Day to Day Adventures

#3

Kim1 Comment
This week I get to tell about my sweet Megan. I think one of the things I like best about her is her laughter. We giggle about a lot of things around this house but Megan loves to laugh & her laugh is infectious. Just this evening we were listening to Steve read to the kids & we both knew the story so as the funny parts came along she would start to snicker & then would just give up and giggle. I couldn't help it . . . . . I was giggling too.


At 11 Megan has started to get long legged and is beginning to loose that little girl look. She is fast growing up and becoming a young lady. She has been growing her hair out for a year and now doesn't have any bangs. She keeps it tucked behind her ear & likes to swing her hair around because it tickles her neck!



She is her brothers best friend and they play together all sorts of made up games. I have seen them lately building forts out of mattresses. Dressing up and chasing each other all over with swords in an elaborate game they invented. On the other had Megan loves to play on her own. She is content to do a puzzle for hours or get out her doll house & get it set up just right.

I often say Elizabeth is the creative one but Megan has some talent in that area too. She makes woven pouches that are incredible. Latch hook and cross stitch are fun too! Just the other night she surprised me with a drawing that was very accurate & I could really tell what she had sketched! Her creativeness needs structure--like in latch hook. She likes to know where the lines are and how to stay inside of them. As a little girl I remember her being this way and now it is surfacing again as she grows.


There is a tenacity in this girl--something that is very determine & won't let go. When she decides to do something then it gets done. A couple of years ago we started her in soccer. I was a little unsure because some of the girls were a lot bigger than her. But you know what she was FAST & she went after that ball like nobody's business! She is like that in learning something new too. She keeps after it and doesn't give up. I love this picture because it really shows her attitude. This was in a very cold game where it rained but she didn't stop for one minute!

Some things Megan loves--pink, chocolate, puzzles, hugs, dancing with her Dad, helping others, & babies. Things that she doesn't like--being unsure of what to do, having someone unhappy with her for ANYthing, or disappointing herself.

I think maybe it is because she is #3 but Megan is the flexible child. She likes her vegetables, she rarely fusses about clothes or chores. I will often see her pick up the slack when another person is unable or unwilling to pitch in. She doesn't ruffle when plans change. But she has a long memory--if I promise something you can be sure she will remember & remind me. I miss my little girl but I see that God has great plans for my young lady that is emerging from my precious sweet child.

Menu Monday

KimComment
Ready to start a new week! Last week we were able to stick to our plan pretty closely--went out out to eat on Sunday instead of doing the crockpot meal but we will do that Tuesday night instead so it all works out!

Lunches

Pasta Meatball Soup, Beans & Rice, Spaghetti, Farmer's Casserole, Hamburgers, Stir Fry & Chicken in a pot

Suppers

Fried Chicken Salad, Swiss Steak, Rosemary Pork Tenderloin, Vegie Lasagna, DATE night, Ham & Beans & Sloppy Joe's

Kids are really learning some new recipes and it has put some variety back in our lunches. We were tired of the rut we were in so it has been very YUMMY!

Consistent exercise

KimComment
Somehow homeschooling 4 kids, shopping for food, cleaning house, running errands & various other activities keep me from being consistent on my exercise. I know I need to do it--I even WANT to do it. But it is HARD to be consistent about it.

Looking back over 2009 showed me that I have made some improvements in my health & met some goals.

Bought a treadmill--no excuses anymore & don't want to waste the $ we spent
--I do walk more than I did a year ago just not 3X a week yet

Eating more balanced meals--I plan out a month at a time and for each week I make sure we eat a balance of chicken, beef, pork, fish & vegie meals. We also have a "bean" meal & a "salad" meal 1X a week too. There are fewer casseroles in our life and more lean meat.

Tracking my meals--on a site called www.myfitnesspal.com and that has been a huge blessing so I know when I am going over my calories or eating too much fat. I also have a group of friends there that interact & encourage each other. I think that has been spuring me on more than anything lately.

So THIS past week I didn't make the consistent goal but I did make the 3 workouts. Monday, Wednesday & Saturday. Actually Thursday might count too because I walked a lot on a college tour but had no way to keep track of my distance/heartrate or anything.

I am also trying to watch the salt intake & drink a TON of water. I didn't drink much on Thursday and I could really tell on Friday morning. I drank a couple of glasses over the morning & that made a big difference.

So goals this week? Walk on Mon, Wed, Fri or any other day that it is possible. It would be great to fit in some pilates on one day to help tone up these poor old muscles. We shall see . . . .

#2

KimComment
Doing something different—hopefully to share more about our family & then I can let relatives who are out of town check out this blog & actually have something interesting to read.

On Tuesday’s I am going to focus on on of my kids to tell about what they are doing & how they are growing. Since I have four kids & usually there are 4 Tuesdays(sometimes more!) then that works well.

Things never start when they should so I will start today on the second Tuesday of the 2010 with #2 child.

Oh to be 13 again—NOT. This girl has grown and changed more in the last year than in all of the years before combined. She actually isn’t a child any more— she’s definitely showing signs of becoming a young lady. Well when she doesn’t look like this. Or this!
Elizabeth loves to read. She will often read a book faster than I think anyone should be able to do. That is a great thing and a frustrating thing. She loves the library & thinks a trip there twice a week would be grand! Some of her favorite books are the Dragonquest series, Redwall series, Little Women, Lord of the Rings, Alexander Lloyd’s books, & many, many, many others.

An accomplishment for her lately is memorizing 2nd Corinthians for Bible Quizzing. Last April, she made it to the National Competition in St. Louis & she really enjoyed her first time at Nationals. Lots of new friends & going to bed REALLY late! So her goal right now is to qualify for Nationals April 2010. There are fewer kids going since it is farther away--Pitsburgh, PA--so the competition is tough. So far she has 16 chapters tucked away in her head.

Some things Liz doesn't like. Well she doesn't like being called Liz, although lots of people do it. Me included--in fact she claims I started it. Oh well--hard habit to break. She doesn't like bread, math or cleaning out litter pans. On the other hand I don't blame her on a couple of those items.

Steve & Elizabeth share a love for music(not that I don't love it but they REALLY love it). We often hear Reliant K, Britt Nicole, Toby Mac, Skillet, Downhere & Jars of Clay playing. She plays the piano well & helps her dad with leading music at church once a month. Last month(Dec) she played her first church service totally on her own. Often she and big brother both play but she mastered several Christmas songs & was able to play the whole service. Yeah! Elizabeth is also learning to play the guitar.

I just know that God has great plans for her & it has been such a joy to watch her grow and come along side her to cheer her on as she become a wonderful you lady.

Menu Monday

KimComment
Menus for the Week

Trying to slim down as I am sure everyone in the country is doing. It is crazy when it is cold and all we want to do is hibernate & be warm then we try to loose weight. Well I am tracking my calories and watching my serving sizes. Goal this week is to walk on Monday, Wednesday, & Friday. I will post later how it goes. :)

B'fasts

B'fast burritos, Yogurt, Eggs & muffins, Oatmeal, Bacon & pancakes, Cereal

Lunches

Broc Cheese Soup, Chimi's, Italian Hotdish, Mexican Bean Salad, Quesidillas

Suppers

Crock pot smokies, Stir fry(steak), Tropical Fish, Potato Soup, & Vegie Pasta Salad

As always this is subject to change as our schedule allows. One thing that has helped with our time in the mornings is to have a child in charge of lunch. E does Monday & Tuesday, MN gets Wednesday & MA does Thurday & Friday. That means no lunch duty until Saturday for Mom! Yeah!!!!

Unfortunately there is always something else to do . . . .