in fruits (specifically apples) always help me during those first few days of "detox."  I also like to snack on popcorn because it's piece-y and I can grab some throughout the day when I get the munchies.  And, of course, I chew a lot of gum with Xylitol, hence the post title.

Sugar is poison for our bodies.  It messes with our mood, it compromises our immune system, plus it makes us fat because the more sugar you eat, the more you crave. 

I think I've gotten to the point where I'm going to have 4-6 "no sugar days" each week and plan my cheats.  Parties, Bunco night, birthday celebrations...that way I'll have no guilt and I won't feel like I lack self control. 

I'm so sick of the roller coaster of attempted will power followed by a guilty conscience.  Who needs more guilt???  If you think you might be addicted to sugar, look up some articles explaining why sugar is bad for you and consider overcoming the addiction naturally.

Come on...join me!  Everyone's doing it...  :)

Valentine Idea

A few years ago, I stole saw this great idea for my kids' Valentine cards. (on Becky Higgins' blog)  I've heard from the parents of Ryan's old classmates that kids in his pre-school class still have their Valentines, even 4 years later!  So I keep duplicating the idea.

I start by adding text to one picture...

Then I create duplicates to print to give to classmates...

Last year, Hobby Lobby had a huge sale after Valentine's day and I picked up a bunch of goodie bags.  Of course, this month I've spent $10 on candy to fill the bags, but that's another story.  So much for trying to be frugal! Kaylin and I had fun putting them together for Ryan's and her class.

Last year, our computer died after I made Kaylin's Valentines, but before I had the chance to print them.  Once we finally got access to all of the information on our old computer, I didn't want the cuteness wasted, so I printed out a 5x7 copy of the picture to frame.  This will come out each Jan/February and be stored with our {limited} box of Valentine decorations.

Oh - and I had the greatest "wish I would have thought of this sooner" idea while filling the goodie bags.  All of the Christmas-colored candy was on super-sale after Christmas, right?  Next year, I'm going to load up on Hershey's Kisses and M&Ms, then separate out the red ones for Valentine's day and the green ones for St. Patrick's Day.  Because they all taste the same!  Hopefully, I'll remember next year.  And I hope you will, too!

Meal Plan - 1/24/11

Monday - Breakfast for dinner - Whole Wheat Crepes
Tuesday - Chicken Fried Rice
 Wednesday - {Crock Pot} White Chicken Chili
Thursday - Bowties with Broccoli & Sausage
Friday - Crust-less Quiche with broccoli and Whole Wheat Bread
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Chicken on the grill with vegetables

Other stuff:
Peach Crisp
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting for our Bible study

I'm just not in the mood...

Can I vent for just a minute?  Is anyone willing to listen to me whine?

I have been in tears twice today. And I'm not even PMSing!  Do you ever get so frustrated and feel so helpless that you just...cry?

Last night, I got a bill from my dentist's office for $782.  My insurance denied coverage after I payed $900 out of pocket.  $900 that we weren't expecting and certainly wasn't budgeted.  Now we need to come up with another $800?!?!  All for work that could have been spread out so that the insurance WOULD have paid.  So I've had a bunch of work done that was inconvenient (4 separate 1-2 hour office visits, requiring child care each time) and remains uncomfortable to this day (I now have the JOY of a custom-fit mouthpiece at night to prevent me from grinding my teeth) AND the added bonus of an extra $800 bill. 

I called the dentist's office to investigate and ended up breaking down in tears after finding out that they aren't willing to adjust the balance.  Even though, in my opinion, this unexpected claim denial could have been prevented by more prodding by the dental employee. 

Then I called the insurance company to find out WHAT ON EARTH and cried to that total stranger, too.   So humiliating. When I got off the phone, Kaylin asked, "Mommy, why is your face all red?"  Because I didn't realize that it's my responsibility to tell the dentist's office about the limitations (that I didn't know about!) for our cheap-o dental insurance, dear.

I complained about it on Facebook, saying, "Who needs diapers and food?  Full bellies and clean butts are overrated," and an old co-worker (who I haven't seen in 5 years) is insisting on giving me a bunch of diapers that her son outgrew.  It is so sweet that I want to cry...again.  I'm not a charity case...I mean we're not losing our home or anything, but it's so cool to see how people step up when others are sucker punched with unexpected financial burdens. 

The irony is that I'm preparing for a garage sale this weekend.  I certainly don't have $800 worth of items for sale, but the money that was supposed to go toward our couples getaway (to San Francisco in a couple of months) is being robbed by stupid dental bills. 

I'm so frustrated.  Better after blabbering through this post, but still frustrated.  "Would you like a first class vacation to Hawaii?  A European getaway?  A high def, 65" flat screen LED tv?  New bedroom furniture?  Four months groceries???"  "No thanks...I'd rather pay my unnecessary dental bills.  That's where I'd like to spend my $1700.  Thanks anyway!"

Grrr.

Q&A Wednesday - How Do You Find Time to Blog?

Fleur asked, "I am a homeschool mother of five...ages 6 and under (four daughters and a 5 month old son)...and I would love to know how you got your blog started. My hubby keeps saying I should start one...which I did...but never managed to get past my first entry..."

Wow - five under six.  You must be one busy mama!  I can understand why you'd want to start a blog.  The days are long but the years are short...time flies when you're busy!  And you don't want to forget a minute of the sweet parts of these days you're living.

I started my blog in 2007 as a way to post funny stories and pictures of my kids for family and friends.  Friends of friends became readers, then some random moms in different parts of the country and around the world, so I started putting more general homemaking thoughts, ideas and recipes on there to appease a larger audience. 

For me, it is easiest to blog during naps and in the evening.  When I was just journaling about our family, I wrote each post as if I was typing an email to a friend (since most of my readers were friends).  When something cute or funny happened, I'd jot it down on a notebook and type it up when I had time.  Back then, I was posting only a few times each month, so maybe start with the goal of once per weekend.  Since your husband wants you to keep up with the blog, maybe he'd be willing to take over with the kids for an hour or two every Saturday while you write posts and add pictures - ?  Just a thought.

Make it real no-pressure.  Don't try to make things look fancy or word everything perfectly or try to impress.  I always think about my blog as the storage place for our memories should our house ever burn down or should I get hit by a bus. Not fun to think about, but it's my mental insurance policy on things I might otherwise forget! 

I hope that was helpful, Fleur!  Don't get overwhelmed by the task...just document the little, important things on your family blog and it will soon be a website full of memories!

Meal Plan 1/17/11

Monday - Chicken Stir Fry
Tuesday - Leftover Crock Pot Chicken Burritos
Wednesday - {Crock Pot} Bean Soup with Tortilla Chips
Thursday - Chicken Enchilada Quiche
Friday - Pizza night
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - {Rachael Ray's} Meatloaf Roll Up

Sometimes You Just Gotta Go With It

(our overflow fridge in the laundry room)

Have you ever found defrosting chicken in a puddle of could-be-salmonella-y juice on the fridge shelf?  Then you have to tear everything apart and clean it, drips and all, before it gets dried and crusty and passes the could-be germs on to other food packages.  Even though all you wanted to do was start your crock pot and go along with your day.

Then have you ever started cleaning that one shelf in the fridge and just kept going and going and going?  Until the whole fridge was empty and your counters had glass shelves and drawers piled high?

Yeah, me neither.  I clean my fridge, um, (*cough*) all the time.

Sometimes you just gotta keep going when you get motivated, you know?  And sometimes you wish you would have put the thawing chicken in a baking pan so the juice would have stayed contained.  Because this is not the first time this has happened to me.  Or to thawing meat in my fridge.

Someday I'll learn...

*Newsflash* There ARE Enough Hours in the Day!!!

Last week, I read a startling fact.  One that I've known all along, but must have never really allowed to sink in. It has changed my perspective on daily life and how I prioritize everything that I need to do. 

Are you ready for this?   Wait for it...

There have always been 24 hours in a day.  Never more, never less.  Since the beginning of time; God created each day with only 24 hours.

So if God created a day...the perfect day...to be exactly 24 hours (and he even created us to require 8 hours of sleep, cutting that day down to 16 productive hours, but I digress...) WHY IS IT that I feel like I can't accomplish everything that I need to get done in a single day?!?

The answer is simple: PRIORITIES. 

I'm reading the book, "Lies Women Believe" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss (which I highly recommend, ladies) and this concept was one of the lies she discusses. Since reading it last week, my perspective has been completely transformed.

From the book, "Years ago, I read that the average woman today has the equivalent of FIFTY full-time servants, in the form of modern, timesaving devices and equipment.  That figure may or may not be accurate, but we certainly have many conveniences available to us that were unknown to women of past generations.  Imagine going back to the days when there were no dishwashers, microwaves, washing machines, dryers, or automobiles - or even further back to a time when people had never heard of indoor plumbing or electricity."

The fact of the matter is that whether we lived in 1800, 1900 or 2011, as women, we DO have enough time to do everything we're supposed to do.  What we need to determine is the answer to this question: What IS everything we are supposed to do? 

The Lie: "I don't have enough time to do everything I'm supposed to do."
The Truth: "All I have to do is the work God assigns to me."

From the book: "The frustration comes when I attempt to take on responsibilities that are not on His agenda for me. When I establish my own agenda or let others determine the priorities for my life, rather than taking time to discern what it is that God wants me to do, I end up buried under piles of half-finished, poorly done, or never-attempted projects and tasks.  I live with guilt, frustration, and haste, rather than enjoying the peaceful, well-ordered life that He intends."

What I realized after reading about this topic is that the "job description" that God has for me right now, in this season of my life, is to raise my young kids, support my husband and nurture our family. Everything else is secondary.  I need to take care of:

• my mind - studying God's word on a daily basis
• my body - making healthy choices for myself, inside and out
• my family - physically (making meals, helping with homework, etc.) and emotionally (teaching them Godly character, kissing boo-boos, arbitrating disagreements, etc.)
• and our home - keeping up with dishes, laundry and making sure we are in a relatively sanitary (not necessarily sparkling clean) living environment

If I am able to do all of these things with plenty of time to spare, then I can make myself available for friends, extended family and volunteer opportunities that arise.

What helps guide my decisions is determining which roles others cannot play for me.  I am the only wife to my husband.  I am the only mother to my children.  In my case, I am the only daughter (and only child) to my mom. 

I am not the only parent who can aide in the classroom.  I am not the only neighbor who can bring a meal.  I am not the only person who can volunteer at a church function.  I am not the only friend who will show up at Bunco night.  My child is not the only one who was invited to the birthday party (that I need to drive to/from or chaperon).

Don't get me wrong: I'm not suggesting that we stop serving others around us or withdraw from all social activities.  The problem is when we convince ourselves that we have to do everything we're asked to do. Some of us need to learn to say, "no."

That is the other related lie that women in our generation believe: "I can do it all."  I went through that a few years ago; I had it in my head that I should be able to be the perfect wife and mother, keep my house clean and organized and beautifully decorated for each holiday, plan and prepare healthy, home-cooked meals for my family, save hundreds of dollars with coupons, run the mom's group at church (among several other church commitments), volunteer at my child's school, post on my blog every day, stay physically fit, keep up-to-date scrapbooks filled with beautifully photographed pictures all while working from home part-time. 

Even looking at that list is absolutely exhausting.

I really enjoyed that season of my life, but at the time, I didn't realize that my home and my family were suffering.  By the time I was ready to engage with Mike or the kids, I had given so much of myself to other things that I had nothing left to offer the people who meant the most to me.  I was mentally, emotionally and sometimes even physically drained.

Since adding Jason to our family, my activities are down to virtually nothing, yet some days I busy myself unnecessarily.  Only to feel overwhelmed and frustrated later.  I've intentionally cut down many things that ate away at my time.

• I say, "no" a lot more, giving myself permission to change my mind later.  
• I'm very choosy about social activities; park days, which birthday parties we attend and everything else that tries to overtake our calendar.
• Certain tasks have a permanent place in my daily routine, like exercise and, recently (ahem...since reading about this topic) reading the Bible daily.
• I choose 3-5 MIT ("Most Important Things") to get done each day instead of 10-20 revolving things that overwhelmed me.  The MITs are crossed off first, then if I have energy for other items on the list, great.  If not, I have the freedom to do whatever I want, guilt-free.
• I hardly ever talk on the phone to friends anymore.
• I rarely schedule play dates, and when I do, the parents don't stay.  It's worked out as a babysitting trade or a kids-only play date, so my kids have fun while I'm able to get stuff done around the house or give Jason my undivided attention.
• Neighbors and I "double up" on errands by calling or texting each other when we run to Costco, Target or other stores.  This cuts down significantly on last minute trips to grab pantry staples. (It's like a grocery carpool!)
• I only scrapbook about the main events in my traditional scrapbook, keeping track of the day-to-day in my Project Life picture-of-the-day albums. (I'm doing the digital kit this year so I can cut and paste from my POD blog)
• The blogs I follow has been significantly scaled back.  I skim most of my friends' blogs and still have a handful of larger blogs that encourage/inspire me, but the time I spend reading posts is a fraction of what it was a year or two ago.
• In the last week or so, I've also decided that I'm going to stop Facebook for a while.  It sucks me in and I'd rather be spending that time doing other things.

I feel like I stay home a lot more than I did before.  It's a much slower pace and I'm a much calmer person as a result.  Since having this epiphany last week, I procrastinate less.  When I see a sink full of dishes or am tempted to plop down to relax, I push through and finish what needs to be done first. I've stayed ahead of my to do list and am experiencing the peaceful, well-ordered life that God intended for me.

And I can go to bed most nights feeling confident that I accomplished the plans God had for me that day.

P.S. I've been wanting to blog about this for last past 10 days, but other things were a higher priority, so I didn't get to it until today.  :)  That's how I roll now...

My Word for 2011 is GRACE

For the past couple of years, I've heard and read about people picking one word to focus on for the upcoming new year.  Not a list of goals or resolutions: just. one. word.

They discussed this on the radio last week on my way to the gym and my mind got stuck on the concept as I worked out.

What would my ONE WORD be for 2011?  What ONE WORD would sum up all of the things I want to focus on...encompassing adjustments I want to make to my personality, habits and  lifestyle?  What ONE WORD would last for a whole year?


Self-control popped into my head.  Maybe that's two words, but it's where my thoughts landed.  I want more self control with food, with my tongue when reacting to my husband and kids, with my impulsiveness to do this or that right now.

But that didn't seem accurate enough. 

Balance?  Maybe it was balance.  If my life were more balanced, maybe I wouldn't stress eat or lose my temper or feel overwhelmed by tasks on my to-do list.

That wasn't it either.

Then it hit me: GRACE.  That is really what I need to focus on this year.  Not being more graceful physically, Grace is cutting people slack, whether they deserve it or not.  Grace is letting the little things slide.  Grace is giving others the benefit of the doubt.  Grace is releasing your expectations and allowing those around you to do things in their own way, in their timing, making mistakes without judgment.

We all need grace, but even more, we need to practice extending grace to others. So that's my word for 2011: GRACE. 

What's your one word???

Meal Plan 1/10/11

Monday - Chili and cornbread
Tuesday - Sloppy Joes with Seasoned Baked Potato Wedges
Wednesday - Crock Pot Chicken Burritos
Thursday - Baked Potato Bar (with broccoli, cheese and leftover chili)
Friday - Date night with friends
Saturday - BBQ Chicken on the grill, rice, salad
Sunday - Manicotti with Homemade Noodles

Other stuff:
Almond Flax Granola
Whole Grain Waffles

The Mature Apology

My mom brought me the notes from her church service this weekend and they're currently posted on my fridge.  The message was titled, "The Mature Apology." 

The Mature Apology teaches children to take responsibility for their actions, connects their actions to Biblical values and helps them plan to make a better choice next time.

When your child needs to seek forgiveness for something they have done wrong, teach them the Mature Apology by having them say:

1. What they did wrong
2. Why it was wrong (this is where you connect the mistake to a Biblical character value like respect, kindness, love, honesty, etc.)
3. What they are going to do differently next time
4. "Will you forgive me?"

I've been working on this for a few days now and am amazed that my kids get completely stuck on #2.  As a rule, it appears that they genuinely don't know why what they did was wrong.

Last week, Kaylin lost her shoe on the sidewalk while we were walking to the parking lot.  Ryan made the loving choice to start kicking the shoe as he walked away from Kaylin.  I told him to stop and asked him to apologize.  Then I went through the above steps.

Me: "Ryan, do you know what you did wrong?"
Ryan: "Yeah, I kicked Kaylin's shoe."
Me: "Do you know WHY it was wrong?"
Ryan: "Because she couldn't put it back on while I was kicking it."
Me: "Yes, and it was disrespectful to play keep-away like that.  What will you do differently next time?"
Ryan: "Not kick the shoe."  (um, duh)
Me: "I'd actually like you to take it a step further: The considerate thing to do would be to pick up the shoe up and give it back to your sister."
Kaylin: "Actually, next time I want him to leave it on the ground because it's easier for me to put it back on that way."

Leave it to Kaylin to ruin my teachable moment with logic.

By the way, this works for adults, too!  Tonight, Mike snapped at me about something, apologizing later.  He loved when I treated him like one of the kids and asked, "Do you know what you did wrong?  And do you know why it was wrong?  What do you plan to do differently next time?"  I thought I was pretty hilarious.  Mike tried hiding his smile and rolled his eyes at me.

Give this a try with your kids and start apologizing to others using this format.  It makes so much sense!

Good-bye sugar, hello gum!

Dear Sugar,

I realize we didn't part on very good terms today.  I'm sorry I cursed you for the leftover Gingerbread Cookies I found in the back of the fridge after lunch.  Which weren't stale after 3 weeks even though I know they were made without preservatives.  And the frosting was still soft-ish. They were delicious, really they were. But I digress.

It's time for us to split up for a while.  It's not me, it's you.  You're not good for me and I need you out of my life for the time being. 

I understand that the next few days will be hard, but by this time next week, I won't even miss you.  You've already been replaced!  My new post-meal snacks of choice are popcorn, apples or gum. 

No need to call or write, because I'm moving on. And no, you can't do anything to change my mind.

So long, sucker!
~ Katie

I just asked 332 Facebook friends to hold me accountable, so I may as well completely expose myself  to you with my spur-of-the-moment, on a whim, inspired by a neighbor friend at 1:34pm today, snap decision.

I'm done with sugar.  Not forever, but for a long, long time. 

I'm done with the cravings.  I'm done being tempted to have "just one more."  I'm done with the sugar crashes.  I'm done with the guilt.  I'm done with my favorite jeans being too snug.

This is not a New Year's Resolution, it's a commitment to stop eating sugar until I stop craving it. 

Let the detox headaches and crankiness begin.  Wanna join the party?  It's not fun, but it's so worth it!

No More Night-time Accidents!!!

We have struggled with Ryan staying dry at night for...well, forever. We never made a big deal about it because he had two friends that are a year older than him that had the same issue.  I was a little annoyed, but not concerned.

He was in Pull Ups until he turned five, then my Psychologist aunt recommended that I stop buying Pull Ups, put him in underwear at bedtime and take him to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  I was pregnant at the time and getting up 3-4 times to pee myself, so this worked well for a while.  I continued waking him after Jason came along, since I was waking up to nurse anyway.

Eventually, we got to the point where we only woke Ryan up to go to the bathroom as we were going to bed each night.  He'd have been in his room for 2-3 hours by that point, and, although he was very hard to wake, he was usually able to stay dry the rest of the night after a 10pm bathroom break.

Then last summer, he began having accidents again at night.  He became impossible to wake at 10pm and consistently wet his bed on days when we swam or nights that he had basketball practice.  It was truly an issue of being too exhausted to wake up when he had the urge to go.  That and he likely took in a lot more water than usual on those days.

In August, his six-year well-check appointment was with a new doctor.  The old doctor told me not to worry about it and said that bed-wetting usually goes away between 6-8  years old.  But this pediatrician gave me some tips that stopped the accidents for good.  She told me that these steps would stop the issue within 2-3 months, and, if they didn't work, I needed to call her to figure out if the problem was more physical in nature. 

Here were her suggestions:

1. No more Pull Ups, even on days that we swam or had lots of physical activity.   No more.  None.
   
2. Make sure Ryan gets most of his liquids in the early part of the day.  We'd tried doing the "no drinks after 5pm" rule, but he would always cry because he was so thirsty at dinner and just before bed.  The doctor suggested that Ryan drink a full glass of water with breakfast and another full glass of water as soon as he came home from school.  This stopped the nightly begging for "one more drink" battle immediately.  She said kids need a certain amount of water per day and that they usually don't drink until they're thirsty, which means they're already dehydrated. (that's the same for us, by the way) The point of this tip is to stay ahead of him getting thirsty, hydrating him at the beginning part of the day.
   
3. Have Ryan go to the bathroom at the beginning of the nighttime routine (before baths, PJs, teeth and stories), then again after prayers as the very last thing before closing his eyes.  Stories, get in bed, lights out, prayers, get out of bed to go to the bathroom, then get right back into bed. This has been HUGE.  Every time we forgot to have him go to the bathroom twice at bedtime, he would wet his bed.

The combination of doing all of these steps, every day for a month, stopped night-time accidents once and for all.  I can't even remember the last time he had an accident.  I think he had one a few weeks ago, but the one before that was at least a month prior.

After dealing with extra laundry and changing sheets in the middle of the night for so long, I can't believe we're finally past this.  A friend suggested that I share our victory in hopes that the ideas might help someone else. 

If one of your kids is struggling with night-time accidents, give these tips a try.  They worked for us!

New Year, Fresh Start

One of my big goals this week is to start fresh in my filing cabinet.  I'm taking receipts and certain paperwork from their regular files and moving them to new files labeled "through 2010."  For instance, my folder with household receipts will move from the "Household" folder to a new "Household through 2010" folder. 

I did this back in 2008 and when I recently purged my file cabinet, I knew that I could pull and shred all of the information in the "through 2007" folders without looking at it.  Some of the items from 2008-2010 needed to be kept "just in case," but instead of going through it all, I just kept it all for now.  I'll throw it away next year.  :)

Back in 2008, my hope was to do this type of back-filing annually, but you know how life goes: it didn't happen.

This year, I'm creating a clean slate once again. 

I know I keep more papers and receipts than most, but I thought this tip might help someone else out there who gets overwhelmed with paper clutter, like me.  :) 

Happy New Year!

How I Preserve My Christmas Cards

I saw the idea for this annual project last year.  This is a collage of the pictures and cards we've received over the last few weeks.  Unfortunately, not all of the family photos that we received made the scrapbook layout, but I was able to fit most of them in.  Fa la lalala!!!

Unexpected Accomplishments in 2010

It's hard to believe that my list of 101 Goals in 1001 Days is nearly 2 years old.  In 2009, I completed 39 of the tasks and in 2010, I did 34. Some were even repeated, like I took 2 photography classes, went to 2 comedy shows, stuff like that.

There are some additional things that I accomplished this year that could have made the original list, but they weren't on my radar in 2009.  Add-ons, if you will.  They include:

• Plant a garden
• Sign Ryan up for football
• Sign Ryan up for basketball
• Sign Kaylin up for gymnastics
• Wean Ryan and Kaylin off their blankets
• Teach Kaylin how to read
• Begin paying Ryan a weekly allowance
• Take an art class
• Buy a china cabinet
• Have the kids do weekly chores that decrease my workload
• Begin a new family tradition (this year, we started Fondue on Valentine's Day, Christmas in July and celebrating 1/2 birthdays)
• Move the kids' chore charts upstairs for easier access
• Convert the back hall closet into a "kids closet"
• Talk Mike into going to couples counseling to resolve some really ridiculous, recurring issues in our marriage
• Buy a new t.v. (all of our tv's up until now have been hand-me-downs)
• Refinance our mortgage
• Talk Mike into adding a text plan to his cell phone (this just happened Tuesday!)
• Bring an unchurched friend to church (we ask our neighbors all the time and their daughter finally came with Ryan a few weeks ago)
• Begin eating grass-fed beef, wild-caught salmon, hormone free/antibiotic free eggs, and convert the whole family to organic milk
• Have my blog visited by people in 114 countries
• Exceed 180,000 hits on my blog 

Some additions I hope to add in 2011:

• Exceed 300,000 hits on my blog
• Get 200 followers on Google Friend Connect (I realize many of you follow me via other methods, but seeing this number climb has been fun)
• Read the entire Bible in a year (Lord, help me get through Leviticus!)
• Buy a Vita-Mix (what is the deal with NO one selling them on Craigslist?!?)
• Run a 5K with Mike (ironically, this is planned for our anniversary - 2/12/11)
• Move Jason into Ryan's room full time (no more Pack 'n' Play in the craft room)
• Teach Kaylin how to ride her bike
• Begin paying Kaylin a weekly allowance
• Allow Kaylin to have a sleep over
• Invite one of Ryan's school friends to sleep over
• Potty train Jason
• Lose this stupid, lingering 10 lbs and keep them off
• Mike would kill me if he saw this, but I'd love to get pregnant again this year.  Even late in the year is fine. Or even next year...or EVER for that matter! But I'd kind of prefer this year.  :)
  
  Do you have any New Year's goals???