My challange for March (already started)

BH&G

Its kind of funny to me how when God wants something for your life, He makes it known. If you don't listen, He will politely nudge you again. I've seen a few bloggers out there saying they are/have given up sugar. Oh, thats something I know I should cut down on...but give it up? Well, first of all I know I shouldn't be having sugar every day. There are a few reasons that God has brought to my attention:

1) health reasons

2) it's addicting, and no addiction is good

3) I JUST realized that I can replace my craving for sugar with God

4) Lent. Can I give up sugar and make such a small sacrifice for my King who sacrificed His whole life just for us?

So, I started this week. Its going ok, I still have some cravings (for chocolate or a coke especially) but I am praying and learning to replace that craving with Jesus. Now, just to be clear: I still have yougurt and fruit, but nothing like soda, cookies, brownies etc.

The other day the boys were eating a graham cracker (not something we usually have in the house) and they asked if I wanted one. Without even thinking I took a bite. After just a second I took the rest I had in my hand and gave it back to the boys. Do I not THINK before doing stuff like this? Is Jesus not on my mind enough for me to even remember this one thing I vowed to give up for Him? I am so thankful for His grace and unfailing love; because of His sacrifice He doesn't hold this against me.

My husband and I are ralizing some things and it really has us thinking. Yes, we spend time with God daily in our home. Yes, the boys are learning scripture. And yes, we pray and go to church. My husbands' and my realtionship with God is getting stronger everyday, but do we reflect this particualar part of our relationship with our Savior with our boys?

When I was growing up in a christian home this is how my life was. We went to church, prayed, and learned a lot, but I NEVER knew you could have such an intimate relationship with our Father.  We are realizing that not only does our day need to be filled with our relationship, praise, worship, and sacrifice to Jesus, but our kids need to know and be involved in every aspect of that too. Maybe they'll know sooner what it took my husband and I 20 plus years to realize!

I know! This is a lot of "stuff" just to come out of giving sugar up. I'm telling you, at this point I know this is lead by the Holy Spirit to teach me so much more than to watch my sugar intake.

More to come...

We're nice and cozy!

It snowed again. So, we're doing school right by the fire today.

Today the boys learned about graphs, Monet, and did a really fun project on animals that hibernate. My favorite was Monet though, there was a short little film (cartoon) on Netflix about a little girl who learned about Monet and his paintings, she traveled to France to visit his garden. I didn't know the boys would like it so much, but they did! We also looked on the globe where France is located. They are also learning scripture (even our not quite so verbal 8 yr old can recite parts of them)!  One more thing we're loving to do these days is visit this site that has pictures from all over the world taken in the past 24 hours. AMAZING! We look at them, talk about the people, search on the globe where they are, and pray for them. I love this part of our day so much! Check it out if you get a chance.  We are also starting our family reading book, Charlotte's Web tonight. I loved that book when I was little.

 I hope all of you are warm and cozy in your homes today. I have a lot of stuff in mind to write about soon, and I'm really trying to figure out how to show you our NEW kitchen since my camera is not working right. Hopefully soon!

Chicken Parmesan Sandwich and Cracked Pepper Potato Chips

What are you doing this weekend? We will be doing our family movie night this evening and making gluten free chocolate chip cookies! YUMMM. I  will also be making a quick healthy dinner, so I wanted to give you a recipe out of one of my favorite cookbooks So Easy by  Ellie Krieger

Open Face Chicken Parmesan Sandwich:
* 1 loaf of whole grain Italian bread
*Marinara Sauce
*4 Cups of baby spinach leaves
*4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (COOKED) I usually coat it with bread crumbs and italian seasoning and bake it in the oven for about 25 minutes
* 1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
*1/4 C grated  parmesan cheese

Preheat broiler

Slice bread in half lengthwise, then in half again crosswise (so you end up with 4 pieces)
Scoop out the bread to remove the soft inside and discard
Place bread on pan and spoon in 1/4 c sauce, lay a piece of chicken on top and cover with 1 c of spinach leaves.
Pour another 1/4 c of sauce and sprinkle  each sandwich with 1/4 c mozzarella and 1 T of parmesan.
Broil 4-5 minutes.


Cracked Pepper Potato Chips:
* 2 large russet potatoes sliced into 1/8 inch-thick rounds
*1 T plus 1 tsp olive oil
*1 tsp ground black pepper
* Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450*
Toss potatoes in large bowl with oil and pepper until well coated
Arrange potato slices in 1 layer on baking sheet.
Bake 20-25 minutes until lightly browned
Remove from oven and season with salt and let cool

Thats it. It is delicious! I hope you enjoy and have a blessed weekend!

A BIG Thank you!

I wanted to to thank eveyone for you comments and thank you to Simple Kids and The Creative Mama  for linking up! You should've seen me when I realized! I was SO very excited!  Thanks again to you all, if you have never visited one of those two blogs, check them out....FANTASTIC!

Ok, and I was also so excited to share our kitchen remodel we're doing on a budget, but my camera is all of the sudden not working. I will share as soon as I figure it out. Thanks again and everyone have a blessed day!

A few tips to keep things running smoothly

We all need/want to be more organized, but having 3 boys has definately made it more of a MUST. They are always fighting over what color cup or whatever they want. Surely thats a big deal in your home?!  Last year we decided to assign a color to each kiddo. J- gets blue, T- orange, and B- green. That way, when we get a drink they know which cup is always theirs (they use one cup a day and just wash it out and set it on the counter). The same goes for toothbrushes and towels. If a towel is left on the floor, we know who needs to pick it up.  We have used this system for so many little things, pencils, pencil boxes for school, beach towels, and the colors for each person we use on calenders. It makes things so much easier when we all know everyone's color. (Sometimes we can't find something in orange, then we use yellow, but most of the time it works out really well)

Another thing we have been trying to do is fill a fruit bowl everyday with what they can snack on. Some days its all fruit, some days its has some almonds, tortilla chips, or muffins in it too. We also keep one in the fridge for things that we want cold, like carrots, cucumber, strawberries, broccoli, salsa,  & hummus. This is it. When they want a snack they know to look in the two bowls available and pick a nice healthy snack.  I also let them have a cup of chocolate milk or a smoothie with breakfast and then I fill up their own water bottles (or sippy for B) with water and they drink from it throughout the day to make sure they get their water in. They ususally drink it up because they want tea with lunch and dinner. I could only find the same Buzzlightyear water bottles at TJMaxx, so I bought two and put a silly monkey sticker (in their color) on top. Simple as that!

Doing GREAT in School!

We are moving right along! It is going so well!! We have taken J-man out of the learning center. His behavior was getting out of control. We have had him home all day for 2 weeks now and he is doing fabulous! He is reading, writing a little bit, cutting, counting, doing his chores,  and playing. PLAYING, that is a big one! He has focused less on the tv, and more on getting stuff out to play with (he is actually making messes!!)  Thats great for me, who really can't stand having that darn tv on in the first place! I've counted him getting a toy or dragging some of his projects from school out to work on over the weekend 6 or 7 times. Thats wonderful for a kiddo that wasn't interested in anything really before last week. God sure is working in these boys' lives!

Oliver (our 6 month old puppy)

He is a NUT! We call him Ollie most of the time unless he is in trouble then of course he gets his full name (so come to think of it maybe we call him Oliver most of the time haha.) Our computer desk is behind the couch and he lays this way and watches me while I'm online. Yes he is HUGE, he is part Poodle and part Mastiff. We were actually looking to get a puppy, and on our way home from the dairy farm one afternoon, there he was....with all NINE of his brothers and sisters. They were free and I fell in love imediately! He really is a very sweet doggie!

This ONE quote has inspired me so much today!

"If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would astonish ourselves." -Thomas Edison

I refuse to feel sorry for myself...or him

As I sat this morning holding J-man through another meltdown, we talked, prayed , and just sat. They are geting better, but this  morning he did hit, and scream as loud as he could, and as I turned my head so I wouldn't get hit in the head with his head. I looked out the window at the snow covered yard and street and it all looked so still ans so calm. Things started creeping in my head, like WHY do we need to go through this? How many other mothers out there have to deal with this? How many other children have go through each day not sure how to react to something as simple as changing a channel, or music, or someone walking in the door at a different time than normal? The tears started to come, but as quickly as those thoughts (lies) started to creep in, I felt HIM, my Father, my Savior whisper to me, "don't let this get to you, I am your resting place" Within 2 minutes the melt down was done, he was his normal self and has been all morning. He has helped with chores, done his school work, got TWO toys out and played with them AND cleaned them up (this has never happend in my sweet 8 yr old's life) He has talked all morning, he has been singing, and happy. He has his moments, but they aren't the same, they aren't full of rage and they don't last hours at a time. God is providing as long as we give it to Him. He is there just like He promised. We don't dwell on it, we move on and live out the rest of our day. He has it all taken care of, and for that I am so thankful!

Its only a season

That's what my husband always says. Thats the truth too, it is.  Things are starting to settle down around here and it feels so nice. The boys are working really very hard, every single day. I love having them home, they are lovely to be around. I really don't feel as stressed anymore or you know that dreading feeling you get when something is coming up you're just not reay for? Its not there. I used to DREAD Monday mornings. Sometimes they were a happy relief to get back to school, but most of the times not. I REALLY enjoy our boys.  I used to take Tibby to Mother's Day Out on Tues and Thurs. and even dreaded that half the time (part of that was dreading the tired and grumpy attitude he had after a long day) I love summer, Christmas, and spring breaks....or even the unexpected snow days.  It secretly bothers me when I hear people who wonder what in the world their going to do with their kids these extra days. Not every day is just great, but at the end of the day, its only a season. Its only a season can be for the good and hard times. If its a hard season...its only a season. If its a great season, its only a season (and THAT is the hard part) the season will end. The days whe J-man bugs me about the tv will end. The days he wants to sit in my lap will end. The days Tibby wants to pretend to be a server and serve our food will end. The days B will be so tired that he climbs in my lap and falls right to sleep will end. Even the days they whine because they don't want to go to bed, get out of bed for a drink, snack, to potty, or to just try and think of something just so they can come talk to us will end.

Please don't take your seasons for granted. Yes a new one will come (and maybe thats what you're hoping for) but in the end, the little seasons are what makes us who we are. There will never be another season quite like the one you're in.