Movie fixed

movie on the 7/20 picts post is working :)

Simple Eats

When it comes to meal prep, I'm one of those who usually just keeps things on hand and throws together whatever I feel like making when it comes time to eat. Meal calendars scare me. Seriously. To much planning in my book. Even when I do throw out a few ideas and write them down on my dry erase board, the days we have what typically change, and only half of those meals ideas end up being used anyway, which is why I use a dry erase board rather than printing out my plans. I used to feel this tremendous weight drop over me just upon hearing the words "meal" and "planning" used together. Recently I had my methods validated, however, by a blogger who was actually just doing the same thing I was: keep some meat and veggies around, and you're set. "THANK YOU!!!" I shouted to the heavens. I now feel as though creativity and flexibility at meal time is actually a valid way of cooking. ;) Of course it always has been, but my feelings needed to get in line with that belief.

That said, just because I like to throw things together on a whim, especially when my hubby and I brainstorm together ("oo! We have some ___. We could make ____!), doesn't mean that I don't enjoy following a good recipe every now and then. I enjoy trying out new things, and now that my husband has joined in on that, it's even more fun. Yet, just because there's a recipe I want to try out doesn't mean I typically actually make whatever that recipe might be. Well, today I'm proud to say that I actually did. (Is my AD/HD showing yet?) S and I threw together Elise's Panzanella Bread Salad, initially sans bread, and, boy, was it yummy! We halved the tomatoes and cucumber, just because we're still getting used to eating fresh tomatoes, and used it as a topper for leftover chicken. I also poured some over some fresh, torn french bread. Yum!

When I cook, simplicity of ingredients and cooking methods is key, which is why I wanted to try Elise's recipe. Special occasions aside, I think it's crazy to spend more time cooking a meal than eating it. I'm always looking for a new way to save time and effort in the kitchen, and I've gathered some great ideas over the past few years. As I stated before, using fewer ingredients and only one cooking method is the main way I do this.

Another of my favorite time savers is bulk cooking, which idea I've had to dust off and start using again after child #2's arrival. Meat is my favorite thing to bulk cook. (Chicken, hamburger, it's all meat to me.) In college, S and I would lay out chicken tenders on a couple baking sheets, sprinkle some dried herbs over them, throw them in the oven for about 20 minutes, and then leave out half for the week's meals and freeze the other half. We'd then be able to throw together dinners in 5-20 minutes, depending on what else we had on hand and what we felt like eating. Even just pulling them out of the fridge and dipping them in some leftover sweet and sour sauce or some BBQ sauce was a great snack to tide us over until a more involved meal was ready. That whole idea of "ruining your dinner" is out the window for us. As S and I finally learned one busy semester, it's better to get food in our bellies than to bicker with each other simply because we're hungry.

Now that I'm even more penny-savvy than I was before (and the fact that I live were food is much more expensive than it is where I lived before), and thanks to Kroger's typical boned-in chicken breasts price of $1/lb, as well as some inspiration in remembering our previous bulk cooking, our new thing is to bulk cook boned-in chicken breasts. Same technique as before: lay 'em out, sprinkle with herbs, cook for an hour, eat some and package the rest up for later. Instead of also de-boning them right then, we've actually just been reheating them as is and prepping sides instead of a main dish. How do we reheat baked chicken so that it's oven fresh? Like this: microwave for 1 minute per breast, toss under the broiler for 5 min., and done. As to freezing/thawing those bone-in breasts? Well, that's next in line for experimenting. My hope is it goes just as easy, but I know that the thicker meat could pose a slight challenge. Maybe just microwaving for 2-3 minutes will do the trick.

What else can be bulk cooked? Well, pretty much anything that can be reheated well. Obviously, I didn't make a huge batch of Pananella Bread Salad. In fact, I'm glad I didn't add dry bread to the veggies at all. The leftover veggies are safe in the fridge--oh, wait, she said not to refrigerate them, just a second. Okay, the leftover veggies are safe on the counter (fresh veggies are usually fine being left out, cooked veggies aren't), and there's no worrying about the bread getting soggy by tomorrow's lunchtime. We can just slice some up and add it in when we eat. Most meals are generally made twice as big as they need to be, whether its pasta, soup and salad, rice and beans, breakfast casserole, or pancakes. I have to admit I have yet to freeze burritos, something I've frequently heard of others doing. It's always been on my list of freezer meals to try, although I wonder if I'd like just thawing the filling and tossing it onto a fresh tortilla better. Maybe that's why I've never tried freezing individual ones.

Simplicity is my way in general. Why would I need to spend thirty minutes making a fancy lunch that I'd then have to rush thru each day--not to mention clean up after--when I could just throw together a whole-wheat pb&j in 60 sec. or less? Add in some fresh, seasonal fruit and I'm good to go, whether it's jumping into the car to run some errands or sitting back and enjoying conversation with my daughter. The more time I have available for my family, the better off I am.

Picts from 7/20 - Almost 4 months

Here's my cheerful boy!

grab those toes!
He had the right side down, now he just needed to get the hang of grabbing his left foot with his left hand.


yay!

getting sleepy

out

Happy Pioneer Day!

What's Pioneer Day? Check out S's post on early LDS History on Duke Archive's blog. :)

Our Pioneer Day celebration included a pancake breakfast and games for the children: corn-husk doll making, face-painting (yeah, I'm sure pioneers painted their faces!), even a buffalo chip toss! (Yuck! at least they were fake, right?) H had been looking forward to it for weeks, ever since her Primary leaders told the children to tell their parents about it. Being a very attentive child, H was quick to let me know of it. The fact that Curious George also attended a pancake breakfast of course increased her excitement. She's been begging for pancakes for the past two weeks! :)

Me? I was excited about the corn-husk dolls! Having been a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan since childhood, I was eager to help out at that kids' station so that I could learn how to make them. I was not disappointed: they are SO EASY to make! No, seriously! They're my kind of craft: you only need three things to make them (corn husks, string, and scissors--oh, and some water to soften the husks if they're hard), and they only take 3-5 minutes for a novice to assemble--an expert could easily make one in 90 sec. or less, I'm sure. Loved them, loved them, loved them!

Hey, look! They got the instructions from online. (Go figure.) Although, I have to say, there at the very beginning we tied the pointed ends together, not the wide ends, so that the edges of the dress were flat. Check out NativeTech for fancy-schmancy corn-husk dolls.

H was also excited about the dolls. She stood patiently and watched me make her one. When I was done, she colored it with markers and then carried it with her the rest of the morning. As of right now, she's even sleeping with it!

I think Providence was kind to us today. It was another heat-advisory day (at least 100, but supposed to feel like 105-110), but it didn't feel nearly so bad thru the morning when in the shade--especially when a breeze began to blow near the end of the morning. I was quite surprised! (And grateful, as I'd expected to have to bail early.)

H and Lil'S waiting for Mama a couple days ago.

Another smile for the day.

I Survived!!!

He should be in at the airport right now!

I just hope our friend (home teacher) remembered to pick him up.....I should've called tonight to remind him. Well, we'll see.

He's Coming Home!!!

I guess I should go straighten up the house, now, huh. . . . maybe actually take a shower. . . . (whatta concept).

;)

Father's Day

I'm obviously playing catch up when it comes to blog posts:

Guess who was so tired she forgot that she really was actually prepared for Father's Day?

Poor S got his present on Thu, rather than Sun.

But, as always, he was a good sport about it.

Happy Father's Day,

My Love!!!

Father's Day Hugs!

H hugging the not quite so excited Lil'S

embarrassed little me

I think Sunday morning I had groggily said something to the effect of, "I took care of Lil'S from 10 to 1 and then H from 2-4 without waking you up. Happy Father's Day," and then rolled over in bed. Yet, S went thru his day all smiles. Maybe he really does appreciate his sleep even more than I think he does.

Size 4 Diapers!

My darling, smiling 3-mo-old just grew into size 4 diapers this week. (Tues?) I'm so proud!

(Although, it's probably going to get a little expensive pretty quickly. . . .)

He's now checking out toys and books, too. He loves checking out his world, even if it's only laying or sitting down. A couple weeks ago at church, he discovered how much fun it is to chat with new people. (around time of prev posted video) He's always being held by a friend through Relief Society! (women's class)

I'd post a pict from this week, but S's got the cam in LONDON, taking photos for me. I hope we can get some fun travel picts to display. . . . Hm, I don't have enough wall space in my house for all the picts I want to display. . . .

So, WHEN can I move back to Idaho???

Someday I'll have to write a post about why I love North Carolina, just to make up for this, but I need to embrace a weak moment. (Okay, so, really I want to embrace it.) Maybe I'll do both since I actually do have pros on NC in mind and I may never have another spare moment for this again. ;)

Why I miss Idaho

- I can walk out my front door and not get bitten by mosquitos

- the sun shines the majority of the year (this one is vs. Ann Arbor, MI)

- it snows when I want it to

- my husband doesn't have to cut thru clay in order for me to have a garden

- I don't have to worry about being eaten alive if I actually want garden

- I can actually go outside--period.

- it snows in the winter (in normal years)

Why I love NC

- my tomato plants really did grow six feet tall like the garden center guy said they would!

- it's beautiful--everything grows a plenty! (if only there weren't mosquitos, ticks, 90-100 degrees plus humidity, etc.)

- I don't have to scrape ice off my car (although I guess I do have to wipe "dew" off my car, not as bad, but rarely expected)

- it snowed lots last winter!

p.s. shhh! don't tell S about this post!

p.p.s. S was looking at real estate in ID a month ago during his weak moment. ;)

Just cleaning the floor . . . again. . . .

It's 9:46 a.m. I swept up the oats I spilled around 8:30. I then swept up the oats H spilled around 9:15. I now am going to return to the kitchen to clean up H's not-so-much-an-accident-rather-than-I'm-tired-and-don't-want-to-go-to-the-bathroom-so-I'll-fuss-and-cry-and-pee-on-the-floor-instead accident. And then I'll clean up the bathroom floor when H's done in the tub.

I was planning on bombing the house for fleas (again) so that we at least had a short period of time again before being eaten alive. H looks like she has chicken pox between the flea, mosquito, and ant bites she has, poor girl!!! I wonder if that'll still get done anytime today--obviously not in the early morning.

Okay, now I'm going to do myself a favor and at least turn on some music (something other than kid music!) to listen to while I clean. Maybe someday I'll get an ipod of my own . . . or at least a CD player in the kitchen. . . . (the latter would be cheaper anyway).

Better go calm the hurricane in the bathroom.

Happy Thursday!!

:)

I will survive! 2

I'm still alive!

Okay, I gotta be fast with this.

1) Having someone come over and help me out is probably the smartest thing I could have ever done while S is away. It's that external structure I've so badly needed to get me up and going and getting things done each day. He's going to D.C. the first week of Aug. Who wants to come and help? ;)

2) Any sure fire way, anyone, to get rid of fleas? As in, something less damaging to my home than setting a bonfire to it??? We've boraxed, bombed (which, we later found out only kills adult fleas, who've already laid 9,357,432 eggs in the past few weeks), and sprayed, and we're still getting bitten! Maybe I just need to drop the kids off at a friends for a day and go through the entire house in one swoop. Perhaps it's my room-by-room cleaning that's biting me in the . . . . Perhaps it really is time to call in the professionals. We need to get the house checked for termites anyway.

Hm...Sam was fussing a second ago...and now the house is quiet.....do I need to check and see if H got out of naptime cuddling with him?

Late Night & Golden Nuggets

I want to read more of these. It's 1:13 a.m., however, so now is obviously not the time, especially when H is up. (nightmare again, sigh) But, at least I now know exactly what I want to do with my kitchen and living room windows! (My dear mother-in-law even sent me curtains for the kitchen, but they sadly just don't seem to fit. . . .)

Emotional Intelligence and Parenting

First, I just have to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!

It's SO NICE to come across another thinking individual!!!

(Okay, so not to say that just because you haven't thought about this kind of thing you're not a thinking individual. I guess I'm just so tired of this topic NOT being covered when it's SO totally ESSENTIAL to BASIC LIVING. . . . And maybe I need to stop using all-caps when I'm trying to emphasize something. I guess it shows that I'm tired! . . . . I have to point out, though, that it was my Child & Family classes at BYU-I that pointed these concepts out. And, I was just thinking yesterday it was past time for me to start "owning" my own feelings and teaching that to H after she said "You are frustrating me!!!!" Yes, I've been talking to her about ways she can help Mommy not be so frustrated!)

http://eqi.org/pare.htm

In my review of the parenting literature I find very little mention of feelings. The emphasis is generally on behavior. But as psychologist John Gottman says, we are attempting to control the children's behavior without looking at the emotions which underly that behavior. (Links to the authors I mention are found at the bottom of this section)

I believe if we focus our efforts on trying to create the right kinds of feelings in children, the behavior will take care of itself. It is not only the feelings of the child which I believe we need to look at, but the parents' feelings as well. This is an area which is even more neglected than the child's feelings. Few psychologists or writers of parents literature ever mention the feelings of the parents. Thomas Gordon is the notable exception which comes to mind.

Gordon talks about the "window of acceptance." He says when the parent is feeling good, more things are acceptable. The more negative their overall mood, the fewer things are acceptable. Gordon also tells parents, "It is essential that you learn what you are feeling." In effect, Gordon recommends that parents "own" their feelings by using "I messsages." His work supports my recommendation that belief parents take responsibility for their own feelings, rather raising children to feel responsible for the moods and happiness of their parents. While my views are similar to Gordon's in many ways, I go into more detail about the importance of respect, and describe how it is earned and how it is often confused with fear and obedience.

The Simple Living Maven

OH, so THIS is where S got those things he's shared with me!

http://zenhabits.net/a-guide-to-creating-a-minimalist-home/

http://zenhabits.net/21-tips-on-keeping-a-simple-home-with-kids/

http://zenhabits.net/handle-chores-house-cleaning-and-errands-with-simple-systems/

I Will Survive!

The next few blogs (if they actually get written!) will be my daily (ha, or however frequent) log on surviving my longest period of time without my husband. Okay, many women have their heads screwed on properly and can make it just fine without their men around. However, that's not me. Forty-five minutes after dropping off S at the airport I sent out a cry for help: an email to all my Relief Society ladies offering to pay someone to come and help me preserve my sanity. I asked for a total of 6 hrs at the time (2x this coming week, once the week following). This morning, I re-asked one of the responders for 8 hrs (3x this coming week, once the week following). Having a friend come and help is much cheaper than flying out Grandmas, otherwise I'd be on the phone pleading! ;) By the time I got three amazingly quick responses this morning, H had already spent 3/4ths of the morning tantruming (really just her usual routine with how sleep deprived she's been lately--oh, and did I mention the sign of things to come last night that triggered the email was her having an accident--in the bathroom?), and had even knocked her breakfast bowl of cereal off the table and broke it. While thinking just a second ago about how she'd been attacked by ants in her car seat on our way home from church this afternoon, I realized I needed to think more positively through all this or I just wasn't going to make it. So, my positive thought for this afternoon is this: "At least there wasn't any milk in her bowl when she broke it this morning."

Happy Sunday!

Oh, yeah, it's the Fourth of July, isn't it?

Happy Fourth of July!!!