Mission for November:

I ran across a blog called Mama-Jenn.blogspot.com.  She has great homeschooling ideas. One of the things  I liked best was she has a mission of the month.  This is when she shares with her fellow bloggers her mission or goals for the month.  This inspired me and so here are my goals for the month of November:
Home-

• Organize my kitchen cupboards (ugh!)
• Finish my meal planning for November(better get that done quick, so we can eat) 
• I am going to actually plan this year’s Thanksgiving beforehand
• Start planning Christmas (when I figure out what that means I will share it with you)

Homeschooling-

• Finish putting together new calendar set up for classroom.

Blogging-

• Write more inspirational posts
• Start writing a Bible study
• Write an article or two for other sources

Okay, there they are out there for the world to see.  Not all of you can actually see if I stick to it but some of you who know me well can.  I would say that Melissa put hers out their for us too.  Thank you for Jenn for your inspiration.





Jeannie

Easiest Meal Planning ever!

So for all you busy moms out there, whether you work outside the home or not, I have found the easiest meal planning resource to help! It is called 5 dinners in One Hour! It has opened our taste buds to good home cooked meals that are healthy and delicious! It has helped me get away from my typical spaghetti and tator tot hot dishes. My kids are trying new things. Their favorite right now - Tuna melts or the meatloaf cupcakes - yummy! I encourage you all to check it out.

For $15 dollars you get 3 months worth of meals. The format is five meals in one week, comes with a grocery list and instructions. The goal for this format is that over the weekend you prepare the five meals.  It should only take one hour. I don’t know if I am explaining this very well, but for all you moms out there looking for resources and options check out her website. 

I have been doing this since around March and it has been so much fun trying new things. It has been so nice to be organized during the night and to have my meals planned. When I come home from work we are not looking through cupboards and the fridge looking for something quick or doing the next best thing - ordering pizza. Now because of 5 dinners in One Hour I am able to provide great home cooked meals every night!

Have a wonderful Week!

Melissa

So I have fallen off the wagon….

And it is about time I hop back on it. When I went back to work, I promised myself and my family one thing - to keep them my priority.  For one example, I was going to provide the evenings with routine and home cooked meals. Well, over the last month I have failed in that department. I have let my priorities at work, school and our crazy home schedule catch up to me and consume my thoughts and my time.

To be honest, this goes much further than the evening routines.  I haven’t been feeling much like the Proverbs 31 wife much at all, which is something I strive to be.  As a working mother, is it realistic to be this wife of noble character?  There are times when I say YES and I feel like God has prepared me to handle this crazy schedule I have signed up for. Other times, I say NO, it is just too much to for me. 

Today was our first weekend with no plans as a family and I must say the time spent doing nothing (ok, some cleaning was involved) was awesome! I have come to realize this weekend I need to return my attention to my Lord and Savior and my family. I feel a renewed energy as I take on this coming week.  So here I go again, back up on the wagon.

Working outside the home is manageable, after all, the noble wife did look for ways to bring in some income to the home. My source just happens to mean working outside the home. Moving forward I am reminded that it may take some extra effort and some extra planning to provide for my family. But with a renewed faith, I know that God has blessed me and I will do my best to take care of all that God has given me. Read below for an excerpt of the Proverbs 31.

Proverbs 31:15- 18 ¹⁵“She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. ¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. ¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. ¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.

Why do I share this with you all? I am hoping that by sharing this with you all and knowing that some of you are working moms just like me, that you have a renewed focus and  are guided to be that Noble wife that we all strive to be. We love our families and we love our God. So, if by all this, it means I have to be that much more committed to meal planning (more to come on that topic) and to be that much more organized with my time, then so be it. I will do this with joy and enthusiasm.

Have a wonderful Week!

Melissa

Homemade Waffles

We have been making these waffles in our house for years.  You know really you have to mix up waffle and pancake mix anyway, why not just make it homemade.
I love making things homemade because then we always have the supplies on hand.  Even if you don’t have pancake mix in the pantry you always have flour, milk and those other basics.

Here is the recipe I use.  This makes quite a bit but it keeps well in the fridge for a few days later or you can cook all of them and then package them and freeze them for next week.
1 3/4 cup flour- you can use any amount of wheat here.
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
2 Eggs
1 3/4 cup Milk
1/2 cup Veg. Oil
1 Teaspoon vanilla
Just mix together the dry ingredients and then add the wet ingredients to it and mix very well until all incorporated.
You can add mini chocolate chips to the mix after you pour the batter onto the iron before you put the top down.  Have fun with other add ins and toppings.
Jeannie

Football with Girls?

Two weeks ago my son had a game in another town.  As we sat on the home side (because it was so stinkin windy) we noticed on the other teams line up, one of the players had a ponytail.  And “he” looked a little curvier than most.  “He” was a she. She stood on the side for a while, then she went in - on the line of all places.  Guess where our guy played.  Yes, he was matched up with her. 

I know you are all thinking, "Well, why shouldn’t a girl be able to play football if she is qualified?".  As the mother of a daughter, who may really want to do this, I would think  I would want to support her.  But as the mother of a son, I have to say that I hated it.  From a very young age we have taught our son not only to NOT hit girls, but also that girls/woman are meant to be treated gently and cherished.

Now, he is being told “slam her to the ground man”.  What is up? How can we send these mixed messages?  Is this even a good message to send to our daughters? 

I really have no answers at all except that my gut tells me maybe there are some things  girls can do, but maybe shouldn’t do.  What do all of you think?

P.S. If you want to leave a comment but are unable to get it to work, please send us a message on Facebook to let us know.  We think we are having trouble with the comments.  Please help us know if we are. Thank You!!

Jeannie

Fall! I love this time of year.

Here are Gigi and Franklin, my two little ones.  I call them these names after each of their favorite books.  Gigi is from the book by Sheila Walsh called Gigi God’s little princess.  Franklin is after our favorite series of Franklin books with the cute little turtle that we love.  Plus, they just remind me of those characters.

This is our annual jump in the leaves picture. This tradition is highly recommended. It helps you see their growth and is just a fun thing to do.

I love the one below, except for the fact that I had to endure getting plastered by leaves in order to get the shot.

 

Happy Fall ! !

Jeannie

Gooey Chocolate Cookies

These are what we call The Bomb Diggity, a little phrase we picked up from Scooby Doo.  I got this recipe from my friend Beth. 
You have to try these:


Now I know these look like your typical chocolate cookies but look at the ingredients below.
1 pkg. Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1t. Vanilla
1 pkg. (18 1/4 Oz.) Chocolate cake mix

• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Add cake mix and mix well (dough will be sticky).  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hrs.
• Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls.  Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 for 9-11 min. or until tops are cracked.  Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Hope you enjoy these as much as we did.  You notice I said "did", they disappeared in one day.  We did have our daughter and her friend home from college but still.  I did tell you they were the Bomb Diggity.
Jeannie