Don't Rob Me of MY Time

When my kids were babies, I was the naptime Nazi. Bedtimes were exactly 90 minutes after each feeding, which were every three hours from 7am-7pm. At 7:00, the lights went out. I loved that our routine was predictable and that I could schedule life around well-rested, happy kids. This non-negotiable bedtime lasted until Kindergarten, at least. I slacked off occasionally, but bedtimes were a rigid requirement for many, many years.

Somewhere along the way, we got off course. Bedtime moved to 7:30, then 8:00. Story time would linger. Kids took turns popping out of bed for extra kisses or a drink of water. The nail in the coffin was when we began homeschooling last year...no more rushing around in the morning meant no sense of urgency to get to bed at night. We became very lax about bedtime.

Feb 2010 - Story time with Daddy

Recently, my mom went to my BFF's house to babysit for her when she was in a bind. She made a comment that lingered in my head: "Her kids (four of them from 2-8 years old) go to bed immediately when they're told. Right at 7:30, no arguing or complaining." My heart twinged a little as I thought, "Hmph - so do mine!" Then reality set in, "Oh wait, they don't so much anymore..."

I think because they've become so independent, we say, "Go take a shower" or "Head upstairs and put on your PJs" and expect them to do it. But often they dawdle or distract each other and we get caught doing something on our own and don't follow up with them when they're done. Then everyone gets thrown off.

When I talked to my friend about how she's stayed so diligent with her bedtime routine, she simply replied, "Because every minute past 7:30 that the kids go to bed is one less minute I get to spend with my husband."

Well, when you put it that way...

My fire was relit. Bedtime in our house was immediately 8:00 and not a minute later. I thought this would be met with some resistance, but as it turns out, the problem wasn't the kids...it was me and Mike. When we ask them to do something and follow up with them, they don't get as distracted and they're fully capable (and willing!) to stay on course.

Mike hasn't been quite as neurotic as I have about sticking to the 8:00 bedtime. If the kids are getting along and everyone's content, he tends to not want to upset the applecart with the announcement of bedtime. The problem lies in the fact that when we allow them to stay up later, we get less time together and less individual time to relax and deprogram before we turn in for the night. As a couple, we begin to feel disconnected and as a stay at home mom, I feel like it's all kids, all the time; from the moment I wake until the moment I go to bed.

Don't get me wrong...I love my kids. I choose to spend day in and day out with them and love that I don't send them off to school each day. But I still need MY time. I need OUR time. 

So showers and stories now start at 7:30, lights out at 8:00. Period. The bedtime Nazi is officially back in business. 

Clutter Keeper Solution

One of my biggest pet peeves is when things are strung all over the house...especially the kitchen. With kids, this is going to be inevitable with toys and games, but it's just so...constant.  Especially in a two story home. Things from upstairs migrate downstairs and toys from our downstairs playroom end up in the kids' rooms with no where to put them "away".

I finally have a solution!

These great totes are on clearance through Tastefully Simple for $8.95 (originally $27.95) and they fit perfectly shoved up against the wall of our staircase. Three might be a bit excessive...I've found that every time I head upstairs I grab one and empty it right away. The idea was to have one for kids' stuff, one for schoolroom stuff and one for office stuff/bills to file. I have one at the top of the staircase, too, for items that belong downstairs. 

The reason this is working is because when I can't put something away because it belongs upstairs, instead of putting it helplessly on the counter, I stick it in a staircase bin. It now HAS a place! My counters are clearer, the kids rooms have less piles of "I don't know where to put this" and I'm less cranky about random stuff being everywhere. 

Halla!

These totes are a great neutral color with chocolate brown (faux?) leather trim on the bottom and handles. They're lightweight and durable and the perfect size! (12.5" x 11" x 10")

(Are you feeling a sales pitch coming on? Brace yourself...)

They also have an awesome oblong tote that matches perfectly and is a little longer at 17.75" x 8" x 10".  It was $39.95 but is now only $9.95! I bought several to corral my office supplies near my desk. 

Both of these totes would also be great for holding mittens/hats/scarves, magazines, mail/paper clutter, it could be a Wii/Playstation accessories holder or a movie bin near the DVD player...the possibilities are endless. 

You all know I sell this stuff, so feel free to go online and order; click on the 80% off picture right under my big blonde head on the main page of my website. You'll see what I mean.  There's also some other cool stuff on clearance: a great tote bag ($50 off - only $9.95), an adorable set of 4 ramekins (I use these almost every day for my oatmeal) for only $8.95 and some hearty draw-string, taffeta gift bags for only a buck.

PS - the shipping is a flat rate up to $60, so whether you buy one $10 item or six, the shipping is the same, so definitely peek around the site to snag some other fun deals. You know where to find me if you have questions!

 

Meal Plan 12/27/12 - 1/5/13

This is my leftover-Christmas-food meal plan. LOTS of repurposing! There are so many leftovers in my fridge that I need to spend some time this weekend assembling and freezing some of the recipes below so the meat won't go bad. Several of these are easy to prepare ahead.

Thursday - Creamy Turkey Noodle Soup (add carrots and broccoli)
Friday - Shrimp Pasta with Tomatoes, Lemon and Spinach *
Saturday - Healthy Turkey Pot Pie
Sunday - The Pioneer Woman's Leftover Turkey and Cheese Panini *
Monday - New Year's Eve fiesta: Ham and Spinach Quiche *, Goat Cheese Sun Dried Tomato Party Dip * and Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls *
Tuesday - Cheese and Turkey Enchilada Casserole *
Wednesday - Cheap and Easy Korean Beef
Thursday - Lasagna Soup
Friday - leftovers or eat out
Saturday - Turkey Tetrazzini
Sunday - chicken on the grill with rice and salad

Sweet Treats
Chia Cranberry Apple Crisp *
No-Bake Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies *
 

Merry Christmas to All...

from my family to yours

 

Snow Day, 2012

We haven't been up north to play in the snow in three years, so it was officially time. Last trip, the big kids were 3 and 5 and didn't last long because we didn't dress them properly. (apparently jeans get cold when they're soggy) We borrowed what we could from friends and pieced together the rest ourselves.  This year, Ryan wasn't scared of flying down steep hills face first at warp speeds. Jason would have done the big hills alone, had we not stopped him because he refused to hold on to the handles and kept tumbling off. 

The little hills were fun until Ryan discovered a monster hill. It was steep, huge and packed flat with icy snow. The kids couldn't get enough of it.

Jason has never seen the white stuff in person and, although he enjoyed sledding, he had the most fun pelting us with snowballs. (we went up when he was 2 months old, but it doesn't count when you're asleep in an infant carrier the whole time)

We topped off the afternoon with cocoa, then pizza at Oregano's, before making the long drive home.

Jason passed out (napless) 15 minutes before we reached the house. And it wasn't until we unloaded the car that I realized my phone was missing. I think it slipped off my lap when I let Jason go to the bathroom on the shoulder of the highway in the middle of no where. (*sigh*) We were about 30 minutes outside of town, so we're going to see if we can find it later today. I'm thinking a new iPhone 5 might be in my future if we aren't able to locate the needle in the haystack!

Glittered Peppermint Macaroons - Cookie Exchange Winner!

I went to a cookie exchange this weekend that raised the bar. There were prizes for best tasting cookie, best looking cookie, best platter presentation, best recipe card and best packaging. This cookie won in almost every category and I'm fairly certain the votes were spread out just because no one wanted it to be a sweep.

The clear boxes were ordered online and the tags were hand crafted, as were the recipe "cards" which were actually little booklets. (they were round like a macaroon and the pages were the "filling" - over the top adorable!) To be clear, I did not make these, but I plan to next year! They looked and tasted amazing.

This recipe is not for the faint of heart, but it is a huge crowd-pleaser!

Macaroon Ingredients:

3 large egg whites

1/2 c almond flour

1 c powdered sugar

1 vanilla bean

1 1/2 c white sugar

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Blend the almond flour, powdered sugar and the contents of the vanilla bean (scrape the inside) in a food processor until fully combined.

3. With a mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy. Add in the white sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.

4. Add the egg whites to the flour and fold to incorporate until mixture is just smooth, using no more than 50 strokes.

5. Fit a pastry bag with a large round tip and fill with macaroon batter.

6. Pipe 1" circles onto parchment-lined baking sheet.

7. Let the better rest on the pan at least 30 minutes before baking to form a film and prevent cracking. 

8. Bake in an oven pre-heated to 280 F for 15-20 minutes on the middle rack. To test for doneness, gently touch the top of a macaroon to make sure it's dry. Gently lift the macaroon from the paper and if it comes away pretty easily, they're done. If not, check on them every 2 minutes until the bottom is dry.

9. Once removed from the oven, allow them to rest on the pan for 10 minutes to cook completely before removing.

10. Cool macaroons completely before frosting or filling.

Peppermint Filling Ingredients:

1/2 c butter, softened

1 1/2 c powdered sugar

3 oz. good quality white chocolate (chopped, melted and cooled to room temperature)

1 Tbs milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 c peppermint candies

Directions:

1. Place butter, chocolate, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat until smooth. Incorporate in powdered sugar until combined, then add peppermint candies.

2. (optional: spread a thin layer of melted chocolate on each macaroon before adding filling)

3. Fill macaroons with 1 tsp filling, then place another macaroon on top to complete the sandwich cookie.

Glitter topping:

1 c water

1 c white sugar

red edible glitter

green edible glitter

Directions: 

1. To make simple syrup, combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool.

2. Paint a small layer of simple syrup onto each macaroon, then sprinkle with glitter. Tap off excess glitter.

 

The Man of the House

This morning, I needed to keep everyone occupied while I cleaned the kitchen, so I asked Ryan to assist Jason with his favorite new dinosaur puzzle.

Jason loves this puzzle and I love that he's learning to appreciate a quiet, non-physical activity. For once! Jason worked diligently to find pieces that matched and Ryan seemed to be helping, until I heard him say, "Jason - drop the puzzle pieces on my head like RAIN!!!" (this huge puzzle only has 24 pieces...so each one is big and heavy) Jason was suddenly in the mood to be wild instead of playing calmly. Awesome. 

Before I could speak up, I heard Ryan yelp, "OW!!!" I pulled him aside and tried to help him understand the sequence of events that occurred up until he got hurt.

1. Jason is an extremely rough and tumble kid.

2. Everyone in the house hates how he destroys things and that he defaults to aggression while playing.

3. Knowing #1 and #2, I've intentionally been trying to redirect Jason to more peaceful activities, like puzzles.

4. Jason is finally engaged in an age-appropriate puzzle but can't complete it on his own yet. I sent Ryan over to assist and he encourages the lion-who's-playing-like-a-lamb to turn from his new ways and revert back to the old.

Is it shocking that Ryan ended up getting hurt? Not really. 

I didn't know how to get through to him that he needs to start acting more mature and responsible. The younger kids look to him to be more of an example and when he acts crazy, they see that as a green light to follow suit. Then the following words came out of my mouth:

"When Dad's at work, you're the man of the house. I need you to start acting like it."

Immediately, Ryan perked up. He sat up a little straighter. His head was a little higher. He heard me loud and clear. "I'm the man of the house?" 

"Yup."

For the next hour, Ryan meditated on this concept, both personally and aloud.  "As the man of the house...when Daddy's gone, of course...can I have more grown up responsibilities?"

"Hmm, like what?"

"Like staying home alone? And riding my bike to the grocery store to get food? Oh wait...how would I get it home on my bike...? Never mind about that last one.  Can I stay home alone?"

"When you start proving yourself to be responsible when I AM around, I will begin to trust that you are old enough to stay home alone. I'm not talking about behaving for just for an hour or a day...I'm talking about most of the time."

That thought took a minute to sink in.

We work on self-control a lot around her.  Our "We Choose Virtues" card explains it this way, "I make myself do the right thing. I am not wild, rowdy or disorderly and I don't expect others to control me."

Someday this will describe my boys. Someday I will look back on this post and breathe a sigh of relief that the rough and tumble days are over. In the meantime, I will consistently encourage my little guys to be more civil. Not to de-masculanize them, but to help them grow into the respectful young men God intends them to be.

(Lord, help me.)

  

Meal Plan - 12/17/12

This week's meal plan revolves around lots of leftovers from last night's Christmas party. I ended up doing a baked potato bar with lots of toppings including two different chilis and several cheesy, bacon-y dip mixes from Tastefully Simple. 

Monday - Leftover Baked Potato Bar with salad

Tuesday - Ravioli with beer bread

Wednesday - Chili with Cornbread with Cranberries and Pecans

Thursday - Quinoa Soup (I can't find the link to this - I found a bag of it in the freezer. It's a mystery soup!)

Friday - Healthy Cream of Potato Soup (seriously, we have a lot of leftover baked potatoes!)

Saturday - Chicken on the Grill, rice and veggies

Sunday - leftovers

New Recipe Review from last week:

- Skinny Chicken Enchiladas - YUM! A lovely, lower calorie/fat version of an old time favorite. All of us loved these except one of the kids at any given time. Kaylin didn't love them the first night and Jason wouldn't eat it when we ate them as leftovers.

-  Crock Pot Greek Chicken - This was fine...nothing amazing, just fine. I can't remember what I served it with (maybe rice and veggies?) but the flavor wasn't very strong. We all added salt and it still tasted like it was missing "something". Probably oil or butter? 

- Almond Toffee Bites - Oh. My. Goodness. These little bites of heaven were DELICIOUS and can never be made in my home again or I might eat my weight in toffee. Again. I made one batch with pecans and milk chocolate then a second one with almonds and semi-sweet chocolate. The pecans were a much softer nut to bite into and the milk chocolate was much less intense, so we preferred the pecan variation for sure. Next time, I might attempt to make little clusters and turn them into turtles.  Oh wait - didn't I say I wasn't allowed to make these ever again!??!!

- Buffalo Chicken Bites - This was a party winner for sure. Cream cheese, chicken and wing sauce inside of a crescent-like roll? No brainer.

- Hot Chocolate Cupcakes - Unusually easy to assemble and absolutely adorable. So fun - I highly recommend!

 

I'm done yelling. Seriously.

Jason: "Hey Mommy - take a picture of me with my angry face" (notice his bed head that looks like devil horns)

I mentioned that I'm reading through the book "Unglued" with some friends, right? Yesterday's chapter discussed the idea of having an action plan for the moments of crisis that are inevitable to pop up in life.

The author gave the example of an angry passenger on an airplane. The flight crew is trained to deal with these and many other types of situations. They don't take rants personally, they don't become emotional, they stay calm, voices low and firm, giving a warning so everyone knows what to expect if things continue to escalate.

So why don't I do that??? Back when I used to volunteer in the kids classrooms (particularly pre-school), I was a master at handling crazy kids with composure. But admittedly, I'm out of the habit. I decided this morning that I need to start treating my children the way I would treat your children if they were in my home without you. I would outline the rules, explain the consequences of breaking those rules, give appropriate warnings, then follow through without being emotional about it.

Today I challenged myself to do that exact sequence. Hour by hour, I vowed not to raise my voice. I don't care that my hormones are raging, so what if rainy weather makes kids a little crazy, it doesn't matter whether everyone behaves like robots or not...I would never stand for anyone else speaking to my kids the way I have this week! It's unacceptable for others and it is absolutely unacceptable for me. I'm ashamed and embarrassed.

I shared this challenge with my best friend this morning and she offered some additional insight: when we (as parents) don't stay on top of issues of obedience, there's no grace left for the genuine accidents that all {clumsy} kids have.  If I follow through with making sure Jason goes upstairs the first time I ask and I'm not forced to restrain my frustration by attempting to calmly repeat myself 3-4 times, by the time he accidentally knocks into the water cup full of paint brushes and it spills on the table, I'm much more likely to respond with love and grace. If I'm already maxed out, any small incident could be "the final straw." (which is too often the case) 

I overheard Kaylin say to Ryan yesterday, "I spilled a little paint on my skirt," to which I just closed my eyes and shook my head (it was the 3rd paint accident in a very short time) but Ryan quietly responded, "Don't mention it to Mom right now or she might freak out again." He totally had my number! That is not how I want my kids to be talking about me behind my back, that's for sure.

Other things play a vital role, too...like whether I've gotten enough sleep and have been eating well.  Same goes for the kids; if they're tired or hungry, coming down off a sugar high or if they haven't had one-on-one time with me, they have their own short fuses to deal with. I can usually take that into consideration, but not when I have my own issues that cloud my judgement. 

My new plan of attack is this: First and foremost, start each day with prayer, asking God to help me control my emotions hour by hour, if needed. Next, speak to the kids with the same kindness and respect that I would someone else's children. Especially when we homeschool...I need to get back to the mental image of taking off my mom hat and putting on my teacher hat every day. Patience, patience, patience. Last, I need to draw a firm line in the sand about first time obedience. When I'm overtired or distracted or rushing out the door, I'm not good about following through to make sure the kids do what I ask of them. The big kids see this inconsistency and know when they can slack off. No more! Because later, when I realize they didn't hang up their coat when I told them to (or whatever), I'm more likely to raise my voice in shock and disbelief...WAY overreacting and WAY after the instruction was ignored.

I'm no longer going to get louder in order to feel heard in my house. My new goal is to stay calm and unemotional, following through with consequences immediately instead of half-heartedly throwing out requests for the kids to do this or that.

We need a major boot camp up in here. I started a little today and got quite a bit of resistance. Wish me luck...it's going to be loooong weekend!

 

Cranberry Pecan Cornbread

A few weeks ago, I was planning on making Pioneer Woman's cornbread recipe, but it called for Crisco and, well, I don't DO Crisco. So I improvised with another recipe and here's what I came up with.  YUM!

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup corn meal

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup skim milk

1/4 cup canola oil

2 egg whites

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch pan. Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk, oil and eggs, mixing just until dry ingredients are moist. Gently stir in the cranberries and pecans. Pour batter into pan and bake 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve warm. 

Yields 9 servings.

  

Meal Plan - 12/10/12 (Christmas party inspired!)

Last week's meal plan was another success! I'll review the new recipes at the end of this post...

Monday - Bowties with Sausage and Broccoli (with a new Chicken and Apple sausage that they were sampling at Costco - holy YUM)
Tuesday - Skinny Chicken Enchiladas * with Healthy Krispie Treats *
Wednesday - Crock Pot Greek Chicken *
Thursday - Crock Pot Broccoli and Chicken Noodle Soup
Friday - Clean Eating Southwest Quinoa Salad * (note to self: make ahead and keep in fridge)
Saturday - leftovers with Santa Hat Pretzels
Sunday - Hosting a Christmas party for my amazing Tastefully Simple team...I'm making a few Tastefully Simple dinner recipes plus some Pinterest inspired Christmas fun:
- Christmas Tree Veggie Tray * (with one of our veggie dips, I'm sure)
- Buffalo Chicken Bites * (with our Bold Buffalo Blue Cheese Dip Mix)
- Santa Hat Brownies * (using our Truffle Fudge Brownies)
- Hot Chocolate Cupcakes * (using our Classy Chocolate Pound Cake)
- Almond Toffee Bites *
- Peppermint Popcorn *
- Crock Pot Hot Cocoa *
- Healthy Apple Cider *
- labeling the food with these adorable Candy Cane Label Holders

* new recipes will be reviewed next week

New Recipe Review from last week: 
- Beef Carnitas Tacos - Oh. My. So good, I reposted it on my blog. We will be making these again and again! 5 thumbs up from my fam.

- Parmesan Chicken - This was also very good. Not amazing, but definitely a new, different way to serve boring chicken in our house. I'd make it again for sure.

- Cheesy Zucchini Rice - A big hit with my family! We rarely add cheese to stuff, so having a warm, gooey version of our typical brown rice was a fun surprise at the table. Ryan was suspicious of the shredded zucchini pieces, but once he tried it, he realized they were tasteless because they were so small.

- Lasagna Soup - This was the biggest hit of the week! I need to play around with this recipe before reposting it because it was WAY too spicy for me and the kids, but that didn't stop us from going back for seconds. Ryan said his mouth felt like "1,000 volcanos were erupting" but he couldn't stop eating it. I felt the exact same way...the pain was SO worth it. I'm not sure if I bought sausage that was too spicy or if I need to replace the fire-roasted tomatoes next time, but this was OUTSTANDING. Everyone loved it!

- Clean Eating Chocolate Mug Cake - I've seen cake-box versions of mug cakes and wanted to try this "clean" version. It was fine, but I used as many ingredients to make five of them for all of us as I would have to make a whole cake, so this wasn't worth it for me. It was fairly dry and needed whipped cream on practically every bite.

 

Crock Pot Beef Carnitas Tacos

One of the best things about meal planning is that I'm finally putting my Pinterest boards to use! I have to repost this recipe for fear that the link might break someday. These soft tacos were SO delicious, I can't risk losing track of the details.

2 lbs flank steak
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced

for spice rub...
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt

for serving...
corn tortillas
avocado slices
lettuce, chopped
shredded cheese
cilantro
your favorite salsa
limes

Place steak at the bottom of a slow cooker. Sprinkle with each of the seasonings for the rub.  Cover steak with the chopped onions, bell pepper and jalapeno pepper.  Turn heat on LOW and cook for 8 hours.

After 8 hours, shred the meat with a fork. You can either stick the shredded meat back in the pot for another hour to marinate or serve as is.

To serve, heat corn tortillas in a skillet on the stove. Spoon some carnitas on a tortilla, then top with salsa, avocado, cheese, lettuce, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Enjoy with a margarita for best results. 

  ‎

Meal Plan - 12/3/12

Monday - Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas Tacos * with Chipotle's Cilantro Lime Rice and Black Bean Brownies for dessert
Tuesday - Parmesan Chicken * with Cheesy Zucchini Rice * with Healthy Krispie Treats * for dessert
Wednesday - Lasagna Soup * with Clean Eating Chocolate Mug Cake *
Thursday - Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
Friday - Crock Pot Chicken Burritos
Saturday - bringing Martha Stewart's Chocolate Crackle Cookies to Hunko Bunko pot luck
Sunday - leftovers

POD UPDATED!

For those of you who give me grief about forever being behind on my Picture of the Day blog, all of my pictures are officially uploaded! They are posted by month, not by week, are completely out of order and have no descriptions attached to them whatsoever, but they're available for your viewing pleasure.

I don't have a very good system for selecting pictures now that I have a Mac, hence my being a slacker all of this year. Plus, the Project Life format changed now that they use Shutterfly for their printing, and I don't need to journal about every picture anymore, so I find myself blowing off that little detail. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

When I have time, I'll write captions. Considering I just caught up uploading the pictures from the past five months, that will probably happen in 2014.  :)

 

Top 10 Gift Ideas: For the Elementary-Aged Boy (6-10)

I do my best to get Ryan to keep himself entertained without the use of the t.v. or video games, since that seems to be the go-to for 8-year old boys. Both are severely limited in our house, so giving him gifts that encourage him to PLAY is a big goal of mine.

Here are some items that Ryan has (and loves) and a few that he'll be getting for Christmas this year...

Magic School Bus Science Club - will receive monthly science kits in the mail

Nerf Dart Gun with Suction Darts - you'll want to get two of these because your husband might monopolize this new toy if you just buy one

Bow and Arrow Set - huge, huge, huge hit with the 6-10 year old boy crowd...and the 10-50 year old boy crowd

K'Nex Coaster or Model Building Set

Remote Control Helicopter

Remote Control Rock Crawler

The Lego Ideas Book - Ryan is really into Legos, specifically Star Wars Legos, and this book gives him tons of ideas for building creations!

Magic Set (although I'll warn you that when Ryan got his kit a couple of years ago, he was devastated that the magic tricks were TRICKS, not actual MAGIC)

Juggling Balls

For the sports enthusiast: a Fathead of your child playing their favorite sport for their bedroom

What are some of your gift recommendations for elementary-aged boys?