Menu Monday

This is a crazy week for us. We are headed to Iowa for a Bible Quizzing Regional Tournament so things are a bit off for us. But the menu plan is in place so we will survive & have plenty to eat. I find it is one less bit of chaos if I have things laid out ahead of time. It helps me to know what needs to be picked up on Tuesdays when I am in town for errands.

Breakfasts

Oatmeal, Muffins & Eggs, Yogurt, Cereal

Lunches

Mexicali Casserole, Broccoli Soup, Frittata, Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Supper

Parmesan Chicken, Beef Tostadas, Rosemary Pork Tenderloin, Tilapia Vera Cruz

Funny Faces

I can't help it--I love these faces. Bribery material!


Cookie
Boy

Bubble Socrates

And these aren't bad either!


Pouty hat girl

However I think Joshua

is the man

with the

most expressive faces!

Healthy foods

It seems like I have been on a serious healthy food kick since the first of the year. Probably has something to do with the fact that I would like to loose 5-10 lbs. The scale is inching down with regular workouts & watching my intake(sigh).

Two healthy things we do consistently.

1. Bake things from scratch. Bread(honey wheat), hamburger buns, biscuits, pie crusts & yes cookies. I feel so much better about what we put in our mouths when I know how it has been made.

2. Eat greens. We have a salad most evenings & some lunches. Ours are made with a combo of green leaf, romaine & spinach. Everyone gets a helping--no ifs ands or buts. We also usually have at least one if not more fresh vegies on the table. Carrots, peppers, cauliflower, cucumbers, etc.


I know there are a lot of other things we could be doing but these work for us. I'd like to see us eating more unprocessed foods and less processed. One habit at a time. We do make most of our meals from scratch but some days for the sake of convenience we use a mix or something not homemade.

Somethings I buy that are processed & I am not willing to make.

Animal cookies, yogurt, chips, cottage cheese & cereal. None of these things are reasonable for us to undertake making at home. I think the biggest area I use store bought food is in snacks. We eat a lot of fruit but also lots of vanilla wafers, rice cakes, & crackers. Maybe finding time to bake more & use that as our snacks will be our next habit to work on in the area of healthy foods.

Blessings

Some days I am just blessed. Good friends, great family, health, and so many others!

I enjoyed lunch yesterday with ladies from church. We got to talk, laugh & share for an hour. That was a great blessing but the reason I got to do that was my daughter was WILLING to babysit her siblings. She also was willing to watch a friend's little boy so she could go too.


I came home and they were building a fort(making a pit of the basement--oh well) & were playing together. I love that. I love knowing that my kids are friends and enjoy hanging out together.

Blessings everywhere . . . . .

#1

I had to put off my oldest until this week. It just got too crazy for me to do him justice so I will just jump in where I am at.

How do you describe someone who is growing and changing right before your very eyes? I seem to remember this little red hair imp who used to follow me around everywhere and talk my ears off. Now I have a quiet young man who is thoughtful about everything and is considering where he will be next year and what he will be doing.

At 18, Michael is a senior and will graduate in May. He has been taking college courses at Columbia College as a dual enrolled student. It is rather satisfying to know that this homeschooling thing works. Right now he's been accepted at 4 colleges/universities & now is waiting to hear back about financial aid packages. He is carefully weighing the positives and negatives so that he can follow God's leading on where his life will go next.

Somethings that Michael does well.


Play the piano--I don't want to think about how many years I have paid for lessons but well . . . it has paid off. Right now he accompanies his dad once a month at church for the song service. I was listening to him play on Sunday when he didn't know I was there & it just struck me how much I enjoy listening to him. When he moves out I know that is one thing I will miss the most.

Memorize scripture--he's been a Bible Quizzer for 8 years and is getting ready for Nationals right now. The question is will he be on the top team this year? Does he want to be? Regardless we will travel to Pittsburgh to watch him one more time.

Make friends--I wouldn't call Michael a social butterfly but he has been choosing to interact more with people his own age lately. He is really close to his quiz team(6 girls LOL) and they have been hanging out a lot. And NO there is no one special girl in his life right now.

Also he's gone to a couple of scout meetings as they have started back up and is enjoying interacting with the younger scouts. He wants to help and teach now that he has achieved Eagle rank even though it isn't required.

Also the other seniors/graduates have been interacting on a regular basis & it is good to see him want to join in even though he isn't close to any of them besides those he knows from quizzing.

There is something absolutely bizarre about your oldest being grown and ready to move out. I totally trust Michael to handle whatever comes his way in the years to come. He is responsible, trustworthy, and kind. Many of those Scout characteristics showing through. I know he feels slightly overwhelmed and unsure but that is natural. His trust in God & love for his family will always ground him in whatever circumstances arise. While the teenage years haven't been without their rocky moments I would say that I have had one of the best times watching him grow and become who he is. It is such a process and I know it isn't over yet . . . I dread and anticipate the coming changes.