Inspirational!

Dinner in “the little house”.

An Oldie

I love coming across old pictures!

One Thousand Gifts List 1

This is such a wonderful idea for the season from Holy Experience. God gives so much,  and I take so much of what He gives for granted.    I am going to use the opportunity to reflect on His generosity.

1.  A little blonde boy spilling out of my lap with his belly warm and full of mommy’s milk.

2.  Close proximity to the local emergency room.

3.  A husband with a super sense of humor.

4.  Plenty of Kleenex to dab at tiny snotty noses.

5.  Cheap candles that add the smell of fall and a warm glow to our little home.

6.  Denim with a touch of spandex.

7.  Teaching Textbooks and ear buds.

8.  Blessed Salt

9.  Slow, restful breathing.

10.  Guardian Angels.

11.  Thrift shops.

12.  discovering drugstore.com

13.  Generosity of strangers.

14.  Community.

15.  A draft free back door.

16.  High thread count sheets.

17. Not having any place to go first thing on a rainy morning.

18.  Co-sleeping – Mama, Papa, and a couple of babies.

19.  Walls of books.

20.  Cheap hair dye. :p

21.  A toddler learning to say his older siblings names.

22.  A healthy stash of chocolate.

23.  Baby giggles.

24.  Vaporizers and Vicks to calm croupy coughs in the middle of the night.

25.  When the kids  make up silly games to keep themselves busy.

Baby Greedy!

The first thing I thought when I saw this adorable baby cozy at Rebecca’s was:  “If we were to be blessed with a pregnancy this month,  we would be due in July,  and July is just to hot for one of those – Bummer!”  I am so baby greedy!  But,  in my own defense,  my next thought was that I could make on for my dear friend who is due to have her third baby any day now!

A Tisket A Tasket

A Baby in a Basket!

Keeping Their Bellies Full

*Or: Menu Planning Revisited

It seems that no matter what great ’system’  I have for any given household task,    I find myself needing to revisit and revamp it as our family grows and circumstances change.    A few months ago it was the meal planning that was in dire need of a work over.   I was spending two hours or more a week planning our menu and grocery list.   Then another two hours shopping.    It was becoming one of my most dreaded tasks,  which is a real shame because I thoroughly enjoy cooking.

My prayer was answered one day while visiting a meal planning thread on the Real Learning message boards.     I visited E-mealz and browsed the sample menus over and over again.  Even if it was only $1.25 per week,  I wanted to be sure it would suit our family.    Finally about a month ago,  I bit the bullet and subscribed.

It is set up so that when you subscribe,  you choose which market you want your menu and grocery lists based on.    I chose ALDI since it is the place I frequent most often.  There is also an ‘any store’ option.     Each week I log in and print out my weekly menu and grocery list.  From there I add it to our Family Kitchen Binder and tweak the recipes as I see fit.  It was noted in the Real Learning thread that it seemed to suggest a lot of convenience foods,  which I generally like to avoid.     I have been able to tweak these suggestions with my own ideas or use what was suggested,   only the homemade version.  (Such as mac & cheese or rice pilaf…)    This gives me a very good backbone of a weekly dinner menu,  which has been a mental life saver for me.

I still have breakfast and lunch to come up with.    I have created rotation menus for these meals,  which takes a lot of the brain work out if it each week.

I leave a day or two open each week for our own ideas and creations.  My daughter loves to cook and often asks to plan a day of meals.  I also like to flex my creative muscles in this way once in a while.    Overall though,  this has been working very well for us.  I no longer have to find that chunk of time in my week to whip up a menu,  I only have to spend a few minutes tweaking their suggestions.    I keep notes on the recipes also,  so we remember those dishes we really enjoyed and toss out those we did not.  (which has only been one so far!)

The Simple Woman’s Daybook

For Today, September 26, 2009

Please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman to read more.

Outside My Window… A bunch of filthy dirty kids around a fire ring preparing to camp out in their tent tonight.

I am thinking… about the scared young woman I spoke to in front of the death mill yesterday. I am not a trained sidewalk councilor by an means. It was a chance encounter, and I hope and pray she found my information useful. Please, please pray for her and her sweet unborn baby.

I am thankful for… Ten beautiful, healthy, strong children.

From the kitchen… lunch was a crock pot full of sauerkraut and brats. Abigail just made a batch of applesauce popovers, and I am incubating 3 pints of yogurt.

I am wearing… Levi’s and a white button up the front shirt, black socks with hot pink toes, and some sassy little earrings from The Singing Ladybug!

I am creating… nothing much creative going on here, sometimes just trying to stay on top of things is enough.

I am reading… The Real Thomas Jefferson

I am hearing… Reba and Kelly Clarkson belting out “Because of You”

One of my favorite things… Spending my Saturday morning listening to Sr. Sharon of the Visitation helping me understand the words of our Holy Father.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week… Drum and guitar lessons, school lessons, mass, holy hour, fencing practice, speech classes and free gym time, potluck lunch, 40 Days for Life prayer vigil, parish pilgrimage and family day at the pumpkin patch.

Here is picture thought I am sharing… Look who’s standing up!

Patroness of the Unborn

Ora Pro Nobis

Treasuring the Chaos

  I have so enjoyed being part of Peggy’s Simple Woman’s Daybook. It has really helped me to look back over my days and see them as more than the blur that they sometimes seem to be. I have long been contemplating how I can make it more ‘my own’, more unique to our family and the wonderful commotion that surrounds me. I have come up with the following:

Treasuring This Fleeting Moment

Keeping us busy this week: We have been keeping busy in the yard this week, cleaning out flower beds, planting our herb garden, and preparing to get the veggies in this weekend.

I wish I had their energy: It amazes me that we can spend the entire day outside, working, playing, keeping very busy in the sunshine, and the little kids always get a major second wind at bedtime!

Life lesson learned: Our 15 passenger van does not fit in the visitors parking garage at the local hospital.

One day I will look back and laugh: My husband worked so hard to put a new back door on our house last week. The job took a few days so we only had a tarp for a back door during that time. One day I may actually look back and laugh at the night I woke up to find a big stray tomcat in our bed at 4 a.m.

I never thought I’d hear myself say: Take the Gorilla Tape off of your sister’s feet!!!

What was he thinking?: I was washing dishes one afternoon when Mark toddled up behind me with his sister’s shoe in his hand, saying “shoe shoe”. I said, “yep, that’s Molly’s shoe, please put it back in the closet.” He then said ” kay “, and promptly tossed it in the sink full of dishwater.

One day I know I will miss: I’m sure one day I will miss having 6 people in one bed.

Kid ‘ism’ of the week: Henry asked me why he has such hairy eyebrowns.  Not eyebrows,  but eyebrowns.

Remember the time: When Abigail was about five years old, she was meandering around the house with her pointer finger tapping her cheek saying, “hmmmmm”. I asked her what she was doing and she said she was pretending to be Wonderwoman.

I hope to always remember: The little yodle sound that Mark makes when he brings me his blanket and climbs into my lap to nurse.

This very moment around me: There are two big kids at the table beside me scurrying to finish their school work for the year.  Mary, Sam, and Henry are trying to play Clue while Molly and Mark are just ‘watching’.   Isaac is reading his third Boxcar Children book this week. Gabe is next door tending to the neighbors mastiff while they are gone.  Greta is blowing baby slobber bubbles while sitting in my lap.

Picture of the moment: Mary Katherine received her first Holy  Communion on Mothers Day!

Mark-ism

Mark calls any candle that he sees a “to you”.