I'm joining in with Menu Plan Monday for the first time.  This is coordinated through www.orgjunkie.com.  She posts her week's meal plans and then hundreds of other ladies post theirs as well.  Check it out if you are looking for a good recipe!  A great, quick way to hunt for ideas.

Here's my plan:

Tonight:  Ground Beef Gyros (recipe follows)
Rest of the week's meals:  : 
Homemade Pizzas
From Deceptively Delicious:  Aloha Chicken
Deceptively Delicious:  Chicken Quesadillas
Deceptively Delicious:  Sweet Potato Pancakes

I checked out the Deceptively Delicious book from the library and am trying a few out this week.  I did a bunch of purees on Sunday.

For tonight is Ground Beef Gyros.  This is one the whole family absolutely loves.  I'm adapting it a bit for winter.  I'm going to try browning the seasoned beef in a skillet rather than grilling patties.  I'm thinking it should work equally well.    Also, you can double as needed.  I'm trying to double tonight so that we have plenty left over for lunch tomorrow.  Yum! 

Here's the recipe:

Sauce:
1 carton (8 oz.) plain yogurt
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp sugar

Filling:
1 pound ground beef
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt optional
3/4 tsp pepper

Extras:
shredded lettuce
pita breads, warmed
diced tomato
diced onion

Combine the first five ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate.  Combine beef and seasonings.  Mix well.  Shape into four patties.  Grill, covered, over medium hot heat for 10-12 minutes, turning once.  Cut patties into thin slices.  Stuff into pita halves.  Add lettuce, tomato, and onion.  Serve with the yogurt sauce.                                                   

 

Sounds like a news-room sound bite, doesn't it?   A list of all the upcoming news stories to 'stay tuned' for.  But, in this case,  it is just a brief snippet of the areas I am wanting to target for each of my children.

11 yo daughter:  She loves, loves, loves to read.  This is a great thing.  Writing, however is extremely challenging for her.  Both handwriting and getting ideas down on paper are painfully difficult.  Focus on showing the steps of writing so that she can do it in stages - a little at a time.  We have an exercise that may help with handwriting, in addition to going over the Handwriting Without Tears program.  But, when involved in thinking process of writing, handwriting just gets lost.  For this, we are focusing on bilding up the working memory, which is low. We are using Brain Builder to help with that.  And then there's math.  Long division requires large graph paper and much patience.  Little by little.

9 yo daughter:  Biggest area of focus right now is reading fluency and comprehension.  Having some struggles there.  Spelling also needs help.  Creativity is supplied in abundance.

8 yo son:  Biggest area of focus right now:  Reading - just beginning to come along with this now, and handwriting is very similar to 11 yo daughter's.   Makes math a challenge, although he is great with math in his head.  Numbers get jumbled when doing written work, and this causes trouble.

6 year old -  sounding out 3 letter words and writing letters correctly.  Math right now is deemed kind of  fun.

1 year old -  getting her to sit and enjoy books read by myself and all of the above siblings.

These are my emphasis targets for the moment.  It is something I need to look at from time to time so that I can see where we need to go and figure out how to get there.

I made this on Sunday and a full 9 x 13 pan disappeared VERY quickly.  I guess this one must go down as a family favorite.  The kids absolutely loved it.

Chicken Enchiladas

2 chicken breast halves, shredded
1 can Cream of chicken soup - or your favorite 'cream of...'
1 cup Pace Salsa mild
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Enchilada sauce, mild
8 flour tortillas
2 Tablespoons salt

Cover chicken with water, add salt and boil until cooked.  Shred once cooled.  Save broth.  Prepare cream of soup as indicated using broth.  Add the salsa and chicken and stir.  Remove from heat and add 1 cups of cheese.  Taste for salt, but you probably won't need any.  Fill the tortillas with about 2 spoons (Note, I used 1/3 cup) of the chicken mixture and roll.  Place in pan.  Top with enchilada sauce and remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 until cheese is melted.

I had a bigger package of chicken, so I put it all in, but kept everything else the same.  Adding the extra chicken filled up more than 8 large tortillas.  I filled up the 9 x 13 and then added 4 more to an 8x8 to use up the filling.

Enjoy

O.k., I've never been tagged before.  But, I think it is a good thing because I need get back to blogging again.  (Editorial note:  I apologize for the double spacing every time I hit return.  Can anyone tell me how to fix that?)

So, Lori Lynn, from Life on the Roller Coaster - you got me! 

Here are the rules:

1.  Link to the person that tagged you.
2.  Post the rules on your blog.
3.  Share six non-importatnt things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4.  Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5.  Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

My six non-important things/habits/quirks:

1.   I like to peek at Fox and Friends when I first come downstairs in the morning to see what's going on in the world.
2.  I sleep with extra blankets piled up on my side of the bed for 'weight'.  One always has to be up by my face as well.
3.  I like fan-noise to go to sleep and go through withdrawal when it gets cool and I don't have it on.
4.  I look forward to seeing what's in the mail everyday.  And that goes for e-mail, too.
5.  I love the smell of coffee, but don't like to drink it.  Unless it is heavily, heavily, sweetened, milked, and flavored.
6.  I really like the library.

Here's who I tagged:

Under the Son
Everything We Need
Family, Computers, and Creativity
Wanting to Make a Difference
Learning Something New Daily
BeatyFam

 

Winter is hard for me.  January and February always seem to be the most difficult to plow through.  Yesterday, I had one of those moments when hope glimmers and you can see that winter doesn't last forever.

DD6 finished with ballet class and we all exited the building.  For a while now, we've been leaving her class in the dark.  The first night that happened, I remember feeling that sense of 'ugh'.  Last night, when we left, there was still some daylight in the sky!  Not bright sun, mind you.  But, light nonetheless.  It surprised me and I felt a surge of hope.  Spring WILL come.  Long days of darkness really don't last forever.  I can keep going.

Right now, the sun is peeking through my window for a brief moment.  Oh, the feeling of light.  How much you miss it when it isn't there.  And how we take it for granted when it is.  I'll just soak in each of those little sun-peek moments and store them up until we get more regular appearances.

Life in a Shoe is doing it again!  Yes, she is having yet another contest in which you can win Vision Forum books.  Only this time, the winner will recieve $250 worth of Vision Forum published products.  Again, the rules are listed on the LIfe in a Shoe blog (click above link).   You need to post your wish list of products on your blog.

Here's my new list:

Elsie Dinsmore Audio CDs - Elsie Dinsmore, Elsie's Holiday, and Elsie's Girlhood (48603, 48605, 48607), $30 each (for a total of $90)

Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God, #84332, $16

The League of Grateful Sons DVD, #67880, $20

Ten P's In a Pod, Hardback,  #85726, $20

The Adventures of Missionary Heroism, #74642, $24

Of Plymouth Plantation, #84149, $24

The New-England Primer, #12755, $10

Jonathon Park, The Adventure Begins, CDs, #35460 - $25

Beloved Bride:  The Letters of Stonewall Jackson to His Wife, #43253, $15

That brings me to a grand total of $244.00 !

Have fun shopping, everyone.  Thanks, Life In a Shoe, for giving us this opportunity!

Here's a nice opportunity for everyone.  Life In a Shoe is sponsoring a drawing for free Vision Forum materials..   All you need to do is browse the new 2008 catalog from Vision Forum and come up with your wishlist of $150 or less.  The items on your wishlist need to be ones that are published by Vision Forum.  Those products are noted with a Vision Forum logo next to the product name.  Life in a Shoe will choose 5 winners on October 26!  See the Life in a Shoe link above for contest instructions.

Here's my wishlist:

• Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God  by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald, #84332
• League of Grateful Sons DVD, #67880
• Ten P's In a Pod  by Arnold Pent III,  #85726
• Of Plymouth Plantation, by William Bradford, #84149
• The Adventures of Missionary Heroism  by John C. Lambert, #74642
• New England Primer ,   #12755
• Jonathon Park, The Adventure Begins, #35460

Check this out on the Front Porch:

Enter to win the complete set of
Terrestria Chronicles
on the HSB Company Porch!

 

Fill in the blank with applicable item. 

Typical response is usually something along the lines of, 'No, I cannot keep track of your things for you.  That is something you need to do."

Now, would a 'good mom' always have an answer to this question?  Probably not, or our children would never learn to be responsible for their own things.   But, do we somethimes feel as though we should be able to answer this question?  That is another issue.

My own lack of being able to find things is a frustration in and of iteself.  Now, add many little voices asking me where their things are.......and I can get a little stressed.

I think we once did a character study on 'self-government'.   No, actually, I think it was part of a history guide.  Hmmm.  Maybe we all need a refresher or a similar study on responsibility.

Any good ideas on this?

If you're a homeschooling mom, you know exactly what I mean.

There are seasons when you feel like you just cannot make it through another single day of school.

There are seasons when you wonder if you are doing enough for your kids.  Could someone else do a better job of teaching them to write, spell, or do math?

There are curriculum catalogs to wade through, philosophies to consider, and the elusive 180 days to check off.

It is demanding, it seems as though it will never end, and it can be very draining at times.

It it also worth every struggle.

When you see character developing in one of your children, and you remember why you chose to be home in the first place.

May I remember to relax and enjoy this precious gift of teaching my children.  The years pass too quickly.  Let  my tendency to 'stress' not cloud my ability to savor the moments I have with them each and every day.

May I persevere!

I have been struck by something lately.  I am amazed at how quickly my 5 month old dd is growing.   Five months ago she was able to do so little.  Today, she pushes with her arms when she is on her tummy and gets her chest all the way off the floor.  And she is scooting!

It didn't happen overnight. 

What strikes me is how the movements they make at each stage of development are getting them ready for the next stage.  At one point, it took a lot of effort to lift her head up off that blanket when she was having tummy time.  So, we'd put her on her tummy a few minutes at a time.  But, you know, every time she lifted that head, she was growing stronger.  Next time, it was a little easier.

All of that kicking and wiggling in the early months is building muscle in the arms and legs.   And she doesn't even know she's doing it.

Now, every time she pushes her chest up off the floor, she is giving those arms a workout.  All the better to crawl with, my dear!

Now, I think all of this is sinking into my thinking because of my own goals.  I really want to add some strength training to my routine.  Exercise, too, for that matter.  It is funny, but strength training really doesn't require a huge amount of time each day.  Even 10 minutes a day is enough to make a big difference in our fmuscles.  It just takes a little bit at a time.  But, it takes consistency.

Why wouldn't I be willing to take a few extra minutes a day to become stronger?

What other areas can this apply to?  How about Bible reading?  This is another area I want to strengthen.  Sometimes, the absence of an uninterrupted chunk of time causes me to do no reading at all.  Wouldn't a little bit each day be better than none at all?

Something to think about.  What other things could we be doing today that would make us stronger tomorrow?

Do you ever learn things just from listening to what you tell your children?   It happens to me every once in a while.

On Monday, it happened as I was talking to a discouraged daughter.  She has some learning struggles.  On this particular day, she was working on spelling.  We've been working daily on phonics rules, and these spelling words were applying some of the rules we've been working on.  She was forgetting to apply some of the things she'd been working on.

I could see her begin to droop.  'Why can't I remember these?  Why am I not good at this?'  I reminded her to just keep going and think ahead to the next word.  By the time she finished and sat down, I could see her discouragement in the form of the tears running down her cheek.

I reminded her that she is still learning, and that she is doing fine.  I told her it was all right if she didn't remember everything every day.  I was telling her not to let a few mistakes keep her from moving forward and working on the next subject on our agenda.  'Put it behind you and keep moving ahead to the next thing.'

As I was talking to her, I realized I was talking to myself, too.  Be it a new schedule, keeping up with the house, exercise goals, Bible reading, or anything else.  I need to remember not to give up after one bad day.  But, instead, to pick up right where I left off the next day.  Keep getting back up on the horse. 

Yes, I tend to think in the same exact way my daughter was thinking.  After one missed day, I tell myself, "I can't.'  I want to throw up my hands and give up.  But, it is so important to keep moving forward.  I know it gets quoted a lot, but it is still a good truth to ponder for our daily responsibilities and ambitions in the home:

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do:  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."  Phillipians 3:12-14

I was busy prepping some school things as it became time to work with my 7 year old son on his phonics.  I told him I would be just a few minutes.  He asked if he could go ahead and work on Typing Instructor on the computer.  I said, 'Sure.'   As I finished, I came up to him and watched him take a typing test made up of random words.  He was typing 13 wpm on his home row keys with 97% accuracy.

Then it hit me.

My son can't read. 

 We are still working on letter sounds and some short vowel words.  'A fat cat sat on a mat.'   So, he is typing away on a test and has no idea what he is typing.  lol!  Somehow, there is something fundamentally wrong with this.

I'm sure the school systems would never teach typing BEFORE a child is reading fairly well.  Yet, he's doing it, and enjoying it!

He does very well at piano, memorizing Sonatinas and playing them blindfolded.  I'm sure he's just applying those piano skills to the keyboard.  He memorizes the finger that matches the letter and hits the key when he sees each letter.  He's going letter by letter, rather than seeing the words that he cannot read.

Sometimes, I am amazed at how the mind can work differently for different people.  Maybe he will learn to read from doing his typing. ???

Very strange.

I'm glad it's not snow.  There would be an awful lot of white stuff if it was just a tad colder.  I wonder if winter will eventually get here.

I need to plan meals for the coming week.  We've taken to getting groceries at Wal-Mart while one daughter takes art classes.  This is saving us a lot of money.  But, I haven't been that crazy about Wal Mart's beef or produce.

I am now thinking that I will make my week's list ahead of time.  (Ahem, ahem)  Then, I can run to a different grocery store for all of the meat and produce items over the weekend.   We can still do the Wal Mart trip during the week and save money on all of the other items.

I don't see myself getting to the store today, but I can at least make my list.  Did I say it was dark and rainy this afternoon?

Yesterday. I felt a few moments of panic over the fact that we still have so much ground to cover in certain areas of school.   I imagined myself doing school for 10 hours a day.  Whatever it took to make some real forward progress.  The thought quickly passed. 

Some of the slow progress is due to some extra programs I've added  to help with specific problem areas.  One daughter has some specific learning disabilities, and I suspect that dd8 also has dyslexia and ds7 may as well.  We've been given some recommendations as far as programs to help, and we are using those this year.  This involves much more one-on-one time with each of these three kids.  All worth it.  But, sometimes it is hard to appreciate the progress.  It is so daily.

Learning differences or not, I'm wondering if anyone else ever gets these feelings of panic.  I know I can't be the only one.   

If you are on the flip side, and are way ahead of where you thought you'd be, I guess you can tell me that, too!  lol.   

A question for fun.  Feel free to make up your own answers.  Be creative.

So far in the school year, I am:

• a.  So far ahead that I've contacted the local college for assistance in giving my kids enough to keep them challenged.
• b.  A little bit ahead of where I hoped I'd be.  Yeah!
• c.  I'm right where I think I should be.
• d.  I'm within range, but want to pick up the pace a little the second half of the year.
• e.  I can't even see the other side.  I'm paddling every day, but still see the same landmarks.

I've finally caved in.  We're trying a schedule.  After years of avoiding any such thing, I am now willing to try anything.  Distractions were taking over our school day and something had to change.  I ordered Managers of Their Homes and set about making my grid with tiny little squares and sticky-tac.  This was actually quite fun, although required a lot of thinking to get it all put together.

When I first mentioned to my oldest (dd10) that we were going to try a schedule, she cried.  Yep, cried.  This is the same child who always wants to know what we are doing next.  Go figure.  Then, the night before we were to begin the new schedule, I heard her talking to a sibling.  "I can't wait until tomorrow.  I'm so excited.  We start the new schedule."  Yes, the same child who cried.

I must say, we've done 3 days with the new schedule, and I am really liking it.  I only scheduled out the day from 9-3.  Plus, I wrote out a morning routine that must be done before 9.  But, when we get up is entirely up to us, as long as the morning routine is completed before 9.  I have two kids who sit in their rooms waiting for the clock to turn 7 so that they can come downstairs every morning.  One would sleep until 10 or so if allowed.  And one who gets up when she hears the two early birds.

It is nice to know what is coming next.  And, it is nice to know that if we stick to the plan, all of the important things will be covered.   I actually feel relieved having the schedule in place, which very much surprises me.   'Schedule' always sounded like a bad word to me.  lol!   Yet, it actually allows freedom.  Freedom from guilt because I know we're staying on track.  Freedom from stress because I can't seem to pull it all together.  Freedom from decision-making, because 'what comes next' has already been decided.

I'll let you know how it progresses.  I am commited to sticking with it. 

Today, I'm following the good camper rule - 'Always leave the campsite better than you found it.'  The only difference is that I am applying the rule to my house.  My version has me picking up/putting away/improving one thing every time I pass through a room.

 

The idea of 'just one thing' is do-able for me.  It doesn't feel like much, yet much progress can be seen by the end of the day.  Painless, slow, and steady improvement.

 

We have small group Bible study at our house tonight.  For me, that means having the downstairs company ready and the kids fed by 6:00.  (DS6 has piano lesson at our house from 6-7 before group)  Add having the house clean to the usual demands of school, basic survival house maintenance, and baby care, and I end up frazzled on any given Monday afternnon.  Too often, we don't get school done.  We'll see if 'one thing at a time' allows the house to slowly get ready while I do all of my usual things - minus the frazzle part!

Last year's routine isn't working anymore!   I knew that having a baby would make school a bit more interesting.   I just hadn't anticipated how much more interesting it would be!     Aack!  Suddenly, school is taking a lot longer, and it seems we get less of it done!  I need to figure out a whole new way of getting schoolwork and housework done in the midst of nursing and caring for a new baby!

 

Another aspect that has changed is that I need to spend more time with dd10 on some areas in which she struggles and needs extra help.  One of the things recommended for her was to work through an intensive phonics program.  I have put her and dd8 in the same level, and expected to work with the two of them at the same time.   I quickly found out that this really needs to be done individually.  And, it is  time consuming.  Ds6 is working at level 1, which takes less time, but still needs to be done individually.

 

The other things we are adding for dd10 also take a bit more time, so that in itself would require an adjustment in routine.  But, having to stop mid-stream every couple of hours to feed the baby is really throwing me off-track.  Toss in meals/snacks, and regular household-type things that need to be done, and I'm finding myself spinning wheels and getting sidetracked way too much.

 

My plan for today is to sit down and chart out some possible ways of getting things done.  I'm thinking of a quasi-schedule that would give me a framework to follow, but one that is flexible/adaptable to the non-scheduled needs of a new baby. 

 

I've got to figure out a way of doing this that doesn't involve me having to get up any earlier than I already am, too.      I'm struggling with lack of sleep, and early morning seems to be the point at which the baby relaxes and really sleeps well.  Thusly, I sleep well in the morning, also! 

 

I've already whittled school down to the essentials for the time being.  My kids love science, but we aren't getting to that right now.  I figure we can slowly add these other things in as I adjust.  So, surrendering to the situation and doing the best I can seems to be in order.    

 

Forging ahead,

me

 

 

 

 

 

  We welcomed a beautiful new daughter on August 9!  I was scheduled to have a c-section on the 10th.  My water broke on the morning of the 9th, though, so in we went!  For those who remember my previous post, my birthday is on the 10th!  The doctor's schedule decided the schedule date for us.  It was the best option.  But, our little girl didn't want to wait that long, so she managed to get her own birthday anyway!

This baby weighed in at over 8 lbs.  That is big for me, as I am only 4'11''.  Her actual weight on the scale was 7 lbs., 9 oz.  But, all of the nurses kept commenting that she looked bigger than that.  When they weighed her the following morning, she weighed 7 lbs., 15 oz., so they knew the initial weight had been incorrect.  Babies lose weight the first day, not gain!  They realized after the fact that the particular scale in the OR was not working properly.  Other babies who were weighed on that scale had the same issue.  One baby was re-weighed when the nurses questioned the initial weight, and they discovered he weighed a full pound more than the scale had said. 

My other girls were 5 lbs, 3 oz., 7 lbs. 3 oz., and 7 lbs. 2 oz.  My son broke all records at 8 lbs., 14 oz.  He surprised us all.  No wonder he wasn't coming out the natural way!

I'm doing pretty well.  This was my 4th cesarean.  This is the best I've done after having one.  I normally come home and am sick for a week or so.  That didn't happen this time, for which I keep thanking God for.  I'm wondering if it was the pain medications.  Always before, I was on something strong afterward, like Darvocet, or Percocet.  This time they only gave me Tylenol 3 and Motrin.  I'm not sure what made the difference, but - I am so thankful for that.  It made my recovery so much better.

Now, we are just adjusting to having a baby in the house again.  The kids all love their new sister.  They sometimes 'hover' around her, and I have to ask them to give her some space!  They are a big help, though, and it is neat to see them so interested in their new sister.

I got some school days in last week and this week as well.  I'm finding we're not getting to everything, though.  And, the school day is extending much longer than it normally does - with needing to nurse, etc.  I'll have to find some new ways of working around school and baby. 

We didn't get school in yesterday, as my mother-in-law is coming tomorrow, and we worked on the house a bit.  Also, I had been up pretty early with the baby, and so was asleep on my feet most of the day!      That's o.k.  That's exactly why I got in those 14 school days BEFORE we had the baby!  For days like that! 

It will be an adjustment period, but we'll figure things out.  And, I'm sure as my energy returns, things will become a bit easier as well!   

I had a startling revelation this week.  I don't drink as much water as I thought I did!  I assumed I was doing really well in this department, but an odd circumstance showed me I'm not getting as much as I thought I was!

 

We lost our water service on Monday morning.  Some construction workers broke a water main while doing work near our housing addition.  As I am pregnant, and thirsty, I figured I better go out and get some bottled water.    So.....the kids and I picked up a case, and the bottled water was our water source for that day.  I FELT like I was drinking a lot.  I carried a glass around with me and was sipping throughout the day like I always do.  I rarely have any pop, or other drinks, so figured I must be doing all right. 

 

Much to my shock, at the end of the day, I realized I had only consumed 2 bottles at 16.9 oz. each.  That's only half of what we are supposed to get during the day!  Whoops!  Yesterday, even while conscious of it, I would say I did about the same - maybe a little more.  Getting that water in is not as easy as I thought it was!

 

So, a water main break proved to be very enlightening!  It provided me with a tangible means of seeing just how much, or little, water I am drinking.  I'm going to try for 3 bottles today!