12.18.2015

When our big plans fail

Hey y'all! It's been a minute since I've blogged hasn't it? I would apologize, but I'm actually not sorry about it. It's not that I don't care about y'all, and I'm not trying to sound mean, but I'm not sorry for my unexpected break from blogging this past month. In fact...I'm pretty proud of myself for taking a break. Let me tell you why...

First of all, I had a week where my family came to visit me!!! This was so exciting and fun and we made lots of memories and had lots of laughs. Seriously. It was healing to my soul to have my family here at the Hive. So while they were on the drive down I made a commitment to myself to put away my phone and laptop so that those things would not be a distraction during the time family was visiting. So there it was...a planned week long break from blogging. This felt strange at first, as I had been blogging nearly everyday for quite sometime, but after the initial strangeness wore off it was so pleasant to just enjoy every little thing. My one week hiatus turned into a week and a half and then quickly two weeks. I started to feel convicted, but not convicted about not blogging. I started feeling convicted about how much I had been missing out on...on all those days spent blogging (and on my phone) how much had I missed? Truth is...there was no way for me to even know how much I had missed. So I made another conscience decision to be "unplugged" for a bit longer. Especially during this precious time of Advent that we celebrate every year, things can already be so busy and rushed and full of activities. I wanted to make sure that I focused on the things that truly mattered and not have any guilt hanging over me for not answering every text or email right away or even blogging each nap time. I had originally had these big, BIG plans of blogging our Advent readings and activities for y'all to follow along with us, but I quickly realized that in my big plans I was actually failing entirely. I was failing to miss the real point. I was stealing the glory of the Advent season. 

In the time I've been away from the blog (and my phone too), we have had more time to fully enjoy the Advent season. We have enjoyed our usual nightly Bible readings, lighting the Advent candles, and family discussions of the gift of Christ. We have enjoyed many activities...some that went over well and some that were flops...some planned and some spur of the moment ideas too. We have sung Christmas songs, danced to Christmas music, made gifts, wrapped presents, baked cookies, painted, colored, glittered, glued, crafted, had an indoor snowball fight more than once, cleaned out toys and donated them, watched Christmas movies, drank and ate a lot of Starbuck's treats, and gotten lost driving to look at Christmas lights. It truly has been a wonderful and precious time of anticipation here at the Hive. I can't help but think that my not so unexpected break from being plugged in all the time...came at just the time. Just when I needed a reminder to slow down and enjoy the things that truly matter in life so that my heart could be fully prepared, and I could then prepare my children's hearts, to experience the Advent season and the celebration of the birth of Christ. 

Often we get ourselves wrapped up in all these ideas of what we should be reading, doing, experiencing that we miss what's truly important. We need to remember to not focus on all the "things" so that we don't miss focusing on THE thing that matters. We will forget to read one night, light the wrong candle, have an activity that turns into a disaster and isn't fun for anyone. If we are not careful to keep our focus right, we will end up serving our activity calendar, instead of serving Christ. You see...we don't need to plan big because we will fail.

The good news is that God has already planned big for us. We just have to enjoy the ride. 

I encourage you, in this week(!) before Christmas, to take some time to enjoy the ride. Maybe you need to unplug from a few things too? Phone? Computer? Planned activities even? Take time to refocus your heart on the meaning of this season. Prepare for the celebration to come. Let Jesus be your big plan. 


Jesus. Others. You.

<3

11.16.2015

How Can I Help You?

Ever have those moments days when you can't do what you want because you have to do something else that you want?

I mean like when you're all, "Hey! I'm going to start eating healthy today!" And then you go pin 1,276 vegan recipes to try out, you make grocery lists, even put them on your meal plan, and then go eat chocolate chips, that are meant for baking, straight outta the bag. Want to eat healthy...want to eat chocolate chips.

Let's talk about that other little thing that we don't like to talk about all the time. It's the word that all women dread to hear...the word that the doctor gives them the "all clear" for about 6 weeks after they have a baby...the word that has the letters 'E,' 'X,' and 'S'... Exercise. What were you thinking? 

Somedays I wake up early, and get my workout in before the kids are up. Somedays I wait until nap time and then I workout. Somedays I don't workout at all and I eat ice cream for breakfast. Want to exercise...want to be lazy and also eat ice cream for breakfast.

What about the moments when you are working your tail off trying to get supper cooked to perfection, entertain the kids, clean up the mess in the kitchen you are making due to cooking the perfect supper, take the dog out, try to figure out for the millionth time why the baby is only taking a 45 minute nap, and also order christmas presents online because you're the only one that get those things done right now, but really you just want to go sit in the bathroom by yourself for the first time all day since you became a mother. Want to be super mom...want to go to the bathroom by yourself.

Let me try to further explain with this super serious meme...




See what I mean? :)

Oh Ariel, girl, I feel you. And just look at poor Prince Eric, he has no clue how to help. All he wants to do is fix it. Guys are such "fixers."

If you are anything like me, you certainly have these moments days, and when you do there's not really too much that will help or "fix" them. It's a lot all at once and it's stressful. You kind of just have to wait it out and let it pass. It eventually does and you wind up feeling like your normal self again, but geez, those wants can be conflicting at times and it's rough.

Sometimes I find myself getting frustrated during these moments. Sometimes I'm frustrated at myself or my kids or having to be the "responsible" one or even my husband. Recently I told my husband that when he sees that there is a lot going on, when he can tell that I'm stressing, when I'm having this "I want to do this, but I want to do that" moment I need him to help. I also told him that the best way for him to help me is to say, "How can I help you?" Because let's be honest...sometimes we think that we are helping, but in fact we are making the situation worse.

Here's a recent example we've had at the Hive, I went in to get Jackson up from a nap and he had a massive diaper explosion. It happens to all of us at some point, but it never seems any less disgusting. Since I was the lucky one to discover it, I got to be the one to clean the baby up. As I was changing his diaper, I called downstairs to tell Jason what had happened. I wanted to clean up the baby and also change out the sheets, but I knew I couldn't do both at the same time. Jason came up and started to take the bumper pads off the crib so that he could pick up the mattress and change the sheets. Before I could say anything, Jason goes to take off the little mirror that we have in Jackson's crib. He doesn't realize that it is tied on, however, and he rips it off. Torn. Broken. I got frustrated because he had done that and now I had another thing to do...sew new strings on the mirror so that it could go back in the crib after the sheets were changed. Jason felt bad, of course, and I did too. "I was just trying to help," is what he told me. And I understood it. His intentions really were good and I was thankful that he was willing to help out, but I really just wished he had asked how he could have helped. Because then I would have asked him to change the sheets, and reminded him about the mirror needing to be untied, because Jason has always been a bit of a bull in a china shop. Bless his heart. So then he felt bad and wanted to "fix" it because he had messed up the mirror. I told him it's not even about the mirror...it's about helping, and not just helping in a way that you think and choose, but asking before beginning and truly helping. Meeting another's needs. So that's when I told him, "If you really want to help, then ask me, 'how can I help you?' "

And you know what?

It helps so much! And it works both ways, ladies. I'm trying to be better about asking how I can help, and I challenge you to do the same. After all we were created to be our husband's helpmeet:

"Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." -Genesis 2:18

I think that it would be good for us all to take a look at how we are helping one another. Want to eat healthy? Then help your family make healthy choices for food, and skip the drive thru lanes. Want to exercise more? Find a buddy or a coach to help you meet your goals. Want to go to the bathroom alone? Ask your husband to keep the kids with him for few minutes or 15 and don't forget to lock the door in case one of them escapes your husband.

We ought to be more intentional with our helping with others and we ought to start asking how we can truly help those that we love and care about. Aren't those the people that we ought to show the most help towards? Rather than give them our leftovers at the end of the day?

Of course the biggest way that we can help others is by praying for them, but how about we ask for specific ways in which we can pray for others? Let's all take up the challenge of asking, "How can I help you?" more often. You might find that you're the one that gets the most help out of doing so.

How can I help you?

<3


11.12.2015

Chocolate Chip Cookies...again!

Ok, ok, so we reeeeeally like chocolate chip cookies here at the Hive, and my last batch of cookies have been gone for awhile so it was time to make a new batch.

Today I decided to be adventurous in the kitchen...and make another mess...and create a brand new cookie recipe. The last cookie recipe that I shared with you makes a slightly crunchy cookie, and I'm determined to make a chewy version. I'd say that today I was pretty successful. After baking the cookies and sampling them, because you must sample them, Ava said, "Mom, you get 1,289 points for these," and Lyla said, "It's almost too much good to eat!" Jason has yet to try them, but I can almost guarantee that he'll be sampling them as soon as he gets home.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter, melted (I use Earth Balance as it is vegan)

1 cup brown sugar (I had dark brown sugar on hand this time)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons water if needed

1/2 - 1 cup chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand as they are vegan)


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, use a mixer to blend the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.

4. Mix in the dry ingredients a little at a time until it is all incorporated. You many need to add some water to achieve the proper texture for your mixture. Mine started to get a bit crumbly so I added in about 2 tablespoons water and it was perfect.

5. Using a spoon, stir in your chocolate chips. To be honest, I don't usually measure out my chocolate chips beforehand...I just add enough to make it look yummy.




6. Make about 1 inch balls out of your cookie dough and place on your cookie sheet. Place them about 2 inches apart. This batch made about 4 dozen cookies for me.

7. Bake at 325 for about 12-14 minutes.

8. Try to not to eat all of the cookies before your husband gets home from work. ;)







Enjoy! And let me know if you tried this recipe out!

<3

11.10.2015

Looking For A Lunchtime Alternative?

I'm all about routine and such, even with my meal planning, but sometimes I just cannot bring myself to eat yet another peanut butter and honey (we prefer honey to jelly here at the Hive) sandwich. I also started to feel a little guilty serving the same lunches to my kids every. single. day.  I decided a couple of weeks ago that I was going to commit to adding a little variety to our lunches, and discussed it with my girls. I asked them what they would want to try and mix into our lunches so that we were only eating 2 or maybe 3 sandwiches a week. They gave several suggestions, one of them being chicken nuggets. I told them that I was not going to be giving them chicken nuggets on the regular. Every once and awhile I'll treat them to it, but remember...we're vegan over here.

So I started brainstorming, and making a mess in my kitchen. Today I give you my recipe for "Chickpea Nuggets." Believe me when I say that my kids devoured these. Essentially this was going to be a "Chickpea Burger" for lunch, but then I got the bright idea to cut them into small bite sized pieces (after they were cooked) and voila...nuggets! I also apologize for the lack of pictures throughout this process, but we currently have a broken camera. You can read all about that here.

This is the recipe I use to make about 20 burger patties (about 2 inch patties). I cook some for the day I'm using them and then freeze the rest. You can certainly half the recipe if needed. In fact, the next time I make it I will probably make half in my food processor at a time. It works fine to do it all at once, but requires you to scrape down the sides of your food processor several times, as it is so full. I think it would be easier to manage if I cut the recipe in half and then just run the food processor twice. Hope that makes sense. :)

Ingredients:

2 15oz cans Chickpeas

1 15oz can Whole Peeled Tomatoes

1 cup Breadcrumbs

1 cup Walnuts

1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

1 teaspoon Nature's Seasoning

Canola Oil for pan frying your patties


Directions:

1. Drain and rinse your Chickpeas and put into a food processor.

2. Add your breadcrumbs, walnuts, lemon juice, sea salt, onion powder, nature's seasoning, and pulse.

3. Add in your whole tomatoes...no juice...just the actual tomatoes. I like to add these in 1 at a time to monitor the consistency of the mixture, but I usually end up using 4 tomatoes. (Remember if you are halving your recipe to only use half the tomatoes in the can.)

4. Make your patties. I usually make about 2 inch patties, maybe it's because I have small hands, but you can certainly make larger patties if you prefer.

Yes, I know there are only 15 patties in the picture...trust me there were more. :)


5. Heat your skillet over medium heat. Add oil to about 1/2 standing and heat. Cook your patties about 3-5 minutes on each side or until desired brownness.

6. Serve as burgers if you'd like. On a bun, without a bun, toppings galore! OR cut into quarters to serve as "nuggets"




These are quick and easy to whip up...we're talking 20 minutes start to finish. They make the everyday boring lunch more delicious and healthy! What's not to love? My girls like to have a little dipping sauce (ketchup, honey mustard, etc) along with them too. Let me know if you tried this recipe and how you liked it!

<3

11.09.2015

It happened today...I became angry mom...

Today started out with all the potential in the world, just as any other day, and then it happened...I became angry mom.

I had just changed Jackson into his dapper little outfit so that I could take pictures of him. (Today he is four months old, and I take pictures each month.) I asked Ava to go downstairs and bring up my camera for me. I've probably asked her to do this 100 times before. So down the stairs she goes, singing in her opera voice. I hear her prance into the office where the camera stays on a shelf, and then I hear her scream, "AHHHH! A lizard!" She starts to run back to the steps and then I hear another sound. It's a crash, thud, cracking sound. And then crying. All the crying in the world. She knew what she had done. She had just thrown my camera.

We're not talking an iphone in a protective case. We're talking a DSLR Nikon that has a big ol' lens and costs around $500-$600. She just threw it. She came running up the stairs to confirm it to me, to which I replied, "You did NOT just throw my camera. I know you didn't just do that." But her tears and crying and moans of "I hate myself" and "I'm sorry mommy" only validated that she had done the act. "Go to your room and don't come out," I said to her sternly. Then down the steps I went to see my camera in two pieces. I was hopeful at first that the lens had just popped off and could easily be reattached. Nope. Of course not. Not so lucky. When I tried to turn on my camera it just tells me, "lens not attached." Gee thanks, I've sorted that much out myself actually. I somehow manage to get it to work for a bit so that I can take pictures of Jackson, but there's no getting around it...it's broken.

I get Jackson down for his nap and then it's time for us to start school. But not before I have to face Ava again. I've learned, that for myself, when I start to feel anger well up inside me and it's directed towards my children that I have to send them away from me for a bit. "Go to your room," "Go away from me," or "Go to time out," are pretty common phrases around here when we are disciplining. It's not so much for the kids as it is for me. I try my very best to have patience and maintain a calmness when dealing with kids. Chalk it up to my education background or whatever you will, but I can be infinitely more patient with a child than with an adult. Children just don't know any better sometimes and I understand that. But when it's something like this...something that a child deliberately did even though they know and are capable of doing better...I just snap.

I call Ava out of her room and tell her to go downstairs so that we can start on school. I give her an earful the entire time we are walking to the office. "I cannot believe that you threw my camera. Do you know how expensive that is? We don't have the money for a new camera and you just go and throw it down! You act like it's not even a big deal! I am so angry at you!" Of course Ava is in tears, she's always had a knack for turning on the waterworks, and I know that she probably does feel bad. But you know what? I want her to feel bad. I want her to know that she has messed up and in a big way.

We get to the office, where we do school, and I open up my teacher's book to start to prepare for our lesson as Ava works on the computer. Want to know what we are supposed to start our school day with? Hmmm? Well we always start the week with a Proverb...here's this week's Proverb...

"A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control." Proverbs 29:11

Yeah, you read that right.


And that's where I completely lose it. I fell to my knees and sobbed. Right there in the office. Right there in front of my children. Who immediately run to me with all the, "What's wrong momma?'s" in the world. I am a huge failure. I am a terrible mother. I am completely disgraceful. How am I supposed to teach this when I am the biggest offender? 

I talk with my girls, through tears and runny noses, about how I am not perfect. I read the Proverb to them. I apologize to them and to Ava specifically for losing it when I was angry. And do you know what Ava says to me? It's the same thing I've said to her 100 times before..."It's ok to be angry, Mom, it's just not ok to scream when you are angry." By this point I am a blubbering mess of tears and snot on the floor huddled up with my girls in my lap. And it made me think of how incredible God is. How many times do we make Him angry? How many times do we fail Him? How many times do we "break"promises to Him? And He never loses His control with us. He continually shows love and concern and care towards us, in spite of it all. I am so thankful for His love and His teaching...even when it hurts to learn it.

I'm not saying that I'm never going to lose my temper again because I know that I will, but when that time comes I am going to remember this moment. I am going to think of this Proverb and I am going to try to keep myself under control. 

During nap time today I decided that I needed to turn the day around in a positive way. So I went outside and dug up a giant bush that we were wanting to get rid of. It was cathartic. Of course the digging it up part was easier than the time that came to move it to the curb. I hadn't quite thought it through. Seeing as it weighed well over 50 pounds with all the roots and dirt...I couldn't pick it up. Instead I mountain climber-ed it all the way to the curb. Take that bush. 

I never did find that stupid lizard.

<3







11.06.2015

Center Time!

Do you ever have those moments when you have a total mom win? I mean like all of a sudden you get THE idea of the year? Well let me tell you what my most recent mom win was...Centers!

Yep, you got it, I introduced the idea of Center Time with my girls. I'm not sure what took me so long to get with the program here and actually do this with my kids...I mean I used to do Centers all the time with my students when I taught public school. And if I'm being honest, after we did Centers the first time here at the Hive and it went over so well, I was ashamed at myself for not having the brains to do them sooner. I'm going to give myself a little credit though, as I am still claiming to exist in the "I just had a baby" phase of my life.

So the idea is pretty simple really...take whatever you'd like to incorporate into your Centers and place the different activities in various places around your house. Here at the Hive we are fortunate to have "a circle" in the layout of our rooms. Meaning we have foyer that connects to an office that connects to a dining room that connects to a kitchen that connects to the living room that connects to the foyer again. (This was one of Ava's requirements for our new home by the way, that our home have "a circle" for running around. I told her that she lucked out when we found this house as we weren't specifically looking for "a circle" during our house hunting.) Even if you don't have "a circle" you can certainly still implement Centers with your kids! In fact I've done Centers just around our dining room table a time or two before and it works just as nicely. We are also fortunate that I have loads of educational manipulatives from my public school teaching days. You don't have to make Centers educational specifically each time, but I do like to have some learning going on during play. I'm the type of person that believes we never stop learning, and we can learn even especially while playing. I don't usually give any instructions as to how to use the Centers, as I think it is important to leave play and learning open ended, and I think it's great to see how my kids come up with their own ways to play and use the Centers.

So here's some examples of Centers we've done before...they are mom and kid approved!

Pop Cubes
Remember those little, colorful, plastic cubes that stack together that you played with in Kindergarten? You probably haven't thought of them much since then, I know I wouldn't have had I not been a teacher, but these things are fun! You can stack, sort, build, count, and loads more. They are usually sold in a set of ten, which gives you 100 cubes total. The kind from Learning Resources are great because they can snap together in multiple directions.


Blocks
Think of those little wooden blocks with letters or numbers on them. These are great for stacking and building of course, but they can also be used to spell words out too. We also have a set of big, foam blocks that have numbers and + - signs on them. I can't remember where we actually got our set of letter blocks from, but you can find them loads of places. Here is a set that Target sells.
Pattern Blocks
I love pattern blocks. There is something calming for me about playing with these. You can find just a big bucket of pattern blocks at Learning Resources or get a set that has pre-made pictures to assemble like this from Amazon.

Kinetic Sand
We recently discovered the amazingness of this stuff on our most recent beach trip. We love playing in the sand at the beach, but this sand is even better! I am positive some of my super scientific friends could explain how it maintains its incredible awesomeness, but I for one have no clue. It is like playing with sand except it somehow sticks together (think of the perfect ratio of sand and water to make the perfect sandcastle) and it also seems to move all on its own! My kids love this Center and ask for it nearly every time. Here's the kind that we have.



Stickers
Put out some scrap paper and some stickers and let them have at it. Stickers are pretty cheap and you've prolly got load lying around somewhere anyway...why not use them! I also put any mailing labels or christmas package stickers that I get in the mail into the sticker pile. The kids don't seem to mind and it's fun to see their sticker creations.




White Board
We have individual sized white boards leftover from my teaching days, and the girls love using them. They will sometimes play teacher with them, but usually they enjoy just coloring with the dry erase markers. Word to the wise...dry erase markers do not easily come out of clothing...consider yourself warned.




Scale and Weights
Another thing leftover from my teaching days is a scale. This is the exact one that we have at the Hive. You don't even need to have specific weights to put in. Just grab anything you've got around the house: dried beans, rocks, etc and let the kids figure out how to play.

Fraction Tiles
These are fun to look at because they are so colorful! It's also a good way for kids to visualize how small parts make up a whole. You can get a set for yourself at...you guessed it...Learning Resources.





Painting
You could put out water colors or even finger paints, but at our Hive we love...love...love our Buddha Board. All you need is water! There is no mess, there is hardly any clean up, and the canvas never runs out! They are incredible and super entertaining (even relaxing!) to play with as adults too! Trust me...you will not regret buying one of these. We have two, one original size and one mini size, and I'm already wanting to get another one!



Coloring
This is an easy one. Coloring books, plain paper, or even scrap paper and crayons. Who doesn't love coloring? You can even put out coloring pencils or markers depending on how well your child uses those.




Book and Magnifying Glass
My oldest daughter came up with this Center and I was proud of her for doing so! We have several "Look and Find" books that are similar to a "Where's Waldo?" just put these out and add in a magnifying glass and your kids turn into a detective with a case to solve. So fun! We got our magnifying glass from Amazon.




Word and Letter Tiles
These are another leftover from my teaching days, but you can find your own set here. You can put these out for your child to spell words out, match up letters, alphabetize, or identify.





Puzzles
Wooden puzzles seem to work best for us right now, but later on I can see how this Center would transition into a more difficult puzzle that becomes a little bit more complete with each rotation.



3-D Shapes
These are fun to build with and sometimes I incorporate them with the block Center at the same time. I have my set leftover from my classroom, but you can order your set from Learning Resources.





Color Matching
This Center will cost you no money at all! Just go to your local paint supply store and pick up as many paint sample cards as you'd like...just make sure you pick up two of each color you choose. You could have them laminated if you'd really like in order to keep them for a long period of time, but seeing as they are free...you can just replace them as needed. I like to put out a stack of them and let the girls play on their own. Sometimes they match them up and sometimes they play memory with them and sometimes they put them in rainbow order.




Memory
You can use paint sample card for this Center as well, or if you have a deck of cards you can put them here. We have an actual Memory board game that the girls like to play with during this Center.
Water
Use a dishpan, fill with water, set out some measuring cups and spoons and let them have a blast! They have so much fun pouring and occasionally I'll add in little plastic fish or frogs to make it different. They request this Center quite often too. I like to put a towel down underneath the dishpan in case any water spills. But you know what I've learned? Anytime water spills...wipe it up with an old towel, and voila...you've mopped! Two birds with one stone.
We usually set up 5-7 activities each time we do Centers. I tell my kids which Center to start in and usually have them 2 or 3 Centers apart from one another. That way there's a decent amount of space between them and it cuts out the temptation of talking or arguing. (Also if you use the Buddha Board you'll need at least one activity in between it and the next person using it due to the board needing to dry for the next person.) I make it clear as to which direction our Centers run so that my girls know which activity to move to next.

I use a simple timer to keep the Centers running. We usually do 5-6 minutes at each activity. When the timer goes off you move to the next Center...no questions asked. Also we stay at the appointed Center until the timer goes off. Our rule is that you can stay in your activity or go to time out. I'm sure you can figure out which choice they make. :)

The girls really enjoy doing Centers and ask to do them on a daily basis. I don't do Centers everyday, though, so that we can maintain the attitudes of looking forward to it. I don't want it to become mundane and *gasp* boring. This has been a wonderful idea to pull out at any time, especially rainy days when we can't play outside, or if I need them to be busy about something while I am nursing the baby. In fact, on more than one occasion they have set up and run Centers all on their own. They think it's awesome when they get to choose which activities go in which spot. My oldest daughter, who is 6, knows how to run the timer, and will help her younger sister, who is 3, if she needs to be reminded of where to go next. I can't say enough good things about this activity!

Do you use Centers in your home? Do you have any suggestions for activities for us to add to our rotations? Let me know!

<3


11.05.2015

When do you work best?

When do you work best? What type of person are you? What type of person would you like to be?

Are you an "early bird gets the worm" type of worker? You wake up from a restful night's sleep and have the energy and motivation to get things done right away. You can clear your head by checking off all of your to-do items first thing during the day.

Are you an "afternoon achiever" type worker? You take the time to begin your day leisurely and about midday you get a boost of energy and accomplish all your goals then. You enjoy completing your work at just the right time of day, not too early, but not too late.

Are you a "night owl" type worker? You spend your day with all of the normal doings, but when the sun goes down you get a second wind and get all the things done right then and there. You can't seem to rest in the later hours of the day, but instead have more energy at this time of day when most others are winding down.

Whenever I've been asked, "what type person are you?" I've always said that I'm an all day type person. :) I think that partially comes because I'm a mom, and quite frankly, we don't get much of a break throughout the day...or night sometimes. But I kind of think that I've always been a bit of workaholic all day long. It runs in my family...if you know my mom, and knew my grandmother, you would certainly agree. I suppose it was my destiny to end up being Queen Bee at the B Hive. The idea of me being a "busy bee" is pretty accurate.



I can see pros and cons to all of the "types" of workers really.

Doing all your work in the mornings is fantastic for getting your must-do items out of the way and opens up the rest of your day for anything really that comes up...expected or unexpected. But when you spend your mornings jumping right into all the things you have planned, you may lose focus on things that actually matter. I think it's important to spend some time first thing in the morning for reflection, meditation, praying, reading. That way you feel focused for the day and you've sort of made your game plan for how to get things done.

Waiting until the afternoon, or even evening time, to work on your to-do list can be good because it allows for the things I mentioned above like reflecting and praying. It gives your body a chance to acclimate to being awake and moving around. Consider your mornings a "warm up" to the "exercise" of the rest of the day. Be cautious though to put off your work for too long into the afternoon or evening because it may lead to an attitude of laziness. You may continue to put off your work until tomorrow, or the next day, or next month, and before you know it...the work never gets done at all.

Evening time can be great for working especially if you have kids, once they are settled in their beds you have all of this (usually uninterrupted) time that you won't be tending to them only. Children are a blessing it's true, but they can also throw a wrench in the best made plans when it comes to a to-do list. Even if you don't have kids, night time can be better for getting your items completed because you need the earlier parts of the day to go to work and focus on your job or maybe your in school and that is your priority. Like I said above though, waiting too long into the day can mean that things never get done at all. Also waiting until the evening time may leave you feeling too tired and drained from the day you've had, and you simply won't have the motivation to accomplish anything except brushing your teeth and crawling into bed.

I'm learning that for me, even though I consider myself an "all day" worker, it is most enjoyable for me to work early in the mornings. I like to spend my very first moments of the day reading and praying, but then I choose something that needs doing and I get it done. It helps me feel accomplished and clears my head. I certainly have days where I look around the house and read over my to-do list, and feel discouraged because nothing was achieved, but on those days I try and remember to give myself grace.

Do you have anything that works for you when it comes to motivating yourself to start marking things off your to-do list? What about any pros or cons that you'd like to add to these types of workers?

When do you work best?

11.04.2015

Meal Planning

Hey y'all! Let's chat a bit about meal planning. Do you guys out there meal plan? I know for me, and my love of planning all the things, meal planning is something that is super fun for me! Ok so there's definitely sometimes when I get irritated about it because of this...


...just being honest (which is how I am all. the. time.) it can be exhausting to have to figure out all the meals all the time, but then I remember it's my job*...so it's really not something I should get irritated over. I usually meal plan for the week. I know some people that meal plan for the month and that's awesome! Maybe one day I can be like you. Unfortunately, I'm a little more like Scarlett, "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow." :)

We have several "go-to" recipes and meals that we like so those stay on a pretty consistent rotation. We also have "Breakfast for Supper" every Wednesday. I've not really set up a specific theme for the rest of the days of the week, but perhaps I will. I think it could be fun. Let me just brainstorm all that out right here...

Mondays

Veggie Plate- I think I'll make this our weekly supper of veggies. Many of you out there could call it "Meatless Monday," but since we are vegan...we are meatless everyday. :) This is one of our kids' favorite meals! Usually I will make four veggies and we all load up our plates and devour it. Typical combinations are: blackeyed peas, green peas, corn, carrots OR summer squash, broccoli, mashed sweet potatoes, lima beans OR green beans, mashed potatoes, okra, baked beans. Of course there are loads more vegetables you could add! We also love to do "Beans and Greens," which is just a red beans and rice dish with turnip greens mixed in. I'll include this meal on this day too. Think "Down Home Cookin' " for this night.


Tuesdays

Mexican Night- I'd really love to call this "Taco Tuesday," but then I don't want to be limited to just tacos...so yeah, Mexican Night it is. Jason's favorite type of food to eat is Mexican so I'm going to try and be better about incorporating it weekly. The possibilities are pretty endless with this: tacos, burritos, nachos, enchiladas, Mexican lasagna. Our versions of these are all without meat and cheese, but they are full of flavor with using beans, rice, and vegetables. For example, I've used quinoa and added taco seasoning to make "meat" filling along with beans and salsa for tacos, and burritos are yummy with some sauteed onions, peppers, and mushrooms. 


Wednesdays

Breakfast for Supper- This usually consists of eggs, grits, biscuits or toast, and bacon sometimes. We allow for turkey bacon every now and then. ;) Sometimes I'll switch it up and make pancakes or waffles with eggs and bacon instead of grits, biscuits or toast. I also serve coffee, chocolate almond milk, and orange juice to drink. Yum! I'm glad I'm writing this blog on a Wednesday. ;)


Thursdays

Italian Night- My favorite type of food to eat is Italian, so I claim Thursdays for me! There's like a bazillion (spell check passed 'bazillion') meals for this that we love. Spaghetti is an obvious choice, I have a recipe for a delicious penne alla vodka, and also a yummy stuffed shell dish too! Think of all the possibilities though, pizzas, lasagnas, and pastas...oh my!


Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays

Leftovers for Supper- We don't let food go to waste around the Hive, so I'm calling Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays "Leftovers for Supper." I know some people don't enjoy eating the same thing over again so maybe you could make one of these a night when your family eats out at a restaurant or orders something to eat in. Maybe you could do something like "Soup on Saturday/Sunday," I may do that myself occasionally.  Especially if I don't have enough leftovers to serve for three more nights. Most weeks, though, the way I'll work it is by having Mondays meal as leftovers for Fridays, Tuesdays meal will become leftovers for Saturdays, and Thursdays meal will be leftovers for Sundays. My point is, it's the weekend and I'm taking the nights off from cooking! 

So if I follow that meal plan then I'm only cooking 4 nights a week! If I'm really good I'll double a recipe every now and then so that I can freeze half for later. That way if I have a busy night or unexpected company, I'll have a meal already made!

 I usually try to go do my grocery shopping after the kids are in bed. I still have not figured out where I would put the groceries if I had all three kids shopping with me. I commend all you momma's out there that grocery shop with more than two kids. Maybe when the baby is a bit older I'll think about it, but for now it's after bedtime that works best for me. I had been going grocery shopping on Thursdays, but I think I may switch it to going on Sundays. That way I'll have all my ingredients freshest for when I'm cooking throughout the week. I used to do all of my cooking on the weekends since I worked nights during the week, but now that I'm a full-time stay at home momma, I want the weekends to relax with my family. I'm looking forward to implementing this meal plan.

What ways work best for your meal planning? Do you have any ideas or suggestions you could add to my list? Let me know!

<3



*Side note from earlier: I am in no way saying that it is always the woman's/wife's/mom's job to do the meal planning and grocery shopping and cooking. It is super nice when the guy/husband/dad does this part too. And even more fun when it is done together! For our family, though, we have agreed that I'm primarily the one in charge of this since I'm a stay at home Queen Bee. :)

11.03.2015

Chores

I saw this picture on one of my friend's (thanks Mrs. Jerri!) page on Facebook...

...and it got my wheels turning. It also goes hand and hand with the Proverb that we are focusing on this week in our homeschooling. 

"He who gathers crops in the summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son." -Proverbs 10:5 

Basically the lesson is that we are to work, and work diligently, when it's time to work, not be lazy!

Now I know that with as much as I have to do around the house, and with as clean and organized as I like to keep things, I must...repeat...must enlist the help of my children. I mean...they make most of the mess...so they need to help clean it too! I've already listed a few examples of how I incorporate my kids into cleaning in my "Cleaning Schedules" post, but I thought it may be a good idea to blog specifically about how they can help and contribute around the house.

So let's break it down by ages shall we? Here's some examples of what we do:

2-3 years

* clean up toys when asked
* put dirty clothes in laundry basket
* put food or water out for a pet
* dust
* help a parent or sibling clean up spills
* choose clothes and lay them out for the following day
* help prepare food

4-5 years

* get dressed with little help
* make their bed with little help
* set the table
* clear their dishes from the table
* fold napkins, wash cloths, etc from the laundry
* clean up spills
* sweep or dust mop
* help load dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, etc

6-7 years

* maintain personal hygiene on their own (brushing teeth, combing hair, bathing)
* maintain a clean room
* sort laundry
* put their clothes away from the laundry
* put away dishes from dishwasher
* empty trash cans from their rooms
* wake up using an alarm clock
* help put younger siblings to nap or bed
* begin learning which buttons to use when starting the dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, tv, etc

(From here on out I'm guessing as to what I'll add :) since my kiddos are under the age of 7. I can already hear the snickering of you mom's with older kids. Feel free to tell me where my expectations are too high so that I'm not too disappointed. I'm always seeking advice from you wiser ladies!)

8-10 years

* be responsible for their belongings (bringing dance bag to dance class without a reminder, etc)
* wash dishes in the sink
* help clean bathrooms
* run the dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, etc when asked
* mop
* pick up trash from yard, rake, pull weeds, etc
* clean windows and mirrors
* prepare an easy meal or two by themselves, for themselves (sandwiches, salads, bowl of cereal, etc)

11-15 years

* change bedsheets
* vacuum
* help mow the yard
* be responsible for schoolwork and homework
* help make grocery list
* help prepare a family meal
* scramble eggs (this is everyone's first lesson, right?)

16 years and up

* babysit
* prepare a family meal
* be responsible for a job
* partial contribution towards the purchase of their clothing, car, and insurance
* be responsible for doing yard work and house work as needed, not only as requested

Of course every kid is different and a lot of these chores may overlap the ages that I separated them into, but you get the idea. I know with both of my girls, from a super young age they were helping me in the kitchen preparing food because they showed an interest in doing so. So that is why it is listed in the 2-3 years category for us. That may not be case for your kids...it may not be the case for my son when he is 2-3 years. The biggest help in deciding things with kids, I think, is to consider what they are interested in or excited about. Once you figure that out, you'll find that it's much easier to get them to actually follow through with the "doing" it part.

Now...tell me some of the things that I missed or left out! What are some chores that you have for your kids? How have you effectively incorporated them into your routines? Do you have a chart posted somewhere? Do you have specific days that the chores happen? I can't wait to hear your responses!

<3



11.02.2015

Supper anyone?

Remember when I said that I was going to start a series about recipes? Welp...here's another!

How do you feel about Italian food? Like it, love it, hate it? It is my most favorite type of food to eat. Nothing is yummier to me than Italian food...well ok...desserts, but I digress. So it's Italian food for supper tonight and I know what you're expecting, a big pile heavy of pasta right? Nope, not tonight! Let me introduce you to the yummiest Italian soup ever. This recipe is for one of our most favorite soups (yes, it's vegan). We eat it year round. It is seriously delicious, light, filling, and super easy to make. You serve it over garlic bread and will prolly want to eat more than one serving. We call it "Italian Soup over Garlic Bread." Real original, huh?

Ingredients:



Olive Oil

4 cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, divided in half

6 cups vegetable broth, divided

2 onions, diced

6 cloves garlic

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste

4-6 cups of greens (Your choice on quantity, some people like more some like less. Also I've used lots of variations of greens...boston lettuce, spinach, escarole, leafy green lettuce. This time I'm using kale. Find the green you like best and then use it here.)

2 tomatoes, seeded and diced (Trust me on the no seed part...it makes it gloopy if you leave them in, think stewed okra. We actually like stewed okra, but prefer not to have that texture in this soup.)

Garlic bread (We make our own garlic bread by using a fresh french loaf from the store, slicing it in half longways, brushing olive oil across, sprinkling minced garlic on top, and baking it in the oven at 350 degrees until it is the desired brown-ness...maybe 5-10 minutes? You can certainly use pre-made garlic bread if you'd like.)

Directions:

Make your bean puree by combining 2 cans of drained and rinsed cannellini beans and 2 cups vegetable broth in a food processor. Process until smooth and set aside.




1. Prep your items!




2. In a large pot saute your onions until soft.



3. Add in garlic, red pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and let cook a few minutes more.




4. Stir in your greens. Keep stirring until they have wilted.




5. Add in your remaining broth, diced tomatoes, remaining cannellini beans, and stir.




6. Add in your bean puree and season with more salt to taste.



7. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes.

8. Break your garlic bread up into pieces and put in the bottom of your bowl, ladle your soup over your garlic bread, serve, and enjoy!




Let me know if you try this recipe and how you like it!

<3






11.01.2015

Baby Dedication

How's everyone feeling after all that extra sleep we got? Refreshed? I'd like to know whose idea it was to have time change happen the night of Halloween. Because let's be honest. I didn't get an extra hour of sleep. My oldest daughter kept reminding me all night that, "it's really not that late mom," which meant we trick or treated longer, which meant we didn't eat supper until after 7 o'clock, which meant we had scrambled eggs for supper since I hadn't been to the grocery store yet, which meant bath time was later, which meant bedtime was later...so in reality we stayed up later than normal and slept the same amount of time we normally do...or possibly less. Sigh. 

Today though, was wonderful. We were able to have our sweet baby Jackson dedicated at our church. I'm so thankful to be at Grace Winter Garden. It truly feels like home, we are enjoying the friends that we are making, and learning and growing from the sound Biblical teaching there. Praise God that He lead us to Grace. We still think that it's wonderful that we've ended up at Grace Winter Garden since the church we went to (the same one that I grew up in) when we lived in Georgia was also Grace. :) God is good like that. Here are a few pictures from today.



 Precious baby boy wearing the same gown his sisters wore for their dedications. Not sure how long it's been in our family, but it's a beautiful vintage gown, and I'm happy to have it to pass down.



Ava and Lyla had already gone to their classes, but they were on stage for the dedication part and did a good job supporting their brother.





Gifts from Grace in honor of Jackson's dedication.


There was also a photographer at the service taking pictures and we'll get those later. I'll post them for you to see whenever I get them. :) I hope you all had a great Sunday. 

Maybe I'll get that hour of sleep back tonight. 

<3

10.31.2015

This is Halloween!

Happy Halloween Y'all!

Last night my girls had their "Friday Night Movie Night," and they asked to watch "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Then today when they woke up they both asked to watch Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and "Ghosts." Not much else could make me a more proud momma. They have both inherited my love for Halloween and Michael Jackson. I am one happy momma.

Today they got to wear costumes to their dance classes. Last week we discussed our options for this. I told them that they did not need to wear their Halloween costumes because I thought they would be to restrictive for dancing. So we decided that Ava would be an angel and Lyla would be a cat. This morning however...approximately one hour before her class...Lyla tells me, "I don't want to be a cat mom. I want to be a witch." Awesome. It's a good thing that we had a witch costume in our dress up clothes. Ava was happy to stick with her original plan of being an angel. Here's what they looked like this morning.







After dance classes, and lunches, and naps, it was time for the real deal. This year Ava decided to dress up as Mulan. Lyla chose to dress up as Fawn (from the Tinkerbell movies). Jackson was a skeleton. I went as a witch (although no one captured me on camera...I promise I really did dress up). Jason kept things simple boring and wore his Halloween shirt from Disney World last year. The other day Ava said, "Hey Mom all of our costume names rhyme this year. Mulan, Fawn, and Skeleton." Except she pronounced it like "skele-tawn." She's a mess. 

My beautiful Fawn and Mulan 


Here comes brother Jackson 




Our little skele-tawn 



Love these guys 



Annnnnnd they're off! 






Posing for the camera


Lyla had the best time ever.



Jackson was such a good boy and enjoyed the ride


When we got back home we ate supper real quick and the girls had fun giving out candy to the trick-or-treaters that came to our Hive. In fact we gave out so much candy that the girls decided to give away the candy that they got going door to door. They were very sweet about it and wanted the other kids to have it. I told them I would just buy them some new candy the next time I went to the store. Sweet girls. I hope you had a Boo-tiful Halloween yourself!