Today is my birthday! I am now officially past prime maternal age.LOLOL I can feel my insides shriveling up as I type this. Good thing I got this last baby in before today.LOL I'm having a pretty good day so far. After my morning shower, I found my birthday card from my DH in my underwear drawer and a box of my favorite chocolates that we all thought they quit making but somehow Eric found them. The card was extra mushy and made me all teary eyed but the chocolate made up for it.LOL While in my shower, the kids cleaned the whole house for me, including vacuuming and even dressing the littles. Now that was a nice surprise! Now if you all could pray that we don't get the vomiting virus that my mom caught this past weekend, I'll have all my birthday wishes come true.LOL
Blessings,
Lisa
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
My Menu...
Dinner
Baked Chicken, rice, veggies
Taco Stuff
Porkchops, noodles, and veggies
Spaghetti, salad
Steak, baked potatoes, and salad
Soup
Hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, and salad
Since I went shopping early, we had more dinner meals to plan. We've already had the spaghetti and steak. This weekend really showed me how much this list helps me each week to stay in a budget. With the new store, I could have easily spent twice my normal amount! So much great stuff to try, and I will try it, but by not buying it all at once, I can now plan meals around all the fabulous new items one at a time without killing our budget. I thwarted temptation!
Blessings,
Lisa
Dinner
Baked Chicken, rice, veggies
Taco Stuff
Porkchops, noodles, and veggies
Spaghetti, salad
Steak, baked potatoes, and salad
Soup
Hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, and salad
Since I went shopping early, we had more dinner meals to plan. We've already had the spaghetti and steak. This weekend really showed me how much this list helps me each week to stay in a budget. With the new store, I could have easily spent twice my normal amount! So much great stuff to try, and I will try it, but by not buying it all at once, I can now plan meals around all the fabulous new items one at a time without killing our budget. I thwarted temptation!
Blessings,
Lisa
Saturday was THE DAY...lol, our new Publix opened up! Boy was it packed! I guess it was the most exciting thing that has happened here for a while.lol It's an awesome store and has an amazing selection of organics. I was actually able to buy gallon sized organic milk for the first time ever.lol It sure saves space in the fridge. They also had a whole 4 rows devoted to organics with those open bins of things like nuts and granola. I noticed that they had many regular brands in organic mixed in with the regular stuff too. I bought Organic Oreos.lol I also noticed quite a few organic brands of regular cereal even though I didn't buy any. I ended up spending a little less than I normally do even with all the selection. I am soooo glad I had a list! If I hadn't had a list, I know I would've spent at least a hundred more.lol They are also offering a $25 gift card for each prescription that you transfer to them and that's pretty cool since we have 4 daily maintenance drugs that we can switch. That'll be great for our budget!
Today's been good also. We made it to church and then Larry's afterwards. We went through the drive thru at Starbucks for Allison and since the littles wouldn't leave her Vanilla Bean Frappicino alone we went through McDonalds and got them each an ice cream cone only filled to the top of the cone.lol Jon missed all the fun since he's still sick from this last illness. I know he's starting to get cabin fever but activity has a tendency to make him worse when ill. Maybe he'll be better by Tuesday or Wednesday.
Wednesday marks THE day that I can go into labor and the Dr. won't stop me.lol It sure would be nice to have an early one, although, it'd be nice if she waited until February. I'm just looking forward to meeting her! We have a bit of controversy over her name. The kids aren't overly fond of the name we like, not sure what we're going to do. Probably name her it anyway.lol I guess we'll see if she fits the name or not when she's born. We do have some runners up.lol
Tuesday is my birthday. We are having a cake tonight and I'll probably go out to lunch with my mom on Wednesday after my Dr's appt.
My menu is done for this week and I'll post it next.
I guess that's it for now. Pretty laid back but I'm really running low on energy and am starting to feel all this extra weight I've been carrying around.lol Hopefully, only three more weeks!
Blessings,
Lisa
Today's been good also. We made it to church and then Larry's afterwards. We went through the drive thru at Starbucks for Allison and since the littles wouldn't leave her Vanilla Bean Frappicino alone we went through McDonalds and got them each an ice cream cone only filled to the top of the cone.lol Jon missed all the fun since he's still sick from this last illness. I know he's starting to get cabin fever but activity has a tendency to make him worse when ill. Maybe he'll be better by Tuesday or Wednesday.
Wednesday marks THE day that I can go into labor and the Dr. won't stop me.lol It sure would be nice to have an early one, although, it'd be nice if she waited until February. I'm just looking forward to meeting her! We have a bit of controversy over her name. The kids aren't overly fond of the name we like, not sure what we're going to do. Probably name her it anyway.lol I guess we'll see if she fits the name or not when she's born. We do have some runners up.lol
Tuesday is my birthday. We are having a cake tonight and I'll probably go out to lunch with my mom on Wednesday after my Dr's appt.
My menu is done for this week and I'll post it next.
I guess that's it for now. Pretty laid back but I'm really running low on energy and am starting to feel all this extra weight I've been carrying around.lol Hopefully, only three more weeks!
Blessings,
Lisa
Friday, January 26, 2007
I'm exhausted! We all worked hard today so that the house would be clean for the weekend. I also finished all the laundry. We made bread and homemade pizza for dinner, regular pizza for the kids and alfredo pizza for Eric and I. Over all, it was a very productive day!
Now to eat the pizza...lol
Blessings,
Lisa
Now to eat the pizza...lol
Blessings,
Lisa
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Never did get that bread made.lol My mom called and invited us to Kohls and off we went. I had been planning on getting Allison a new pair of shoes so this was as good a time as any.lol She got a cute pair of tennies that are brown, light blue, and biege. Very stylish. I also bought Jon more socks. Someday, we'll find out where he's hiding them all and I'm sure it'll be deemed some sort of ecological disaster.lol
My mom took all the kids except Jon to her house yesterday and even fed them dinner. It was really nice to have some time off and I did absolutely nothing, except make a pot of soup for the three of us. We ended up having beef, veggie, and noodle soup. It was REALLY good and I'll definitely make it again. We got some tired little ones back home around 7 and they were asleep as soon as they finished their bath.
Today my mom invited us to lunch. We went to my now favorite Mexican restaurant La Nopalena (I'm sure I'm destroying the name...) and it was really good! Allison and I shared the Chimichurra and the littles shared the kids plate. It was the perfect amount! Last time, I had way too much left over and I never can figure out how to reheat something with sour cream on top and lettuce. It's just never quite as good.
I have to admit I really haven't done too much today. I woke up this morning with pain in my leg and have just been sitting around resting. Well, I did pick the house up real quick and I'm working on laundry yet again. It's been nice catching up on everyone's blogs though.lol
I will make that bread tomorrow and I'll even take a photo so you'll see.lol
Blessings,
lisa
My mom took all the kids except Jon to her house yesterday and even fed them dinner. It was really nice to have some time off and I did absolutely nothing, except make a pot of soup for the three of us. We ended up having beef, veggie, and noodle soup. It was REALLY good and I'll definitely make it again. We got some tired little ones back home around 7 and they were asleep as soon as they finished their bath.
Today my mom invited us to lunch. We went to my now favorite Mexican restaurant La Nopalena (I'm sure I'm destroying the name...) and it was really good! Allison and I shared the Chimichurra and the littles shared the kids plate. It was the perfect amount! Last time, I had way too much left over and I never can figure out how to reheat something with sour cream on top and lettuce. It's just never quite as good.
I have to admit I really haven't done too much today. I woke up this morning with pain in my leg and have just been sitting around resting. Well, I did pick the house up real quick and I'm working on laundry yet again. It's been nice catching up on everyone's blogs though.lol
I will make that bread tomorrow and I'll even take a photo so you'll see.lol
Blessings,
lisa
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Here are some photos of the kids playing a music freeze game. Isaac was in charge of starting and stopping the music and Evie and Allison were doing the dancing and freezing.lol They were laughing so hard and I wish that the camera could capture the fun better.lol
Evie dancing...I didn't want to post photos of Allison without her permission and she's not here right now.lol
Future film maker...we finally got out our old video camera so we could get better pictures but then Isaac wouldn't leave it alone.lol
Evie dancing...I didn't want to post photos of Allison without her permission and she's not here right now.lol
Future film maker...we finally got out our old video camera so we could get better pictures but then Isaac wouldn't leave it alone.lol
Blessings,
Lisa
This week has been extremely boring.LOL Nothing has happened. We just did the basics this week, cleaning, cooking, laundry, school work, and etc... I feel like I'm in a holding pattern waiting for this baby to arrive. Only 4 more weeks!
I don't know if it's the cold weather or what, but everyone under the age of 15 has been on an eating binge. You'd think I never fed them. This is not unusual for my older kids who could eat me out of house and home any day of the week but for my littles, I have to say I'm shocked.lol If I had to say what could be contributing to this, I would say locking up all the sweets may have been the main reason for them eating so well. I guess I never realized how much junk they got away with eating during the day, but now it's been reduced to NONE and they have found their long lost appetite. lol
Went to my dr's today. Everything is going well. Nothing exciting there other than that was the first time I've left the house since Sunday.lol
Jon has caught a cold and I've quarantined him to his room. I had really hoped that the new medicine that he's on would be helping, but he's still catching everything and 10x worse than anyone else. It's so discouraging since there is so much we'd like to be doing with him and knowing that anything we did wouldn't last more than a couple of weeks before he'd be too ill to continue. I guess for now, we'll continue to pursue different medicines until we find something that works.
I'm going to make bread today, just to warm up the house.lol I'm sooooo cold up here. I'm trying not to set the heater up to 80 just so I can de-thaw and I'm hoping the hot oven will make a dent in my frozen hands and feet.lol It SO doesn't help that it's still 80 down in Miami right now.lolol
I bought Homeschool Tracker on a whim and I'm horribly overwhelmed. I think it'd take me months to add in all the info that it's asking for. I'm sure that I don't need to add in everything but it just seems so confusing.lol I'm thinking that I may just hire Lee from SHS to do it all for me. Really, I prefer teaching over the whole recordkeeping business. It's just that my traditional paper and pencil way of doing things just won't cut it for high school transcripts.lol
I found out the kids have earned at least 1/2 a credit in Culinary Arts or Home Ec so far this year for their high school records. If they keep up the work, they'll have a whole credit. Pretty cool!
Well, I guess I'd better get to work. My hands are freezing!lol
Blessings,
Lisa
I don't know if it's the cold weather or what, but everyone under the age of 15 has been on an eating binge. You'd think I never fed them. This is not unusual for my older kids who could eat me out of house and home any day of the week but for my littles, I have to say I'm shocked.lol If I had to say what could be contributing to this, I would say locking up all the sweets may have been the main reason for them eating so well. I guess I never realized how much junk they got away with eating during the day, but now it's been reduced to NONE and they have found their long lost appetite. lol
Went to my dr's today. Everything is going well. Nothing exciting there other than that was the first time I've left the house since Sunday.lol
Jon has caught a cold and I've quarantined him to his room. I had really hoped that the new medicine that he's on would be helping, but he's still catching everything and 10x worse than anyone else. It's so discouraging since there is so much we'd like to be doing with him and knowing that anything we did wouldn't last more than a couple of weeks before he'd be too ill to continue. I guess for now, we'll continue to pursue different medicines until we find something that works.
I'm going to make bread today, just to warm up the house.lol I'm sooooo cold up here. I'm trying not to set the heater up to 80 just so I can de-thaw and I'm hoping the hot oven will make a dent in my frozen hands and feet.lol It SO doesn't help that it's still 80 down in Miami right now.lolol
I bought Homeschool Tracker on a whim and I'm horribly overwhelmed. I think it'd take me months to add in all the info that it's asking for. I'm sure that I don't need to add in everything but it just seems so confusing.lol I'm thinking that I may just hire Lee from SHS to do it all for me. Really, I prefer teaching over the whole recordkeeping business. It's just that my traditional paper and pencil way of doing things just won't cut it for high school transcripts.lol
I found out the kids have earned at least 1/2 a credit in Culinary Arts or Home Ec so far this year for their high school records. If they keep up the work, they'll have a whole credit. Pretty cool!
Well, I guess I'd better get to work. My hands are freezing!lol
Blessings,
Lisa
Monday, January 22, 2007
My menu...
Dinner
Roast-we never had it last week, with potatoes, carrots and onions
Oven bbq chicken, noodles, steamed veggies, and salad
Hamburgers, french fries, salad
Mexican Skillet chicken
Soup(haven't decided what kind yet, it'll depend on leftovers.)
I'm also going to bake bread again this week. I've had quite a few requests for the cinnamon swirl bread.lol
Blessings,
Lisa
Dinner
Roast-we never had it last week, with potatoes, carrots and onions
Oven bbq chicken, noodles, steamed veggies, and salad
Hamburgers, french fries, salad
Mexican Skillet chicken
Soup(haven't decided what kind yet, it'll depend on leftovers.)
I'm also going to bake bread again this week. I've had quite a few requests for the cinnamon swirl bread.lol
Blessings,
Lisa
This weekend went by fast!!! Saturday we went to Mom's early so that we could all get haircuts. We sure needed them.LOL I got the long layers that I was thinking about and I like it. If I get brave, I'll post a photo of me with my new do. Of course I'm gigantic right now.lol After the haircuts, Eric, the littles, me and my mom went to a new mexican restaurant for lunch. It was probably the best food I've had in a while. VERY authentic and the lunch specials were extremely large portions and the bill was small. I got the beef chimachurra and it came with beans and rice on the side with lettuce, cheese sauce, sour cream, the ripest tomato slice I've seen in a while and guacamole piled on top. Whew! I had so much left over, it didn't look like I'd eaten any.LOL The children's plate was huge also and the littles couldn't even make a dent. Next time we'll order a lot less food.LOL We stopped by Kohl's after lunch and I got some great deals on jeans for Jon. They were on clearance and cost only 8.50! They also had shirts for 6.oo so I bought him a few. He is so rough on his clothes! I also bought Evie some shorts sets for 2/12.00 and Isaac a cute froggy shirt. My mom bought me a new pair of tennis shoes for my upcoming birthday so even I got something this time.LOL Evie was so bad while we were there that we decided to drop mom off and go home. Isaac fell asleep on the way and slept until 6:30pm. Not good.lol He doesn't usually nap but was pretty worn out by then. We had fend for yourself for dinner that night once everyone got home and everyone except Eric, Isaac, and me went to bed early.LOL
Sunday made Saturday look slow. I woke running and that's pretty hard when you're this fat.lol I needed to get everyone ready for church and of course nothing was ready. Allison was out of pants, so she ended up wearing really nice clothing. Eric got both older kids out the door in time for Sunday School and while he was gone I ironed clothes, got both littles dressed, prepared bottles, got the diaper bag filled with things to keep them busy and showered.lol Once Eric got back, I realized that we had some paperwork to fill out, two checks to write, and one poopy diaper to change that ended up needing new bottoms also. (So much for being ready...lol) We had hoped to get to church a little early because we were becoming members but if I'm honest, we got there just by the skin of our teeth.lol The service was wonderful. It was a youth led service and was devoted to the topic of cherishing children, born and unborn. What an appropriate service for us to be welcomed into membership. We're probably the largest family in the whole congregation.lol When it was the children's sermon, Allison took Evie up to hear it and Isaac got upset so I waddled on down with him so he wasn't left out. Well, I ended up being an object lesson.lolol The girl leading the sermon asked if the little ones had ever seen a mommy with a big tummy before and sure enough they all looked at me....lol Have I said that I love this church? Well, I do. We just fit in so well and even Allison, who was a little skeptical at first told us today that she really likes our new church. What a blessing!
After church, we went to Larry's to eat and the littles were so good. Mom and Dad were there and invited Evie to go home with them and we were happy to let her.LOL We went to Staples to make more copies of her preschool curriculum and then went home so that the older kids could get changed. They were invited to go to the movies with my MIL and so Eric dropped them off while I did some laundry. O.k. a lot of laundry! Evidently, the older kids didn't bring their laundry down the last two times that I did the wash and Allison ran out of clothing. I don't think I've ever done 3 loads of dark clothes before.lol I'm hoping that she's learned her lesson. Nothing worse than running out of clothes and since I'm too fat to climb the stairs it's up to them.lol After I got the laundry started, I decided it was time to clean the refridgerator. There was this smell that we just couldn't get rid of and I clean it out each week before groceries so it had to be hiding somewhere.lol Well, I found it. It was some cocktail shrimp from a month ago that had been put into a baggie and dropped down behind the drawers. Yuck! I scrubbed the whole fridge and it looks great though.lol Once I got the fridge clean, I made my menu for the week and then the shopping list. I really had a hard time this week. I guess I got used to Allison making the menu for me and I was clueless on what to eat.lol Finally, with that done, we went shopping. We decided to go to a different Publix this week since I forgot a lot when we tried Food Lion. It was really nice and now I'm very excited about the new Publix opening up! It opens next weekend. Isaac slept through the whole trip and finally woke as we were leaving the store. He was one confused little boy.lol On our way home, my mom called and invited us to dinner and I jumped on that without even consulting Eric.lolol I was tired and anyone offering to cook for me was going to get a yes. As soon as I got off the phone, Allison called and said they were on their way home so I told them about dinner and also to help with the groceries when they arrived. We got those groceries put away pretty quick, then I made more bottles and we set off. Dinner was great! Mom made a gigantic ham with cooked cabbage, baked potatoes and carrots, steamed broccoli, canned peas, and salad. She also had blueberry pie and red velvet cake and ice cream for dessert! YUM! I ate so much that I was afraid that it wasn't going to stay down.lolol It did, but right after dinner we decided to go home. I was exhausted! We went home and everyone went to bed pretty quick.
It was a nice weekend and I'm happy that we had so much to do, so that I didn't spend the whole time thinking about the baby.lol Now I'm two days closer to the big day, whenever that is.lol
blessings,
Lisa
Sunday made Saturday look slow. I woke running and that's pretty hard when you're this fat.lol I needed to get everyone ready for church and of course nothing was ready. Allison was out of pants, so she ended up wearing really nice clothing. Eric got both older kids out the door in time for Sunday School and while he was gone I ironed clothes, got both littles dressed, prepared bottles, got the diaper bag filled with things to keep them busy and showered.lol Once Eric got back, I realized that we had some paperwork to fill out, two checks to write, and one poopy diaper to change that ended up needing new bottoms also. (So much for being ready...lol) We had hoped to get to church a little early because we were becoming members but if I'm honest, we got there just by the skin of our teeth.lol The service was wonderful. It was a youth led service and was devoted to the topic of cherishing children, born and unborn. What an appropriate service for us to be welcomed into membership. We're probably the largest family in the whole congregation.lol When it was the children's sermon, Allison took Evie up to hear it and Isaac got upset so I waddled on down with him so he wasn't left out. Well, I ended up being an object lesson.lolol The girl leading the sermon asked if the little ones had ever seen a mommy with a big tummy before and sure enough they all looked at me....lol Have I said that I love this church? Well, I do. We just fit in so well and even Allison, who was a little skeptical at first told us today that she really likes our new church. What a blessing!
After church, we went to Larry's to eat and the littles were so good. Mom and Dad were there and invited Evie to go home with them and we were happy to let her.LOL We went to Staples to make more copies of her preschool curriculum and then went home so that the older kids could get changed. They were invited to go to the movies with my MIL and so Eric dropped them off while I did some laundry. O.k. a lot of laundry! Evidently, the older kids didn't bring their laundry down the last two times that I did the wash and Allison ran out of clothing. I don't think I've ever done 3 loads of dark clothes before.lol I'm hoping that she's learned her lesson. Nothing worse than running out of clothes and since I'm too fat to climb the stairs it's up to them.lol After I got the laundry started, I decided it was time to clean the refridgerator. There was this smell that we just couldn't get rid of and I clean it out each week before groceries so it had to be hiding somewhere.lol Well, I found it. It was some cocktail shrimp from a month ago that had been put into a baggie and dropped down behind the drawers. Yuck! I scrubbed the whole fridge and it looks great though.lol Once I got the fridge clean, I made my menu for the week and then the shopping list. I really had a hard time this week. I guess I got used to Allison making the menu for me and I was clueless on what to eat.lol Finally, with that done, we went shopping. We decided to go to a different Publix this week since I forgot a lot when we tried Food Lion. It was really nice and now I'm very excited about the new Publix opening up! It opens next weekend. Isaac slept through the whole trip and finally woke as we were leaving the store. He was one confused little boy.lol On our way home, my mom called and invited us to dinner and I jumped on that without even consulting Eric.lolol I was tired and anyone offering to cook for me was going to get a yes. As soon as I got off the phone, Allison called and said they were on their way home so I told them about dinner and also to help with the groceries when they arrived. We got those groceries put away pretty quick, then I made more bottles and we set off. Dinner was great! Mom made a gigantic ham with cooked cabbage, baked potatoes and carrots, steamed broccoli, canned peas, and salad. She also had blueberry pie and red velvet cake and ice cream for dessert! YUM! I ate so much that I was afraid that it wasn't going to stay down.lolol It did, but right after dinner we decided to go home. I was exhausted! We went home and everyone went to bed pretty quick.
It was a nice weekend and I'm happy that we had so much to do, so that I didn't spend the whole time thinking about the baby.lol Now I'm two days closer to the big day, whenever that is.lol
blessings,
Lisa
Friday, January 19, 2007
Here are the bread recipes that were requested...
This first one is from www.thefamilyhomestead.com and is called
Delicious Whole Wheat Bread
by Crystal Miller
*I use King Arthur Unbleached White Flour instead of WW because I can't digest it but I've made it both ways and it tastes great either way...
2 cups warm water
1/3 cup honey (I use sucanat)
1 T yeast
1/3 cup olive oil
2 t. salt
1/3 cup gluten flour (I skip this)
5-7 cups whole wheat flour (I use unbleached white)
Combine water, honey, and yeast. Let it proof. Add salt, oil, gluten flour and 3-4 cups ww flour. Continue to add flour until it doesn't feel sticky to the touch. Knead for 10 minutes.
Let rise until double. Punch down and divide it into 2 for loaves or about 18 pieces for rolls. Let it rise in a slightly warm oven for about 15-25 minutes. Turn oven on to 350 and bake for 30 minutes for bread and 15-20 for rolls or until golden brown.
The Egg Bread recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book
4 3/4-5 1/4 cup flour
1 package yeast or 1 T yeast
1 1/3 cups milk
3 T sugar
3 T margarine or butter
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
Combine 2 cups flour with yeast. In a saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, butter, and salt till warm and butter almost melts. Add to flour mixture and then add eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds and high for 3 minutes. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead in any remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic about 6-8 min. Place in a greased bowl and let rise until double.
Punch dough down and divide in half. Now if you're making the cinnamon swirl bread let the bread rest for 10 min and then roll into a 7x12 in rectangle and then brush lightly with water and sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon mixed together for each loaf on the bread dough. Roll either short side up or long side up. I did long side up and pinch the seams down and fold under the ends. Bake for 25-30 min at 375. Enjoy!
If not making cinnamon swirl, just put each loaf into a bread pan and bake the same amount of time.
HTH!
Lisa
This first one is from www.thefamilyhomestead.com and is called
Delicious Whole Wheat Bread
by Crystal Miller
*I use King Arthur Unbleached White Flour instead of WW because I can't digest it but I've made it both ways and it tastes great either way...
2 cups warm water
1/3 cup honey (I use sucanat)
1 T yeast
1/3 cup olive oil
2 t. salt
1/3 cup gluten flour (I skip this)
5-7 cups whole wheat flour (I use unbleached white)
Combine water, honey, and yeast. Let it proof. Add salt, oil, gluten flour and 3-4 cups ww flour. Continue to add flour until it doesn't feel sticky to the touch. Knead for 10 minutes.
Let rise until double. Punch down and divide it into 2 for loaves or about 18 pieces for rolls. Let it rise in a slightly warm oven for about 15-25 minutes. Turn oven on to 350 and bake for 30 minutes for bread and 15-20 for rolls or until golden brown.
The Egg Bread recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book
4 3/4-5 1/4 cup flour
1 package yeast or 1 T yeast
1 1/3 cups milk
3 T sugar
3 T margarine or butter
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
Combine 2 cups flour with yeast. In a saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, butter, and salt till warm and butter almost melts. Add to flour mixture and then add eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds and high for 3 minutes. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead in any remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic about 6-8 min. Place in a greased bowl and let rise until double.
Punch dough down and divide in half. Now if you're making the cinnamon swirl bread let the bread rest for 10 min and then roll into a 7x12 in rectangle and then brush lightly with water and sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon mixed together for each loaf on the bread dough. Roll either short side up or long side up. I did long side up and pinch the seams down and fold under the ends. Bake for 25-30 min at 375. Enjoy!
If not making cinnamon swirl, just put each loaf into a bread pan and bake the same amount of time.
HTH!
Lisa
Some pictures from today...
Isaac and one of his many boppies. He has 3 pink, 2 blue, and 2 green.LOL Most of them were Allisons but he just goes through the house collecting them whenever she decides to take some back.
Genevieve in her pj's. I would like to say that this was taken this morning but alas, she prefers the pj's over regular clothing and if we aren't going anywhere, I relent.lol
Isaac with my messy desk as background. No matter how often I clean it, it always reverts back to this state. Oh, and Evie trying to be the center of attention.lol
Here is the photo I took after she tried jumping into Isaac's picture. She's come a long way in this past year and I no longer wistfully scroll through boarding school websites.lol
Allison who actually wanted her photo taken. She's growing up more and more each day.
*There were no photos taken of Jon today because he's in desperate need of a hair cut and looks somewhat like a porcupine right now. We will be fixing this tomorrow, as I've already made an appointment with my mom for all of us to get a trim. I'm thinking of getting long layers since my hair has started resembling the shape of a triangle, which may look good on some people but not me.lol
Today was good. I wasn't in pain today, which I hadn't noticed I've been in for at least a week. I think it crept up on me and it wasn't until I was acting like a rabid animal that I realized how much I was hurting.lol I think the baby has turned and maybe even dropped some which has taken a lot of pressure off of my ribcage and lungs. I was able to take a small nap today and I even slept last night, only waking 27 times for potty breaks as opposed to the 300 of the night before.lol I am so thankful that I'm in the home stretch! Five more weeks and I'll be holding this little one in my arms. What a blessing!
We just cleaned up the house for the weekend and it's so nice! I love a clean home.lol I never thought I'd feel that way but I really do. It's so nice to wake up and start fresh!
I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Lisa
Isaac and one of his many boppies. He has 3 pink, 2 blue, and 2 green.LOL Most of them were Allisons but he just goes through the house collecting them whenever she decides to take some back.
Genevieve in her pj's. I would like to say that this was taken this morning but alas, she prefers the pj's over regular clothing and if we aren't going anywhere, I relent.lol
Isaac with my messy desk as background. No matter how often I clean it, it always reverts back to this state. Oh, and Evie trying to be the center of attention.lol
Here is the photo I took after she tried jumping into Isaac's picture. She's come a long way in this past year and I no longer wistfully scroll through boarding school websites.lol
Allison who actually wanted her photo taken. She's growing up more and more each day.*There were no photos taken of Jon today because he's in desperate need of a hair cut and looks somewhat like a porcupine right now. We will be fixing this tomorrow, as I've already made an appointment with my mom for all of us to get a trim. I'm thinking of getting long layers since my hair has started resembling the shape of a triangle, which may look good on some people but not me.lol
Today was good. I wasn't in pain today, which I hadn't noticed I've been in for at least a week. I think it crept up on me and it wasn't until I was acting like a rabid animal that I realized how much I was hurting.lol I think the baby has turned and maybe even dropped some which has taken a lot of pressure off of my ribcage and lungs. I was able to take a small nap today and I even slept last night, only waking 27 times for potty breaks as opposed to the 300 of the night before.lol I am so thankful that I'm in the home stretch! Five more weeks and I'll be holding this little one in my arms. What a blessing!
We just cleaned up the house for the weekend and it's so nice! I love a clean home.lol I never thought I'd feel that way but I really do. It's so nice to wake up and start fresh!
I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Lisa
The second half of yesterday went quite well! The kids finished their school work. I was able to make 2 loaves of egg bread, one cinnamon swirl and one regular and Jon made our usual bread and rolls. We now have enough bread to last the rest of the week.LOL Of course, today IS Friday...lol The cinnamon swirl loaf didn't even last an hour. Next time I'll double the recipe and make 4 loaves of this and freeze it. It was really good!
Isaac ended up taking a nap after his bath yesterday. He was so tired that he fell asleep in Allison's arms while she dressed him.LOL He missed all the bread baking fun but it sure did make things a bit easier.
It's been really cold here so we've been staying home. I'm beginning to dislike winter.lol I saw on the news that it's still 80 in Miami and I remember me complaining last year since I had the air on all year.lol Never again will I complain about warm weather. At least you can still go outside. I still haven't found a good time of the year for our big break and it's been a year now. I'm guessing we'll just have to take smaller breaks throughout the year this next school year. Going year round is not my favorite thought but I'm thinking that we could then take advantage of the different climates that we could travel to.lol Allison really wants to visit Washington DC after this school year and we'd really like to visit Miami sometime also. We could do DC in spring and Miami in the winter next year. That should take us there during the best times. We could also make sure that school is in session so that it won't be as crowded. Now, I just need to pray that this little one doesn't get car sick like Evie used to. That would not be fun.LOL
Blessings,
Lisa
Isaac ended up taking a nap after his bath yesterday. He was so tired that he fell asleep in Allison's arms while she dressed him.LOL He missed all the bread baking fun but it sure did make things a bit easier.
It's been really cold here so we've been staying home. I'm beginning to dislike winter.lol I saw on the news that it's still 80 in Miami and I remember me complaining last year since I had the air on all year.lol Never again will I complain about warm weather. At least you can still go outside. I still haven't found a good time of the year for our big break and it's been a year now. I'm guessing we'll just have to take smaller breaks throughout the year this next school year. Going year round is not my favorite thought but I'm thinking that we could then take advantage of the different climates that we could travel to.lol Allison really wants to visit Washington DC after this school year and we'd really like to visit Miami sometime also. We could do DC in spring and Miami in the winter next year. That should take us there during the best times. We could also make sure that school is in session so that it won't be as crowded. Now, I just need to pray that this little one doesn't get car sick like Evie used to. That would not be fun.LOL
Blessings,
Lisa
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Today has been one of those days.lol I spent all night last night trying to decide if my contractions were strong enough to wake the dh but they never really became regular or horribly strong, just strong enough to make it impossible to sleep.lol I think I broke the record for "times that someone gets up to pee in a single night" and am awaiting my trophy to come in the mail. I'm sure the trophy will be worth the sleepless night.lol After I finally fell asleep, Isaac woke up and was ready for the day. UGH! I was so tired and sore that I didn't think I was going to survive.lol Shortly after, Evie joined us and I was definitely sure that I wasn't going to survive. Finally, after 3 hours I sent the littles to Allison and told them to wake her up. They promptly left my room and did everything BUT wake Allison and I fell asleep 3 seconds after they left my room. NOT my best moment.lol Allison woke an hour later realizing that she slept in and that she could hear littles. She knew that I never let them sleep in on a weekday and that realization got her quickly to her feet.lol The littles had destroyed the house like a hurricane and a train wreck all at once.lol Allison is going to make a great mom someday. She got those littles under control, fed, and into play clothes while I slept. Now the only way that this particular day could get any worse would be for someone to drop by unexpectedly. Yes, folks, while I was sleeping and the house was destroyed, my mil decided to stop by. When I woke up, there she was, on the couch. Oh well, I guess you need to get caught at your worst every once in a while just to prove that you're not perfect. I'm completely horrified, but I guess I'll survive.lolol
So far, I've gotten the house back under control and the older kids are working on their school work. At least I can salvage the rest of the day.lol I do feel better after my nap of 3 hours and really, I don't think that I could have done anything differently.
The rest of the day will be a baking day. I made some dinner rolls on Tuesday and they are all gone, so now I'll work on some different kinds of breads. The kids really want a cinnamon-raisin bread and I'll make a couple of regular sandwich loaves also. The littles will have a blast and if the olders get their work done, they'll get to help also. I guess that's it. I stumbled, picked myself up, dusted myself off, and am ready to try again.lolol
Blessings,
Lisa
So far, I've gotten the house back under control and the older kids are working on their school work. At least I can salvage the rest of the day.lol I do feel better after my nap of 3 hours and really, I don't think that I could have done anything differently.
The rest of the day will be a baking day. I made some dinner rolls on Tuesday and they are all gone, so now I'll work on some different kinds of breads. The kids really want a cinnamon-raisin bread and I'll make a couple of regular sandwich loaves also. The littles will have a blast and if the olders get their work done, they'll get to help also. I guess that's it. I stumbled, picked myself up, dusted myself off, and am ready to try again.lolol
Blessings,
Lisa
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Yesterday we woke up to an Evie who had eaten 20 pieces of chocolate while we slept. Let's just say it was a long day, where she ended up in bed early for not listening.LOL
I spent yesterday collecting every piece of chocolate and candy that I could find and locking it in a cabinet with these horribly difficult child locks that no one can undo. I'm guessing we're on a diet.lol It's worth it though. I'm hopeful that I'll never wake to Evie being a raving monster ever again.lolol
Today has been much better. I had my doctor's appt this morning and everything went well. It looks like this little one is head up right now, so prayers that she turns soon would be appreciated. I got home to kids who were cleaning up the great room for me. How nice is that? I was also told by my dr. to pack my bag soon. I was reminded that I probably wouldn't want my dh packing it for me.LOL So true. It was fun packing the bag and getting to look through all the baby stuff and decide what to bring her home in. It's a little nerve-racking knowing that this baby could come any time between now and 5 weeks. (or if like Evie, 2 weeks after that.LOL) Where did all the time go? I'm just glad to be almost done.lol
I think this weekend I'm going to try to get some meals put in the freezer like Kathy. I'm not too worried about it since both of my older kids cook and my parents will probably be sending us some meals but I would like some easy to prepare dinners for when it's my job again. I have to say that when it comes to meal prep, I like the kids to have to do it all.lol Not for torture, but for the learning. I even have Allison preparing the menus for the week lately, so I'm sure they'll be just fine. This is the first baby that I don't feel worried about leaving the other kids. They've grown so much these past 2 years since the last baby, that the only thing I need to concentrate on is actually having this baby and then recovering.lol
Well, I guess that's it. I've been pretty low energy lately so I'm trying to save what I have for the things that have to be done. Take care,
Lisa
I spent yesterday collecting every piece of chocolate and candy that I could find and locking it in a cabinet with these horribly difficult child locks that no one can undo. I'm guessing we're on a diet.lol It's worth it though. I'm hopeful that I'll never wake to Evie being a raving monster ever again.lolol
Today has been much better. I had my doctor's appt this morning and everything went well. It looks like this little one is head up right now, so prayers that she turns soon would be appreciated. I got home to kids who were cleaning up the great room for me. How nice is that? I was also told by my dr. to pack my bag soon. I was reminded that I probably wouldn't want my dh packing it for me.LOL So true. It was fun packing the bag and getting to look through all the baby stuff and decide what to bring her home in. It's a little nerve-racking knowing that this baby could come any time between now and 5 weeks. (or if like Evie, 2 weeks after that.LOL) Where did all the time go? I'm just glad to be almost done.lol
I think this weekend I'm going to try to get some meals put in the freezer like Kathy. I'm not too worried about it since both of my older kids cook and my parents will probably be sending us some meals but I would like some easy to prepare dinners for when it's my job again. I have to say that when it comes to meal prep, I like the kids to have to do it all.lol Not for torture, but for the learning. I even have Allison preparing the menus for the week lately, so I'm sure they'll be just fine. This is the first baby that I don't feel worried about leaving the other kids. They've grown so much these past 2 years since the last baby, that the only thing I need to concentrate on is actually having this baby and then recovering.lol
Well, I guess that's it. I've been pretty low energy lately so I'm trying to save what I have for the things that have to be done. Take care,
Lisa
Monday, January 15, 2007
Happy Birthday Isaac!!!
My baby turns 2 today!!! When my little boy was born two years ago, who knew (except God) what a blessing he would be in our family. He is like a ray of sunshine each and every day.
We are taking all the kids to Chuck E Cheese for his birthday today and we also bought him the cutest cake at Food Lion. It's a construction site.lol The plan is to eat pizza and play games until everyone is tired, eat cake and then go home. My plan is to not forget the camera and take lots of pictures.lol I'll post some photos of the birthday boy later today.
Blessings,
Lisa
My Menu for this week...
Spaghetti Pie
Sauteed Chicken
Hamburgers
Ham, greenbeans, and potatoes
Roast
Blk beans and rice
I'll be making my own bread this week, since we didn't go to Publix and I'm actually looking forward to it. I got out of the habit during Christmas and it's about time to get back into it.
Lisa
Spaghetti Pie
Sauteed Chicken
Hamburgers
Ham, greenbeans, and potatoes
Roast
Blk beans and rice
I'll be making my own bread this week, since we didn't go to Publix and I'm actually looking forward to it. I got out of the habit during Christmas and it's about time to get back into it.
Lisa
Let's see...Saturday we had the day all to ourselves. My parents took all the kids and so Eric and I did what any normal couple would do if left to our own devices....we cleaned the garage.lolol Yes, folks, we actually spent the day cleaning the garage. After Christmas, it was so bad in there that we could hardly walk in it and with the kids gone we could actually get the thing done pretty quick. When the kids got home they couldn't believe we had wasted the whole day.lolol
Sunday, we decided to try out Sunday school at our new church. I found out that I do not have the energy for this.lol Genevieve and Isaac were so wound up that the service was not pleasant. They had fed the littles pieces of giant cookie because one of the teachers was moving and every one of the children who ate the cookie were going nuts in the service.lolol Not just mine.lolol I even had to take Isaac out during the sermon since he felt what he had to say was more important than what the pastor was trying to say. I wasn't the only one who had to leave on several occasions. It was exhausting and I barely made it thorough the whole service. I've decided that I am going to stay home for Sunday school and meet everyone there when the service starts. I was one cranky mom by the time we left.lolol
After church, we went to Larry's where by then the littles were coming down from their sugar high. They were actually pretty good. My parents met us there and took Evie home with them. I went home and rested and Isaac took a nap.lol I also went grocery shopping. We went to Food Lion this week since I knew that Publix would be out of most things. When we got home, my parents had dropped Evie off and my mom had brought us dinner. What a blessing! I just made a salad and we were good to go. I have been so low on energy lately that coming home to dinner was the only thing I could have asked for.lol
Blessings,
Lisa
Sunday, we decided to try out Sunday school at our new church. I found out that I do not have the energy for this.lol Genevieve and Isaac were so wound up that the service was not pleasant. They had fed the littles pieces of giant cookie because one of the teachers was moving and every one of the children who ate the cookie were going nuts in the service.lolol Not just mine.lolol I even had to take Isaac out during the sermon since he felt what he had to say was more important than what the pastor was trying to say. I wasn't the only one who had to leave on several occasions. It was exhausting and I barely made it thorough the whole service. I've decided that I am going to stay home for Sunday school and meet everyone there when the service starts. I was one cranky mom by the time we left.lolol
After church, we went to Larry's where by then the littles were coming down from their sugar high. They were actually pretty good. My parents met us there and took Evie home with them. I went home and rested and Isaac took a nap.lol I also went grocery shopping. We went to Food Lion this week since I knew that Publix would be out of most things. When we got home, my parents had dropped Evie off and my mom had brought us dinner. What a blessing! I just made a salad and we were good to go. I have been so low on energy lately that coming home to dinner was the only thing I could have asked for.lol
Blessings,
Lisa
Friday, January 12, 2007
Well, I wish I had lots of exciting things to tell you all but unfortunately, I lead a very boring life most days.LOL Wednesday was sooooo cold here that I wouldn't allow any of us to leave the house. We are still recovering from this cold and I felt that going anywhere, even just outside would be a mistake. I guess I over did it the day before because I was also feeling pretty worn out. I ended up resting and the older kids were able to finish all their school work for the day. The littles were not happy.lol They pretty much ran amok all day and I could tell that they were going to need some major outside time the next day to make up for it.
Thursday was supposed to still be cool but not a high of 50, so when my Mom called and asked if we'd like to go out to lunch I said absolutely!lol It took us a while to get out of the house, finding jackets and warm clothes for everyone and when we finally opened the front door to leave, it was warm outside.lolol We went to Golden Corral and the littles ate really good. Isaac hasn't been eating again lately so having him really fill up was great! My Mom suggested the park and we all thought it was a great idea. O.k. everyone besides Allison thought it was a great idea. I'm finding it sad that she's growing up and not finding the park to be her cup of tea any longer. It has been a big part of our lives for so long. Oh well, we all went and the three youngest had a great time. You could tell that it was exactly what they needed after being cooped up for so long. We went to Mom's afterwards and hung out. She invited us for dinner and it was terrific! She makes the best Fried Chicken. After dinner, I did the dishes for her and then packed everyone up and went home. The littles were tired but you could tell they had a great day.lol Isaac was so wound up from all the activity, he didn't go to sleep until 11pm. Jon spent most of that time playing with him. lol He made a tent out of blankets and Isaac had a blast. We had NO temper tantrums all day!!! WOW! What a blessing! We finally just threw him in bed with us and he was asleep in less than 30 seconds.lol We all slept in this morning. It was a big day for all of us and everyone was happy for the extra rest. I'm hoping that today will be a good day. I am deeply grateful for the good day yesterday. It's been a long time since I've seen my little guy instead of tantrum boy and it was really nice to see him. Hope he stops by again sometime.lol
Well, that's it. I have no plans for today other than school but who knows, maybe we'll have something fun happen. If not, I'll take some pictures.LOL
Blessings,
Lisa
Thursday was supposed to still be cool but not a high of 50, so when my Mom called and asked if we'd like to go out to lunch I said absolutely!lol It took us a while to get out of the house, finding jackets and warm clothes for everyone and when we finally opened the front door to leave, it was warm outside.lolol We went to Golden Corral and the littles ate really good. Isaac hasn't been eating again lately so having him really fill up was great! My Mom suggested the park and we all thought it was a great idea. O.k. everyone besides Allison thought it was a great idea. I'm finding it sad that she's growing up and not finding the park to be her cup of tea any longer. It has been a big part of our lives for so long. Oh well, we all went and the three youngest had a great time. You could tell that it was exactly what they needed after being cooped up for so long. We went to Mom's afterwards and hung out. She invited us for dinner and it was terrific! She makes the best Fried Chicken. After dinner, I did the dishes for her and then packed everyone up and went home. The littles were tired but you could tell they had a great day.lol Isaac was so wound up from all the activity, he didn't go to sleep until 11pm. Jon spent most of that time playing with him. lol He made a tent out of blankets and Isaac had a blast. We had NO temper tantrums all day!!! WOW! What a blessing! We finally just threw him in bed with us and he was asleep in less than 30 seconds.lol We all slept in this morning. It was a big day for all of us and everyone was happy for the extra rest. I'm hoping that today will be a good day. I am deeply grateful for the good day yesterday. It's been a long time since I've seen my little guy instead of tantrum boy and it was really nice to see him. Hope he stops by again sometime.lol
Well, that's it. I have no plans for today other than school but who knows, maybe we'll have something fun happen. If not, I'll take some pictures.LOL
Blessings,
Lisa
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Here are some pictures that Allison took of our sunset last night. No mountain views but still pretty.lol
Today's been a busy day. I can't believe that it's only 3pm.lol I'm worn out. I got all the laundry done, vacuumed the house, mopped the kitchen, green machined the great room floor, and cleaned my bathroom, room, and Evie's room.(Which was a mess.lol) I'm just about to lock myself in my room and iron and then I'll call it a day. Tomorrow I need to make yogurt because Publix was out and will probably be out for a while. They are about to move into a brand new store right at the end of my street! Now that'll be really nice! So they are running low on just about everything until the big move. They said they'll be moved in by the 27th. Whoohoo!lol It's going to be a Super Publix and I'm hoping they won't run out of the organics any longer.lol I guess I've hit a new low when a grocery store gets me this excited.lol
Blessings,
lisa
Monday, January 08, 2007
My Menu for this week...
(Allison prepared this weeks menu for me and I'm truly thankful.)
Lunch is always just about the same. The kids and I are not lunch eaters and just eat something to be done with it.LOL
Pizza
Ramen
Subs
Mac and Cheese
Dinner
Steak (from last week), rice, greenbeans, and salad
Pork Tacos (to use up the remainder of roast from my mom)
Chicken Stir Fry and rice
Pork Chops, noodles, steamed veggies, and salad
Hamburgers, hotdogs, french fries, and salad
This week starts some new activities for us. Our new church offers a youth bible study on Tuesdays and confirmation classes once a month on Fridays so we'll be pretty busy this week. They both start at 6pm and offer dinner for those who attend, so I just have to get them there.lol Eric has offered to pick them up. I'm so thankful that the new church is only 7 minutes away! I can do that.lol I'll only have to feed 4 of us on those days so will be offering easier meals since I'll need to prepare these without the help of my older kids.
So far today has been a pretty good day. The older kids are right on track for their studies and the littles haven't been fighting as much. It's a pretty yucky day outside today, so I'm sure that they'll be happy to go shopping later since going outside to play won't be an option.
Guess that's it!lol I hope everyone has a good start to their week.
Blessings,
Lisa
(Allison prepared this weeks menu for me and I'm truly thankful.)
Lunch is always just about the same. The kids and I are not lunch eaters and just eat something to be done with it.LOL
Pizza
Ramen
Subs
Mac and Cheese
Dinner
Steak (from last week), rice, greenbeans, and salad
Pork Tacos (to use up the remainder of roast from my mom)
Chicken Stir Fry and rice
Pork Chops, noodles, steamed veggies, and salad
Hamburgers, hotdogs, french fries, and salad
This week starts some new activities for us. Our new church offers a youth bible study on Tuesdays and confirmation classes once a month on Fridays so we'll be pretty busy this week. They both start at 6pm and offer dinner for those who attend, so I just have to get them there.lol Eric has offered to pick them up. I'm so thankful that the new church is only 7 minutes away! I can do that.lol I'll only have to feed 4 of us on those days so will be offering easier meals since I'll need to prepare these without the help of my older kids.
So far today has been a pretty good day. The older kids are right on track for their studies and the littles haven't been fighting as much. It's a pretty yucky day outside today, so I'm sure that they'll be happy to go shopping later since going outside to play won't be an option.
Guess that's it!lol I hope everyone has a good start to their week.
Blessings,
Lisa
Yesterday is over. That's probably the best thing I can say about it.lol I don't know what got into the little ones yesterday but they were not on their best behavior. We made it to church again, which has really been a blessing to me each week. We're in the process of transferring our membership to this church and they had some paper work for us to fill out and bring back later. Isaac and Evie fought the whole church service. Usually, Evie's happy with her coloring books and Isaac is happy with his trains but not yesterday. They both wanted trains. I can tell you now, just in case you were wondering but teaching sharing is not best accomplished during a church service, especially during a particularly firery sermon.LOL Our new pastor took it in stride thought and didn't miss a beat. We didn't even have to leave the service although trying to coax two children out from under the pews was not how I had planned to spend the service.
After this wonderful display, you would think we'd just go home afterwards but no, we were starving and decided that we'd go to Larry's Giant Subs. The littles continued their display of good behavior here and made a horrible mess to boot. We met my parents there and I'm thinking they were a bit embarrassed considering my dad offered to help clean the restaurant.lol My parents offered to take the littles to their house, so we followed them home. I didn't have anymore bottles for Isaac so I went home, gave Jon his lunch since he missed all the fun, made more bottles and then drove back. It was clear by then that Isaac was not going to settle down. I must be getting dense in my old age that it took this long. We left my parents house with tantrum boy shortly after and went home. Evie on the other hand spent the rest of the day with mom and dad.
My mom surprised me by bringing us dinner! Now that is the high point of the day. We spent the rest of the day dealing with tantrum boy and it was not easy. I was extremely grateful for the meal.lol After dinner, we put the littles to bed (with a final tantrum from Isaac) and collapsed into bed ourselves wondering what in the world have we gotten ourselves into.LOL
Blessings,
Lisa
After this wonderful display, you would think we'd just go home afterwards but no, we were starving and decided that we'd go to Larry's Giant Subs. The littles continued their display of good behavior here and made a horrible mess to boot. We met my parents there and I'm thinking they were a bit embarrassed considering my dad offered to help clean the restaurant.lol My parents offered to take the littles to their house, so we followed them home. I didn't have anymore bottles for Isaac so I went home, gave Jon his lunch since he missed all the fun, made more bottles and then drove back. It was clear by then that Isaac was not going to settle down. I must be getting dense in my old age that it took this long. We left my parents house with tantrum boy shortly after and went home. Evie on the other hand spent the rest of the day with mom and dad.
My mom surprised me by bringing us dinner! Now that is the high point of the day. We spent the rest of the day dealing with tantrum boy and it was not easy. I was extremely grateful for the meal.lol After dinner, we put the littles to bed (with a final tantrum from Isaac) and collapsed into bed ourselves wondering what in the world have we gotten ourselves into.LOL
Blessings,
Lisa
Saturday, January 06, 2007
I must be nesting.lol I woke up this morning determined to be ready for this baby. My mom, may God bless her, went to Target yesterday and finished off buying all the baby clothes, burp cloths, receiving blankets, binky's, and such that we still needed, just because she wanted to. I am enormously thankful! Today, I took everything that has been bought for the baby and started washing it all. I also cleaned out the little two drawer bin that we have to put all the baby stuff in. Then Eric and I went to Target to buy the few items left that needed to be bought. First we tried all the consignment shops that we could find and then went to Target.lol We were able to buy just about everything on clearance today! What a blessing! I bought a new bre*st pump just like my old one, a bouncy seat, a foam baby thing for bathing, and a swing. We now have everything except the Maya Wrap in the house for the baby. I still need to wash everything but at least we have it all.lol I'm glad it's over, I am not a shopper.lol
It's seems so strange to have all this pink stuff again. I asked Eric to put the stuff in the dryer when we got home and he said, where'd all this pink stuff come from?lolol He also said isn't Genevieve lucky to have a little sister? I thought that was sweet. I'm not sure she'll think she's lucky right off the bat but I do think it'll be a blessing to her as she gets older.
We are all starting to feel better from this horrible illness we caught, except Jon. That guy has it rough. I was actually able to leave the house today, although the cough is still pretty bad at times.
Well, I guess that's it. Not too exciting but it was a lot of fun going through all that baby stuff.lol
Blessings,
Lisa
It's seems so strange to have all this pink stuff again. I asked Eric to put the stuff in the dryer when we got home and he said, where'd all this pink stuff come from?lolol He also said isn't Genevieve lucky to have a little sister? I thought that was sweet. I'm not sure she'll think she's lucky right off the bat but I do think it'll be a blessing to her as she gets older.
We are all starting to feel better from this horrible illness we caught, except Jon. That guy has it rough. I was actually able to leave the house today, although the cough is still pretty bad at times.
Well, I guess that's it. Not too exciting but it was a lot of fun going through all that baby stuff.lol
Blessings,
Lisa
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Nothing exciting today. I went to my doctor's appt this morning and evidently I'm STILL pregnant.LOL Only seven more weeks to go. My doctor even said that he couldn't find anything to pick on me with, since I'm doing so well.lol
The kids are working really hard and getting their work completed by the right times. I'm so thankful that they are really trying. I do hope that they keep up the good work.
I did school with Evie yesterday and she is slowly showing improvement. Before Christmas break, she was having trouble with questions like...does apple start with A? I would say, A says aah and apple starts with the sound aah, so do they start with the same sound? I would say that she was guessing each and every time. She just didn't understand the question. Well, yesterday she could answer the question correctly most of the time even with her new letter "D". Whew! During our break, I had her working on this web-site... www.starfall.com and I really think it's what helped her to figure this step out. Once she's got the letter sounds figured out, we'll start in on blends.
I have these books from Eric's kindergarten years that we've used with each of the kids. I call the books the I See Sam books but really they were picked up by Reader Rabbit around when my first kids were little and they made a computer game out of them called The Interactive Reading Journey and they came with all 50 readers bound into 4 books with the game. It's an awesome resourse if you can still find it. After they get through those readers, I have 50 more readers from Primary Phonics that mesh really well with the first readers. I've found that once they've read all these, they can easily move into reading those little I Can Read books that you see at the library and at bookstores. We usually spend some time with those and then start adding in readers from Abeka and Bob Jones. All these books mesh really well and give a beginner reader a lot of experience and a lot of handholding. Sometime after they have read their first couple of beginning readers, I declare them "big kids" who are allowed to stay up an extra hour each night for "quiet reading". So far none of my kids have figured out that this is just my way of making sure that they are getting a lot of reading done AND that they are learning to enjoy reading.LOL I also institute a weekly trip to the bookstore once they've graduated into the I Can Read books where, as a treat, I allow them to pick out their own book. Not only does this give them MORE to read but it also reinforces that books are treats.LOL I have them keep all of these books in a basket by their bed and they are welcome to read them anytime.
I'm excited about Evie taking these first few steps. It seems like such a big kid thing to be able to do. I'm sure that she'll get a lot of pleasure out of reading as time goes on.
Blessings,
Lisa
The kids are working really hard and getting their work completed by the right times. I'm so thankful that they are really trying. I do hope that they keep up the good work.
I did school with Evie yesterday and she is slowly showing improvement. Before Christmas break, she was having trouble with questions like...does apple start with A? I would say, A says aah and apple starts with the sound aah, so do they start with the same sound? I would say that she was guessing each and every time. She just didn't understand the question. Well, yesterday she could answer the question correctly most of the time even with her new letter "D". Whew! During our break, I had her working on this web-site... www.starfall.com and I really think it's what helped her to figure this step out. Once she's got the letter sounds figured out, we'll start in on blends.
I have these books from Eric's kindergarten years that we've used with each of the kids. I call the books the I See Sam books but really they were picked up by Reader Rabbit around when my first kids were little and they made a computer game out of them called The Interactive Reading Journey and they came with all 50 readers bound into 4 books with the game. It's an awesome resourse if you can still find it. After they get through those readers, I have 50 more readers from Primary Phonics that mesh really well with the first readers. I've found that once they've read all these, they can easily move into reading those little I Can Read books that you see at the library and at bookstores. We usually spend some time with those and then start adding in readers from Abeka and Bob Jones. All these books mesh really well and give a beginner reader a lot of experience and a lot of handholding. Sometime after they have read their first couple of beginning readers, I declare them "big kids" who are allowed to stay up an extra hour each night for "quiet reading". So far none of my kids have figured out that this is just my way of making sure that they are getting a lot of reading done AND that they are learning to enjoy reading.LOL I also institute a weekly trip to the bookstore once they've graduated into the I Can Read books where, as a treat, I allow them to pick out their own book. Not only does this give them MORE to read but it also reinforces that books are treats.LOL I have them keep all of these books in a basket by their bed and they are welcome to read them anytime.
I'm excited about Evie taking these first few steps. It seems like such a big kid thing to be able to do. I'm sure that she'll get a lot of pleasure out of reading as time goes on.
Blessings,
Lisa
A View from my window...
I just couldn't resist.lol I was at Kristine's blog and she has posted these amazingly breathtaking views from where she lives and I thought to myself, "I should post some photos of my Fla view sometime..."lol Well, of course it's raining and I just couldn't help posting. Do you all think the governor will come to my house and take me away for posting this anti-sunshine state photo?lolol I guess we'll find out... he's only been in office for a few days and I'm sure he's been itching to DO something, governor-ish right?lolol
Lisa
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
My Menu for this week...
Lunch
Homemade Pizza
Ramen
Mac and Cheese
PBJ's
Dinner
Ham, Greenbean, and Potato Soup
Pasta Carbonara w/salad
Turkey Noodle Soup w/Dumplings
Steak, baked potatoes, and salad
Leftovers
I'm going to make smoothies all week this week, serve fresh fruit with breakfast and lunch and a veggie tray for lunch or snack.
My Goals for this week...
Include:
making sure the older kids finish their school work each day
getting up on time and getting everyone ready on time
getting the shopping done by myself this week since I didn't get it done on the weekend
starting school with Evie today
I think that's about it for this week. With most of us sick, it should be quite the accomplishment to get this all done each day.lol So far, we got up and ready on time this morning, I've made my grocery list, and the kids are right on schedule for their school day. Yippeee! After shopping, I'll begin school with Evie and give Isaac some arts and crafts to do and I'll have one day down and three to go. lol
Blessings,
Lisa
Lunch
Homemade Pizza
Ramen
Mac and Cheese
PBJ's
Dinner
Ham, Greenbean, and Potato Soup
Pasta Carbonara w/salad
Turkey Noodle Soup w/Dumplings
Steak, baked potatoes, and salad
Leftovers
I'm going to make smoothies all week this week, serve fresh fruit with breakfast and lunch and a veggie tray for lunch or snack.
My Goals for this week...
Include:
making sure the older kids finish their school work each day
getting up on time and getting everyone ready on time
getting the shopping done by myself this week since I didn't get it done on the weekend
starting school with Evie today
I think that's about it for this week. With most of us sick, it should be quite the accomplishment to get this all done each day.lol So far, we got up and ready on time this morning, I've made my grocery list, and the kids are right on schedule for their school day. Yippeee! After shopping, I'll begin school with Evie and give Isaac some arts and crafts to do and I'll have one day down and three to go. lol
Blessings,
Lisa
Monday, January 01, 2007
Isaac in a Christmas box, feeling quite insecure on Christmas day.lol I'm not sure that we got any other photos of him that day that are any better. I'm hoping by next year he'll understand a little more.lol
Isaac today. He was playing with his cars and trucks and I wanted to try out a tip from Jen on taking better pictures. I didn't use the flash and on some of the pictures, they definitely turned out better, but for some, they were too dark. I was also trying to fill the photo with a close up but he just kept moving.lolol
Lisa
Last night went as planned. We played the new Monopoly game until just before midnight and then we all threw in the towel with the agreement that Jon won. I guess that means the game is fun and can be played again sometime.lol
Today did not go as planned. I woke up this morning sick and miserable and I'm not the only one. Unfortunately, four of us have caught the latest illness. I spent most of the day in bed, sleeping, as did Allison. I even missed the relatives! Oh well, I really needed the rest.
I know that our diet hasn't been that great the last couple of weeks due to running around, so I'll work on that starting tomorrow. My plans were to do the shopping today but I'll just run out tomorrow morning and hope that it doesn't take up too much of the school day. We are beginning school again tomorrow and I'm hopeful that the kids will work very hard to earn their incentives. I haven't had this big of an incentive for them since they were very young and I bribed them to memorize their tables.LOL They were VERY motivated back then. With only 7.5 weeks left of this pregnancy I would be soooo very grateful if they can get this done without me needing to spend all my time reminding, begging, pleading, and such instead of helping, grading, and record-keeping.
I still haven't bought much for the new baby and really, put most of that off until after Christmas and now I'm feeling the pinch. I could very easily end up not able to get this done. This baby still needs clothes, receiving blankets, burp cloths, diapers, a swing, I need a new bre*st pump and Maya Wrap, ugh! The list just keeps going.lol I guess I'd just feel better knowing that I had this all done and could just use this time to get the house all ready. I did have Eric put the new bassinet and carseat together while he's been off and they look so nice. My bedroom is slowly turning into a nursery.LOL Of course, Isaac still sleeps with us most nights and I'm wondering how that's going to work once the new one is here. We've tried to transition him into his room but with illness after illness we just end up together in the end.lol I'm just thankful that he's a heavy sleeper and usually sleeps better with noise.lol I guess we'll be testing that theory soon enough.
I am once again, so thankful that my home is neat and clean. I will be able to focus on getting better and just doing what needs to be done for the next couple of days while I try to get better. It is such a blessing.
I'll post some goals for the week (I'm just not ready for long term goals yet.lol) and my menu tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll all feel better and I'll be able to get all the shopping done in the morning. If not, then I'll just get enough to last until we're feeling better.
Blessings,
Lisa
Today did not go as planned. I woke up this morning sick and miserable and I'm not the only one. Unfortunately, four of us have caught the latest illness. I spent most of the day in bed, sleeping, as did Allison. I even missed the relatives! Oh well, I really needed the rest.
I know that our diet hasn't been that great the last couple of weeks due to running around, so I'll work on that starting tomorrow. My plans were to do the shopping today but I'll just run out tomorrow morning and hope that it doesn't take up too much of the school day. We are beginning school again tomorrow and I'm hopeful that the kids will work very hard to earn their incentives. I haven't had this big of an incentive for them since they were very young and I bribed them to memorize their tables.LOL They were VERY motivated back then. With only 7.5 weeks left of this pregnancy I would be soooo very grateful if they can get this done without me needing to spend all my time reminding, begging, pleading, and such instead of helping, grading, and record-keeping.
I still haven't bought much for the new baby and really, put most of that off until after Christmas and now I'm feeling the pinch. I could very easily end up not able to get this done. This baby still needs clothes, receiving blankets, burp cloths, diapers, a swing, I need a new bre*st pump and Maya Wrap, ugh! The list just keeps going.lol I guess I'd just feel better knowing that I had this all done and could just use this time to get the house all ready. I did have Eric put the new bassinet and carseat together while he's been off and they look so nice. My bedroom is slowly turning into a nursery.LOL Of course, Isaac still sleeps with us most nights and I'm wondering how that's going to work once the new one is here. We've tried to transition him into his room but with illness after illness we just end up together in the end.lol I'm just thankful that he's a heavy sleeper and usually sleeps better with noise.lol I guess we'll be testing that theory soon enough.
I am once again, so thankful that my home is neat and clean. I will be able to focus on getting better and just doing what needs to be done for the next couple of days while I try to get better. It is such a blessing.
I'll post some goals for the week (I'm just not ready for long term goals yet.lol) and my menu tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll all feel better and I'll be able to get all the shopping done in the morning. If not, then I'll just get enough to last until we're feeling better.
Blessings,
Lisa
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