Loving Life
No whining, no complaining…..
Book: “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery
The girls and I have been trying to spend a few extra minutes every night reading together. They chose a book to read to me and I have been reading a “chapter book” to them. We just finished reading the Great Illustrated Classics Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery together. The book is about a little red headed orphan girl named Anne Shirley who comes to live at Green Gables. Anne is full of life, spirit, and has a vivid imagination.
The book was fascinating for both of our girls. Within the first day of starting this book we made it almost halfway. The girls keep wanting to read just one more chapter. I like that the Great Illustrated Classics the chapters are pretty short and they include pictures throughout the book. I often found the girls sitting on the couch flipping through the pages of the book even before it is time for us to sit down and read together. This is a fun book to read with the kids.
You Never Know….What You Might Find!
You never know what you may find in the clearance section at a store. During a quick trip to BiLo (a local grocery store) to grab a gallon of milk I noticed these two chairs sitting up in the front of the store. As I was speed walking past them to get the milk and I thought to myself that’s an odd place for two chairs and the second thought was those chairs are pretty cute! While standing in line waiting to check out they caught my attention again so I got out of line, went over to them and found out they were marked down to $2 (originally priced over $20). They were the last two chairs and the store was trying to move the final pieces of their seasonal stock. These are the only 2 chairs I have ever bought in a grocery store but it goes to show you never know what you may find when you go out to get a gallon of milk!
When the girls got home from school that day I had the two chairs set up in their room. They were excited and gushing over how “cute” the chairs were. I didn’t have to ask or tell them which chair was for who they knew instantly, that’s one of the joys of having twins with two very different personalities. Since then the chairs have been used for reading, watching TV, playing school and many other fun activities. Each girl has their own chair so their is no disagreements on who got the chair first or who has been sitting in it the longest…..do those types of conversations take place at your house too?!
The chairs are big enough the girls are comfortable, but small enough they can carry them from room to room. I love that they have so much personality with the smiling frog and cheerful ladybug! Sometimes it is worth it to take the extra minute to glance at the clearance section, you might find a something you need or a fun treasure. Although their favorite place to sit when we read a book together is still on our laps, which is fine with me because someday soon these precious days of them being little girls will be a thing of the past!
Fresh & Healthy: Lunch Box Meals
Lunch box meals for the kids school lunch.
Our girls are starting to get more efficient in packing their lunches. Yes, they are a little more generous with the peanut butter or meat on their sandwiches (but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing). It works best for us if we pre-pack the majority of the items for the girls lunches (and any work lunches) the evening before. After packing the next days lunches we put them into the refrigerator so we can grab them, pop in an ice pack and go the next day.
- Ham & Cheese Sandwich
- Fresh Green Beans
- Pita Chips
- Vanilla or Peach Yogurt
- Strawberry or Lemon Jello
- Homemade Applesauce
- Reduced Sugar Fruit Juice
- Homemade Cookies
Homemade applesauce and fresh green beans are one of the girls favorites to take to school.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
It has been a week full of fun activities and challenges mixed into one big week. I have somewhat settled into a temporary “new normal” over the next few weeks. Here’s to another productive week!
Here is the update on last weeks goals:
Family Goals
Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everydayRead a book to the girls everydayHave each girl read 1 book to myself or Jake 5 days this weekConnect with each family member at least once a day
Personal Goals
Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week- Go to bed by 10:30 pm or earlier Monday to Thursday – need to work on doing better
- Finish reading When Work and Family Collide by Andy Stanley – almost done with it
Read and listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (our church Community Group is going through this book together).
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu planned and written by MondaySpend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the houseSpend 1 hour a day de-cluttering and organizing the house
Business Goals
Pay all bills that come in the mail this weekWork on ideas for upcoming blog postsSpend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk- Finish 2011 Business Taxes – waiting on the accountant
Ministry Goals
Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requestsMeet a friend or family member for Breakfast or LunchEmail Alms & Legs Ministry Team and Complete Meeting Agenda
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – little by little
- Complete our personal 2011 taxes – on hold until our business taxes are complete
- Put money aside for upcoming trips – part of the way there
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – have 1 piece completed
Here are my goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
- Read a book to the girls everyday
- Have each girl read 1 book to myself or Jake 5 days this week
- Connect with each family member at least once a day
- Put together a Schedule / Reference Worksheet for Mom
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Go to bed by 10:30 pm or earlier Monday to Thursday
- Finish reading When Work and Family Collide by Andy Stanley
- Read and listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (our church Community Group is going through this book together).
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
- Spend 1 hour a day de-cluttering and organizing the house
Business Goals
- Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
- Finish 2011 Business Taxes
Ministry Goals
- Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Write and Email the meeting notes for our Alms & Legs Ministry Team Meeting
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
- Complete our personal 2011 taxes
- Put money aside for upcoming trips
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results
Still time to change….
Book: “Desiring God” by John Piper
Our church Community Group has been going through Desiring God by John Piper over the last few weeks. As we wrap up our final thoughts on this book as a group I am personally still reflecting on many of the topics that we discussed from this book. How often as believers do we experience true joy? The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever. Piper addresses several key areas of Christian’s life including worship, prayer, the word, marriage, money, suffering, and missions to help equip you as you seek for your ultimate joy in God.
This book helps those who are wanting to strengthen their relationship with God plus it helps reveal why your deepest happiness can only be found in God. I am thankful for the opportunity to look into my own heart and think about my thoughts as well as my attitude towards God. It is a book that will make you evaluate your own walk with Christ as you consider the source of your joy.
In the book Piper points out that enjoying God can seem mutually elusive because we often do not believe that we were created to pursue pleasure. Somehow we believe the lie that “If it’s enjoyable or pleasurable, it’s probably not right.” One of the quotes that stuck in my mind from the book that originated with C.S. Lewis:
“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about……when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
I am often content with the little joys of life when I know I was created for so much more. The back of the book includes a discussion guide if you would like to have a group discussion. I recommend reading it for yourself or sharing in the journey with others.
Recipe: Apple Peel Confetti Crisps
Making Apple Peel Confetti Crisps with a variety of different apples
This past fall we went apple picking with the family, even though we have eaten all the apples from that day (we picked a bushel of apples which is approximately 40 pounds) whenever I pick up apples at the store the girls have several favorite recipes that we have tried and enjoy. One of their absolute favorites to eat and take to school is their Apple Peel Confetti Crisps.
It was one of those recipes that pop into my head at the last minute and turn out really well (not all of them turn out so well). As I was peeling some of the apples to make applesauce I noticed we had quite the accumulation of apple skins. I didn’t want all the skins to go to waste so I threw all of them into a big bowl, sprinkled a little bit of cinnamon and sugar on them, stirred and put them into the dehydrator for a few hours. What came out were what the girls named Apple Peel Confetti Crisps, a delightful sweet and crunchy apple peel snack.
- Apple Peels
- Dash of lemon juice
- Dash of Cinnamon & Sugar
Put the apple peels into a bowl. Stir in a little cinnamon and sugar for flavor. Put the apple peels into the dehydrator and cook until crispy. Remove from dehydrator and put into a ziplock bag. If you do not have a dehydrator you can set your oven at 250 and stir occasionally (works great if it is a convection oven).
We stored ours in the refrigerator but they should be fine at room temperature too since they are dried. Several kids in the girls class at school wanted to know if I could pack extra Apple Peel Confetti Crisps in the girls lunches so they could have some too. I was happy to hear the girls did share with their friends. One little boy said it was the best apple skin he had ever tasted and the only thing he would do different is add a little more sugar, ha! Loved that the rest of the first graders enjoyed the goodies as much as my girls.
Start with fresh apples
Peel the apple – Karlie taking a turn at peeling the granny smith apple
Stir a little cinnamon & sugar in with the apple peels
Put the apple peels in the dehydrator and let it run for 4 to 6 hours (or until the peels are crispy like the ones pictured above)
Apple Peel Confetti Crisps ready to eat!
New Upromise eCoupons for March 2012
Upromise has posted their new eCoupons for the month of March 2012. Remember to activate your eCoupons to get additional savings. If you have not yet signed up for Upromise you can get more information regarding on our experience or directly at the Upromise website.
This month they have 26 coupons you can activate for bonus savings. Once you activate your eCoupons all you have to do is scan your rewards card or purchase the items at the store and the cash will be added to your account. You don’t even have to carry any coupons to get the rewards!
You can go to their website for more information on the Upromise program, it’s free to join.
Some Things……Just Make You Smile!
My smiley face greeting
One busy morning as I was getting items ready for work and making breakfast I noticed that the girls were a little more pre-occupied than normal. I heard whispers and giggles but from what I could see they weren’t being bad just mischievous. Soon I finished up what I was working on, moved onto the next task and they started eating breakfast. As we hurried off to do the activities for the day I noticed the item they were working on together out of the corner of my eye.
A smiley face….. They had taken their dry erase board and made a smiley face out of their nerf darts as a special surprise! As soon as they saw me pause at the edge of the room and glance at their artwork they burst into more giggles. “What do you think Mom!? Do you like it?” I love that the girls took the time to put together a silly “nerf smiley” face just to cheer me up. Even though life has a way of staying busy (to the point of crazy at times) it is moments like these that make me smile and count the amazing blessings I have been given. Take a few extra minutes to treasure your little ones today – give them an extra tight bear hug, talk with them, or read a book to them….these days are precious!
