Whew, what a week!

Last week was a doozy! It started with Eli being sick weekend before last. He began with running a fever and having a little congestion. Sunday he sounded worse and had a little cough. Monday he was worse, but I waited. Well Tuesday he woke up and was still worse, and had a little drainage coming from his ears (TMI, I know!) but that's not necessarily a bad thing. His tubes were made to do that. But it did give me a clue that he had a lot of gunk backed up in there! So, I called and set them up an apt for Wednesday afternoon. Well, they both got a shot and zpack. (Bronchitis/sinus infection) I was told to continue breathing treatments, too. I had started them Tuesday after speaking with the nurse. I'm so glad we bought the nebulizer and keep albuteral on hand! On Tuesday, I also started feeling yucky. And by Wednesday I knew I needed to see the Dr as well. I've told you all before when I get a sinus infection, it hits me like a ton of bricks! So by the time we got home Wed afternoon, I was miserable!! The Hubs had his last final Wed night so I couldn't go to the Dr until he got home. So, I got to the after hours Dr at 7pm! Well, I waited and waited and finally went back around 8pm. The nurse took a while getting my pulse and when she took me to my room she told me to lay down and wait on someone to check my pulse again.. because it was up around 120. This of course freaked me out, so I called the Hubs! I asked him to come sit with me! I knew he'd have to bring the boys but I really wanted him with me. I'm so glad he doesn't think my anxieties are silly! I hate going to the Dr by myself. I get so nervous! And that, along with me being a little dehydrated is probably what made my pulse go up. It did drop, still a little high but not as high. Anyway, on the way the Hubs called Gram and Grandad and they picked up the boys. (Thank you!) I just figured they would stay with us but it ended up being better because we didn't leave the Dr until 9:30pm! I got a shot and some strong antibiotics! I'm feeling much better but still not quite 100%! SO.. needless to say we didn't do anything last week! No cooking, no crafts.. just wiping snotty noses.. resting.. and watching movies. And my house.. oh me. It is starting to look better but it just went by the wayside!

Although I didn't cook after Monday night, what I did cook was a new 'recipe'. I made Italian Roast Wraps Monday night. They were so yummy and so easy!! What a great way to use a roast! I love the usual roast w/ carrots and potatoes but you have to admit that sometimes it's nice to do something different! Next time I'll try it with homemade taco seasoning mix for a different flavor!

In weight loss news, there isn't much. I didn't weigh Friday morning but I did get an 'official weigh' at the Drs Wednesday night and it was the same as last week. I'm just stuck but glad I haven't gained any back! With the bathroom remodel and being sick, it's been 3 weeks since I've done any kind of exercising! Hopefully this week I can get some in!!

Menu Plan Monday.. time to weigh in!

Grilled Chicken, Corn on the Cobb, Green Beans

Italian Roast Wraps, Fruit Salad

Homemade Chicken Nuggets, Potato Wedges, Carrot Sticks w/ Ranch Dressing

Homemade Pizza

Tacos, Simple Black Beans

Sloppy Joes on Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns, Homemade Onion Rings

Egg Salad Sandwiches, Fruit

Spaghetti, Salad

Braised Bistro Chicken (maybe I'll get around to this one this week!), Veggie

Pork Chops, Baked Potato, Salad

For breakfast we have giant breakfast cookies and banana muffins in the freezer, cheese and cinnamon toast and of course, cereal. I haven't totally given up on all boxed foods... yet. ;)

BTW, the giant breakfast cookies are really good! The kids love them! I made mine with dried cranberries. They taste like oatmeal cookies! We finished a box of generic nutri grain cereal bars and I'm vowing not to buy anymore!

I'm also attempting homemade onion rings at some point! I'll let you know how they turn out.

Last week I made the Crustless Broccoli Cheddar Quiche. I was blessed by two different people with a dozen farm fresh eggs, so needless to say I had and still have eggs to use (see egg salad above!) and this was a perfect way to do it! It really was yummy! The boys wouldn't even hardly look at it (much less try it!) but the Hubs and I loved it!


I also made the chicken satay skewers this weekend. This was a big hit with everyone. Well, minus the peanut sauce. There is just something not right about dipping chicken in peanut butter! The boys loved the chicken on skewers. They were calling them chicken suckers! I will definitely be making this again. I rarely get Luke to eat chicken without being breaded in the form of a nugget! The marinade is super easy (btw, if you look at the link, it calls for sesame oil and I just used olive oil) and would be a great marinade for chicken on the grill!

Ok, ok. I did weigh in this past Friday. Thankfully, the scales had not moved! I didn't gain or lose and honestly I'm glad for the lack of change because I was expecting a little gain! I'm hoping to get more exercise in this week since the bathroom remodel is finished!

Well, Eli is up.. he's battling a cold and cough! Might be a long night!

Pollen!! (Oh and letter C crafts!)

Well, we're stuck inside on this beautiful day. Monday and Tuesday we stayed inside mainly to keep away from pollen. We got out yesterday for a while and had planned on today but Eli's running a fever! He woke up last night around 11pm and was warm. So, I gave him some tylenol. Then he was up at 3am, 6am and finally 9 am. Needless to say when my alarm went off at 7am, I turned of OFF! He's stuffy, so my guess is that he's developed a cold from the allergies. It seems like we can't get a break! I'm seriously hating pollen right now!! Maybe we should move! (Yeah, that' show much I'm hating it!)

I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer today! I just want my boys to be able to enjoy the weather!

So, while I'm sitting here and the kids are watching Toy Story, I'll share a few pictures of some of our crafts, mainly our alphabet crafts. (Here is the our previous alaphabet post)

At the end of March we worked on the letter C. Our Bible verse was, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." 1 Corinthians 5:17. Here is Luke practicing making his C.

We also had a fun caterpillar snack: Peanut butter on Ritz crackers, pretzels for feelers and raisins for eyes!

And from Confessions of a Homeschooler, I downloaded this cute caterpillar number sequence game! Luke had fun putting the numbers in order! He's also asked to play this game several times since then! I wish I had a laminator so we could use these for longer!

I found a cute letter C craft for our alphabet book that went with our caterpillar theme but when I saw this C is for Crab craft from Totally Tots, it was too cute to pass up!

Isn't it super cute?! We did do a few Easter themed crafts but I don't have pictures! It was the week we were staying at my mom's because of the bath remodel. I forgot my camera! I'll share our April crafts later. We're only doing two letters this month, also because of the bathroom remodel. It's technically not finished (just painting the door is left) but the majority of the work was finished yesterday. So, it took longer than expected and kind of threw our schedule off!

Ok, off to get lunch started!

YUM-O

I've been doing a lot of things in the kitchen and wanted to share some of the good ideas and recipes! In my Monday post I shared a link for Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix. Well, I also made Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix too!

These are pint size jars and it's perfect for the ranch mix. But I really needed a bigger jar for the taco seasoning mix. I have already used both mixes and they turned out great. Last week I made Tex Mex turkey burgers. I used a generous amount of taco seasoning mix on both sides of mine and the Hubs burgers. I just sprinkled a little on the boys. Then I mixed about 1/2 tsp seasoning mix into about 2-3 TBS of mayo for a yummy spread! These burgers were sooo good! I'm going to use it this week for tacos! I also made the ranch dressing/dip mix. You use 2 TBS of the mix with 1 c mayo and 1 c buttermilk. I will admit that this dressing is not exactly like the packet stuff but it is really good! And the longer it sits in the fridge the better. I suggest making it a day ahead before using it. I think next time I might use 3/4 c butter milk and 1/4 c milk, just to cut the tang of the buttermilk. I made ours on Saturday night and it was gone after we ate dinner last night (we had chicken finger salads)! Everyone seems to like it, even my worst critic, Luke. Although, I did kind of have to 'trick' him. I spooned it out of the dish I had mixed it in, into a little cup for him without him seeing it. So, he never knew it didn't come out of a bottle! Just making these two little changes have made me feel so much better!

I have another non-recipe to share with you, like the Tex Mex burgers. It's not really a recipe, more of an idea! I made Chicken, Feta and Spinach Quesadillas last week and they were SUPER! Here are the basic ideas, you can really do whatever you like!

Shredded Chicken, cooked
Spinach (fresh)
Feta Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)
Garlic/Onion
Olive Oil

I used a rotisserie chicken for these quesadillas. In a pan, I sauteed a chopped onion and a little garlic for a few minutes in olive oil. Next, I added a few handfuls of baby spinach to let it wilt a little. Put it aside and start assembling your quesadilla. I do a tortilla on bottom, layer my ingredients, then a tortilla on top. Some people do one tortilla and put the ingredients on half and fold it over. Either way, place tortilla in hot pan and layer shredded chicken, spinach mix and then cheese. Put another tortilla on top or fold tortilla over. Cook until bottom is crispy, flip and repeat. Let cool slightly before cutting. When I do this, I usually turn my oven on warm and keep the finished tortillas on a sheet pan. These were soo good! The reason I added a little mozz. cheese is because the feta doesn't melt as well. So, the mozzarella is more for melting purposes and the feta more for flavor! These would be good with mushrooms too! You know, you can put anything in a tortilla! I think I've said that before! ;)

Last night I made another Heavenly Homemaker recipe: Banana Cake. I didn't make a cake though, I made muffins! The recipe is already healthier that most muffin recipes, so I just made the recipe and left off the icing! These muffins are really good! I did sprinkle a tiny bit of sugar and cinnamon on top! I made 12 muffins and then had enough to do one mini loaf. I burned the mini loaf though. Long story, that is a result of a 19 month old who still likes to wake up around 11pm sometimes! I left out 8 muffins for us to much on this week and froze 4 for a quick breakfast one day next week!

*Side note about this picture: As I was taking it, Luke asked me what I was doing so I told him I was taking pictures of our muffins. He said, "Oh, well they won't say cheese!" ;)

I also have a yummy chocolate pie recipe to share but I'm going to save that for later! Tonight I'm making Crustless Broccoli Cheddar Quiche with my farm fresh eggs! :)

Happy Eating!

Good stuff

Update: Link #5 is working now!

No weigh in today! GASP! I know! I did not want to weigh Friday. So, I didn't. I had a really bad week. After Easter and all of the candy I just was not about to get on those scales. So, it's a new week and I'm back on track! I also splurged on a new work out DVD: The Biggest Loser Cardio Max. I've let exercise fall to the wayside the past 2 weeks. I mentioned before that we had a bathroom remodel that my dad and another guy was doing. And well, they just finished Thursday. It totally messed up our schedule around here since we spent the better part of our day at my mom's so I'm glad to be getting back into a better routine tomorrow. I am very thankful that we now have two working bathrooms!! Anyway, hopefully, I can get back into an exercise routing. After last week, I need it! So, to start off the week here are a few good links for you:

1. I picked up some Dove Cream Oil Shea Butter Body Lotion this past week. I normally stay with my Suave (my favorite is Natural Oatmeal but I can rarely find it!) but I won a game on the Dove website and my prize was a coupon for a FREE bottle of lotion! I picked mine up from Target, it normally retails $5.99 and considering I will barely pay half of that for lotion, I doubt I'll get anymore without coupons and a sale! BUT, it is great lotion. It's sooo smooth and it smells good! I sniffed the other Cream Oil but I didn't like the way it smelled.. too chemically. And although it's called 'cream oil', it's not oily! So, try it out if you are able too!


2. Last week I made Heavenly Homemaker's Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix. I used it on our Tex Mex Turkey Burgers, as well as made a Tex Mex mayo for the buns. (I'll share more about that later this week because I have a few recipes to share!). It was super simple to make (pour in a jar and shake!) and although I don't know the exact cost difference, I'm sure in the long run it's much more cost effective. Maybe one day I'll take the time to figure out how much the cost compares! It's MUCH healthier too! No msg and the sodium content is less! Plus you can read all of the ingredients!


3. This is a fantastic article on Christians and educating their children by Tedd Tripp. Here is a little excerpt:

EDUCATION IS A PRIMARY concern of Christian parents. That concern focuses on two points: We want to ensure that our children's fund of knowledge is rich enough to equip them for life, and we want them to be people who know and love God.

In our culture, the paradigm for education is the state school. Most states enacted compulsory school attendance laws in the 1800s. Through the years since then, even Christian parents have come to accept the notion that education is the state's task.

But what does the Word of God say? Deuteronomy 6 provides us with biblical non-negotiables for the education of our children.

4. Sometimes reading all about the bad things we're eating makes my head spin. I am a mommy and a wife and my job is to take care of my family. I feed them and nurture them. And it's my job to do that to the best of my ability. So, I'm attempting to take things slowly in this process but I really wish I had the time and money to just trash everything and start from scratch.. literally. BUT here is a list of chemicals/foods to avoid from My Busy Life. It's a great place to start. And seriously, I had NO idea about the BPA in canned foods! I just don't understand why this stuff isn't regulated!!!


5. Another great article: Christian Faith: Calvinism Is Back. And while I don't believe many people will actually go read this article, you should. Here is a little excerpt from it too:

"A lot of people think religion is something you piece together [from] ideas you think are sweet and that you personally find beneficial," says Mr. Dever. "No. It's like a doctor's report.... It's an objective reality. It's just what is."

More broadly, the Calvinist revival reflects an effort to recast the foundation of faith itself. From conservative evangelical churches to liberal new-age groups, the message of much modern teaching is man's need for betterment. Not New Calvinism; its star is God's need for glory. And the gravity of His will is great: It can be denied, but not defied.

Have a fantastic week! And let me know if you check out any of the above links!

Training them up..

Isn't it funny how a child can go from menace to angel in a matter of minutes!?! We went to Target today to mainly look for a shower curtain for the new bathroom. We had a few other things to look at too but that was my main focus. Luke and Eli both got Toy Story and Toy Story 2 for Easter from Gram and Grandad. They got these about 2 weeks ago and since then we've watched both movies several times. Also since then, Luke has asked for a Toy Story toy. He goes back and forth from wanting the slinky dog to wanting Buzz. Well, since we got our refund (yay!) I thought I'd let the boys pick out a toy! Mommy and Daddy are spending a little on themselves, so it's only right to let the boys get something! Not to mention that they rarely get toys with me. We just don't have the money.. and thankfully the grandparents keep their toy supply overflowing anyway!

So, I talked with Luke this morning and explained our plans: go to Target, Mommy will look for her stuff, last stop will be the toy aisle. His instructions: obey = toy. Disobey = no toy. While I was looking at spice racks Luke knocked over some thermos. So, I told him no touching.. well, that lasted a whole 2 seconds. I then told him, as we were heading over to the shower curtains that he was on thin ice because he was not following instructions. He started complaining and whining about wanting to go get his toy. Long story short, at our last stop before the toy section, I just told him he wasn't getting a toy. Well all hades broke loose! Screaming and crying, "I WANT A TOY!" LOUD, really, really LOUD! So, we went straight to the check out and he was screaming even louder. I kept repeating, "Luke, you are NOT getting a toy. No matter what you say, you are NOT getting a toy." I calmly (while my son screamed) told one of the ladies at the front that I would be back for my buggy but that we needed to take a trip to the bathroom. He continued to scream and I calmly told him that we would stay in that bathroom all day. I was not going to try to talk to him while he screamed! Finally he got quiet and we talked about his behavior. I asked him if he deserved a toy.. and he said, "yes". Ha! He continued to whine, not as loud but he was still crying and whining. We talked again about his behavior and about how he had disobeyed me, which is also disobeying God. He had broken God's rules about honoring and obeying me. Finally, I asked, "Do you think after screaming at Mommy, disobeying Mommy and God that you should get a toy or a spanking?" He said solemnly, "A spanking." Yes, sir. So, a spanking he got. Then he said, "I have lots of toys at home. And next time I'll be nice when we come to Target." I hope so! And while all of this went on I was also attempting Eli to not touch the toilet and trash can!

We checked out and he was fine. We decided to go eat at Chik Fil A. We went in and had a nice time. They boys got Veggie Tale CDs in their kid's meals. On the way home we listened to one about being a friend. Luke said, "Mommy, this song is about Daddy." I said, "It is? How come?" Luke: "Well, because Daddy is my friend and he helps me brush my teeth!" What a sweet moment! And how drastically different from just an hour before! I couldn't wait to tell the Hubs about it!

Going back to the whole toy thing... As he was screaming about the toy the thought entered my mind, "If I just get the toy, he will hush. We can go on about our way and all of these people will quit staring at me!" But I knew I couldn't do that. I care too much about him to just give in. Yes, giving in is usually easier. But it's not better. And so many people just give in. As I thought about this, God brought this verse to my mind that really stuck out to me when I was reading Shepherding a Child's Heart:

"Discipline your son, for their is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death." Proverbs 19:18

Tedd Trip says this, "The discipline of a child is a parent refusing to be a willing party to his child's death."

Some may think that's a little far stretched. Giving in.. letting some things go... turning your head to avoid seeing something that needs disciplining just because you don't want to deal with it (I'm speaking to myself!!!) .. especially for young children... doing those things won't really lead to your child's death. Will it? I mean come on, we're not talking about a teenager drinking or doing drugs. We're talking about a three year old. Lets put things in a more eternal perspective. My desire, hope and prayer is for my children to know Christ. I want them to know Christ above all else. I'd rather them know Christ than be healthy, successful and wealthy. And when does that training and disciplining start? As soon as they are given to me! Where my child will spend eternity is at hand! I must be intentional in discipline. I must be intentional about training them up. I must be intentional in teaching about Christ. Slack now will only lead to an unruly child/adolescent and "I don't even want to think about it" teenager. My child may make choices one day that go against God's Word. But I want to do everything in my power now to train them up and I will hold tightly to God's promise:

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

Menu Plan Monday 4/5 ~ Weighing in

Last week was CRAZY (bathroom remodel... that is still going on), and although I did cook, I only cooked a few nights. So needless to say, a few of these meals are repeats. (Weigh In Below)

So, for the next two weeks we'll be eating (first 3 are repeats):

Roast with Carrots and Potatoes

Beef and Black Bean Burritos, Rice

Braised Bistro Chicken, Asparagus

Tex Mex Turkey Burgers, Fresh Veggie

Chicken Finger Salad w/ homemade ranch dressing (super excited to try this dressing!)

Tacos (with homemade taco mix), Simple Black Beans

Crustless Broccoli Cheddar Quiches, Cantaloupe (I promised myself I would not do any oven baking (other than breads) from here on out BUT I have a lot of eggs that need to be used!)

Grilled Pork Chops, Green Beans, Corn on Cobb (yes we have this a lot.. my kids actually eat it.. so it's on rotation!)

Chicken, Spinach and Feta Quesadillas, Veggie

Chicken Satay Skewers, Stir Fry Veggies, Rice



Quick weigh update: I weighed Friday and lost a pound.. which means I've lost a total of 14 lbs! Woo Hoo.. although I'm sure I found that pound yesterday (er.. and today.. I've already been in the Easter candy this morning!) I'm thinking of some different challenges to do, since my 21 day food tracking challenge is over. I'm almost to my half way point: 15 lbs!!! I'd like to be down 20 lbs by the first of May! I haven't been 'exercising' as in walking/Shred.. but the kids and I have been outside a lot and I've been running up and down hills and chasing balls!! We've been out of the house a bunch because of the bathroom remodel.. I'm not sure the guys remodeling the bath want to see me do the Shred anyway! Ha! Anyway, I've got to get! It's beautiful outside and although our allergies are driving us nuts, it's hard to stay inside! Have a great day!

Check out Orgjunkie.com for more menus and recipes!