New Year... lots of changes

You would think someone who likes to talk as much as I do would blog more... but I keep forgetting.  Anyway, thought I'd start the New Year off right and update the ol' blog.  Much had been going on these past few months...

1) Party of Five will shortly be a party of 6.  Yep.  4 weeks until it's diapers and bottles and no sleep (Oh MY!)

2) We have moved back to my husband's old hometown.  We lived here for years before moving closer to my family 4 years ago.  I love my family but God called us back here and for good reason...

3) I now have a job.  As the children's minister at our old church.  To say I love what I do couldn't begin to describe it.  What other job can you  fill your work hours with colorong, laminating, mod podge, graphic design, puppets, web design, sewing, and set building.  And that's all before lunch.  To do it all to further the kingdom of God is just icing on the heavenly cake.

4) The hubby has been off of work due to a work related injury.  Having him home for a few months has been quite the adventure...

5) We're homeschooling again.  And it has been quite the adventure.  We homeschool at church with some great friends and attend a fabulous co-op on Fridays.  As crazy as my kids make me I love having all this time with them.

I'm sure there's more but it's time to take me and this little peanut to bed... Until next time.

The Blog Sensation Sweeping the Nation

Have you heard of it?

Don't be fooled by the simple logo.  Behind it lies wonders you can only dream of.

Pinterest is a by invitation only website that uses visual bookmarks to organize all that wonderful info you're finding all over the web.

This is an example from some of my boards:

It's super simple to use.  Download the Pin It button to your toolbar.  When you find something that inspires you or you want to be able to go back to later you simply press the pin it button.  Select which photo from that page you want to use as your reminder, and you're done. 

When you want to go back to the page, simply click on the picture.  Pinterest has automatically saved the url so it directs you right to it.

I have some Pinterest invites and I would love to give you one.  Just send me your email address and I'll send you an invitation.

**Warning, it can be very addicting, enter with caution**

Website for Teaching Reading Strategies

When I began researching helping my daughter next year with reading, I found countless information telling me the importance of reading strategies.  

?

Reading Strategies?

What kind of strategies do you need to read?  

"Team Red Bird to to Team Eagle Eye.  Pick up the book, start with page one, first word.  That's it, not too fast now, wouldn't want this situation to get all out of control.  What's that?  We have reading! I repeat! We have reading."

Sorry for that...

Anyway, I guess I didn't understand the concept.  I have been reading books since the ripe old age of three.  When I was Fashionista's age I had such classics as Little Women and The Hobbit under my belt.  There was no strategy to it.  It was fun, it was exciting, it was EASY for me.

And I think that's why I have such a hard time in this area with my daughter. She struggles daily just to get through a simple paragraph.  She loves stories, she loves books, but she hates to read.  Reading just plain takes too much effort for her.  She has a million and one things going on in that little head of hers to focus on the words on the page.  But, I digress.

Reading strategies, come to find out, are a tool utilized in classrooms around the world.  Who knew?  Once I started researching I could see the value... but, how to TEACH it?  I was at a loss.  Then I came across this handy website.

Into The Book is separated into two sections.  One for students and one for teachers.  

On the student side they have the eight strategies broken down in a fun format and everything is interactive.  

On the teacher side they have great downloads, including songs, posters, bookmarks, and many others.  

And, of course, the BEST thing about the site is IT'S ALL FREE.  I *heart* free.  Truly a remarkable site for those of us who need a little help teaching reading.

Baseball Pot Roast

That's not it's official name, but that's what I call it around here.  Why?  Because I can stick this baby in the oven, go to one of my son's baseball games, and it's nice and ready when I get back.  This is the most delish pot roast ever and couldn't be more easy.

Easy Baseball Pot Roast

You need:

chuck roast, as big or as little as you want

water, 3 cups 

Lipton onion soup mix, 1 pack

thyme, to taste

butter, 3-4 tablespoons

bay leaf, to taste

mixed veggies, canned (or small diced fresh carrots and potoatoes)

mushrooms, small can or 1/2 cup fresh

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400

2. Brown roast in a skillet (about 1 min on each side).

3. Put in a casserole dish (size doesn't matter).

4.  Sprinkle the roast with the dry soup mix and thyme.

5. Place bay leaf (or leaves) onto roast.

6. Fill casserole dish (or crock pot) with water, up to the halfway mark on your roast.

7.  Cover with foil.

*** if you're out of foil, as I was, put a cookie sheet on top of your dish ***

8.  Put in oven and cook for about 45 minutes, 

be sure to check that your water isn't evaporating out of the pan.

9.  Turn your oven to 200 

10.  Go to your son's baseball game for approximately 3 hours.

11.  Put veggies, mushrooms, butter, and a little broth from your roast into a skillet (when you get home) and sautee until they're cooked the way you like them.  Throw them into your roast.

12.  Serve it up to your hungry ball player and his eager siblings.

*** If you're one of those lucky people who have a working crock pot (which would not be this girl right here) then after you brown the roast, just throw everything into your crock pot and call it a day ***

A Girl and Her Dog

Everyone always talks about the bond between boys and their dogs. That just isn't the case around these parts.  Don't get me wrong.  My son loves the dog (as we all do) but there is just a special understanding between these two guys that I will never get.  And I'm okay with that.

Food Repurposing Done Right

We've all done it.  We've thrown away perfectly good  food because we didn't have any idea what to do with it.  What could we possibly do with one cup of leftover rice?  Or one lonely little chicken breast left untouched by finnicky eaters?

I use to claim that my family "didn't eat leftovers".  And we didn't.  Mostly because every time I would put something in the fridge to save it sat until it was nearly unrecognizable.

Then, today, while trying to figure out what to do with leftover sausage from Easter I stumbled upon this little internet jewel.

Love Food, Hate Waste is this beautifully designed, wonderfully organized mecca of recipes and information on what to do with your leftovers.  You would be hard-pressed to NOT find something to do with all your leftovers.  

They have a fabulous Rescue section that helps you "rescue" food you would otherwise have thrown out.  

Their perfect portion section is perfect for me.  Going from cooking for 10 on a regular basis to only cooking for 5 really throws me off, and I tend to overcook A LOT.

The thing I am most excited about is how much money I can save.  If I can turn that one lonely chicken breast, or leftover sausage, into another full meal, well then my friends, I don't have to tell you how much money that would put back into my barely there bank account. Not to mention how much time it would save... it's really a win-win.

Life's a Picnic

Remember those chore charts I talked about here?  One of my son's items that he bought was a Day at the Park.  Today, being extremely GORGEOUS ,he wanted to cash in.  

Four Lunchables (and a can of aerosol cheese) later we were happily enjoying ourselves on the swings, on the Playscape, and *cringe* in the sand.  What a sweet, wonderful day with my sweet wonderful family.