Menu Plan Monday

Another edition of MPM. . .

My weeks have been a bit busy, trying to cram in those last summer activities, doing some "harvesting" and "preserving", and just not being on the computer. We've been able to eat potatoes, beans, salad, herbs and some tomatoes from the garden already. I was busy making applesauce as well. I love it, but it also keeps life busy when there are also three kiddos who need attention.

So, last week's menu included some of these: salmon strudels/calzones, sausages, corn on the cob and scalloped potatoes, stir fry with noodles, pulled pork, out once, and of course left-overs.

My dad brought over this deal for the kiddos to try. It's a dragon fruit (I think). Tastes a little bit like a bland kiwi, or a kiwi mixed with a melon, but way more seeds. It was too weird for my kiddos, although I think they probably did like it! It looks like an interior decorator's fetish, but, like I said, too weird for preschoolers.

So, this week on the menu. . .

Monday-Indian-Spiced Chicken Stir-fry, corn fritters

Tuesday- Sub sandwiches or fancy grilled cheese

Wednesday-Pizza (It id my E's first day of Kindergarten, so gotta do something he loves! My choices (his top favourites) are limited to pizza, hamburgers and mac 'n cheese. So, selfish me, I like pizza best out of those, and I probably have time to make a home-made good one for him. And since it is only a half day, he can help me! Too much explaining, I know!).

Thursday-a roast?!?! I've never made one of these before! I know, I'm pretty pathetic that way. So either that. . .or left-overs!

Friday-hamburgers?

Saturday's Snack- One-bowl Chocolate Chunk Cookies (see below)

Sunday-pancakes and bacon

Saturday's snack. . .Baker's Chocolate One Bowl Chocolate Cookies. (phew! I found a link. . .saves my poor pitiful typing fingers!)
Delish! These taste like the Baker's Chocolate One Bowl Brownies, but they are cookies! I halved the recipe, just to be sure they were good and worked out. I had a note on my chocolate box saying that if you omit the nuts, as we had, to increase the flour to 3/4 cup, otherwise they may spread out like pancakes, which is "ew" in a cookie like this. I was a happy person . . while they lasted!

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Summer Reading Has Come to an End

A few weeks ago, my kiddos read their last book for the summer, filled out their last entry to find "Rocky" in the Library, and participated in their last Summer Library Program. E doesn't really understand why it has to end. . ."Don't we have to just keep reading?" (well, yes, E. . .wait 'til you hear about the Kindergarten reading incentives they have!)

I thought I would share a a few pictures of some of the events. No, I'm not that mom who had their camera out each time we went to the Library, but once or twice I may have snapped a few of them.

This is the "Pet Parade." The kiddos got to bring their stuffies to the library for some stories, a craft and a parade. Each of my kids got to stand up and show off their animals--A brought her "glo-worm". . .a good memory for many of the librarians, and E (at the time) had the biggest animal there.
Here are the recyclable shakers they made (using water bottles, beans, string, ribbons, and stickers)--to make noise as they walked in their parade.

Busy at work!

And here is one of my favourite parts. . .One day at the Library, Princess A was looking through some books and found one that she wanted to take home for little A so "he could see the alphabet." As soon as we got home and A was on the floor, E and Princess A started reading the alphabet books to him so that" he will learn his alphabet and be ready for school." I love my kids! (See how Princess A is holding it up, just like the librarians did? Too cute!)

This was at another event--I think a musician came in this time.

On a side note, I was very impressed with all the programs the Library hosted. There were a few that may have been over my children's' heads, and one I thought who said and did a few inappropriate things, but it was nice to have some "free" entertainments--educational entertainment--during the summer months. My kids thought the best one was the pet parade and the pajamas puppet shows (They got to come dressed in their pajamas and hear stories, watch puppet plays, and sing some songs. Then, when we got home, they hopped into bed, all tired out!)

Here are their reading logs. . .all full now. They both received their "reading medals" for finishing all the books they had to read. . .and E even won one of the draws one time!That was quite and exciting phone call and trip back to the Library for him!

They pretty much can't wait until next year.

Kindergarten Worries (WFW)

My oldest kiddo is going into Kindergarten this year. He is so excited. He has been waiting for Kindergarten to start since last March. He's been putting on his backpack, practicing his letters and numbers, and counting down the days.

I'm a teacher. I've experienced many first days—many nervous, excited first days! I get to be on leave this year, so I get to see my firstborn enjoy his first year of school. I look at him and know he is so-o-o ready for the first day of school to come.

And then Sunday happened and I wondered if I am only fooling myself.

It was once of those mornings when he couldn't hold his cup like a five-year-old. He was pretending to be a peacock (of all things!), and peacocks apparently spill the contents of their cups all over the floor. It was one of those mornings when we had to leave in 5 minutes and he interpreted it as about 15 minutes or more. It was one of those mornings when everything was a bit too hectic for my liking and they didn't get any better.

In church, our oldest had to sit in church until it was time to have a "practice" Sunday School time. We had given him the talk about how to sit in church and how big of a voice to use—especially when there was a quiet prayer going on! He was doing alright—kind of wiggly, but we were happy, proud parents. It was that feeling of relief; that our kid was a good one. We had done our job, and done it well. We had taught all the necessary rules and given all the tidbits of wisdom needed to produce a wonderful child.

Then it was off to Sunday School. He listened, he laughed, he sang, he prayed, he had eyes that showed sheer excitement for all that was going on. I was a proud mom. When it was craft time he made his little prayer box—writing his name on it, decorating it with markers and stickers, and putting in papers for future prayers. I smiled at his accomplishments. Then it was off to do part two of the craft—making prayer bookmarks.

And that is when he decided not to cut on the lines, not to colour in the lines, not to listen to the directions and not to listen to mommy.

When your child asks to use permanent markers and you say no, please use the washable ones, and you say this three times to him, I have learned that you STILL must keep a close eye on him. Talking to other parents, even if they are in the chair next to yours is a big No-No! Especially if you have had the type of morning I had! Because that is the time when my son decided to take the permanent purple sharpie and write his name—ON THE TABLE!!! Yep, it was almost as if it has been published in that book, The Purple Crayon. I quickly went into upset-mom-mode. "What did you do? Why would you do that? What did I say to you? Why didn't you listen?" and questions of that sort. I got paper towels, hoping the word permanent was a mistake. But no, permanent markers don't lie. And the purple etching clearly told who had committed the crime!!! One of the dads next to me joked with me that I should teach my son how to write someone else's name, so that person would get in trouble. A mom shared with me how her cousin had actually done that—written her name on something and she had gotten into trouble and that it was this huge joke to this very day! And it was funny—I laughed . . . but this was MY SON! And he had done something wrong!

We went to the leader and my son politely said (on his own),"I'm sorry Mrs.~~~, I wrote on the table in the stain-y kind of markers." And she wonderfully and graciously said, "Oh, that is okay and thank you for telling me." And all was okay—but this was MY SON! And he had done something wrong!

Later when I was having my son try to clean his name off, she told me not to worry about it. And I told her that I was just having a mini-punishment moment. And I continued to worry about it . . . for the rest of the day! And the rest of the day I was tormented by thoughts of: What is he going to do in Kindergarten? What if he does something like that there? Didn't he know better? How are people going to judge me as a mom? What were they going to say about our parenting? Where had we gone wrong? When I told my husband he laughed at the jokes the other parents had made about it, he said that was too bad and it seemed to have been handled well . . . and I couldn't believe that was all he had to say about it, because this was MY SON! And he had done something wrong!

And finally (read: the next morning, after stewing on this for a full day and night), I finally came to my senses. I realized that, yes, this was my son and he had done something wrong. He had felt bad, he had apologized, and he had learned. And that was all. How many times had I been in a similar situation? How many times had something like this happened before? Or one where the wrong-doing was worse or compiled or with no shame? And how many other moms and dads and caregivers have been in the exact same situation? Even as a teacher, I have seen many situations on a similar plane as this. And I respond the same wonderful and gracious way the leader did: "Oh, that is okay and thanks for telling me." Kids make mistakes, and then they learn from them. That is the joy of being a kid. And I don't give it another thought.

And yes, this was my son . . . and realistically . . . how many times would this happen again? Millions! He, along with me (and for that matter even the rest of the world) are fallen creatures. We have fallen short—very short! We are going to sin, we are going to make our Father sad and disappointed and really, how many times has He tried to teach us a lesson and we keep messing it up? But He patiently helps us back onto our feet, and loves us and stays by us until we fall again.

And maybe this was just one more lesson for me, too. You see, my husband and I are trying our very best to raise our children in the way of the Lord. We are doing all we can to teach our children to love and obey God. We are trying to be disciples of Jesus Christ in our family. But this isn't the first time something "went wrong," nor will it be the last. Dealing with it in a Godly manner to correct the behaviour, attitude or action is really what matters. And this wasn't, nor will it ever be, an issue about me and how I look in front of other parents or what other parents might say about what my child did. If other parents are going to talk, so be it. I just hope that the talk will be—or one day be—about how they saw God's love, forgiveness and grace in how we handled the situation at hand. That even in the "bad moments" they saw a testimony to the Christian lifestyle we are trying to uphold. That they saw Jesus in us.

That night, my son wrote a prayer for his prayer box. He wrote, "Please help me listen better" in his squiggly-wiggly phonetic spelling. I smiled. I was a very proud mom. And then I wrote one too: "Please help me show God's love better."

Menu Plan. . .

Welcome to another late edition of Menu Plan Monday!

Monday- left-overs (what a way to start the week, hey? Can't you tell this week is going to be a good one?)
Tuesday-sub sandwiches, cut up veggies
Wednesday-Chicken Enchilada Casserole, salad (a good freezer recipe if you double it!)
Thursday-Stir-fry, noodles
Friday- Crock Pot Chicken something. . .
Saturday-?
I found two easy recipes I could try, but I don't know if I want another casserole type deal this week. I'll write them down here to make sure I remember them, maybe I'll try it another time.
Mysterious Pizza Casserole
Easy Pasta Casserole
Sunday (BFS)- French Toast Casserole (gotta use up some left-over bread in the freezer--this recipe is great for those "end pieces" no one likes to eat!)


Last week I tried this new recipe: Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake.
It was delicious!!! (Sorry for the brightly coloured potholder underneath! Wow, that makes the picture look terrible!) The only change I made to it was no croutons on top--I did a mixture of butter and bread crumbs and some Parmesan instead. (It seemed a little more cordon-bleu-ish, and I didn't have any croutons in the house!) That is a recipe I would recommend.

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Learning Letters and Sounds with Flashcards

Being a teacher, I couldn't resist showing these to you! I stumbled upon this idea as I was looking for some baby/sewing tutorials, and thought I should share the work of this talented mom with you! If you are a mom of a preschooler or a care-giver of any sort, read on!

Homemade by Jill is a blog I have visited before. In this post of hers, she shows off these cute little flashcards that she made to teach her son the letters of the alphabet and the sounds each letter makes. I have a son who is reading a bunch already (and not quite in school yet) and a daughter who couldn't care less about letters and numbers. However, the ballerina card was pretty catchy for her, so she looked through them all. :)

Thought I would share them with you. . . the teacher in me thought they were very cute and very useful. Laminate, punch a hole and put them on a ring, and you have an instant "book" to take along with you in the car or to read before bed.

(One warning I do have for you if you are printing them off, the "regular" print option had a few glitches when I tried it. . .some of the letters needed a bit of fixing before laminating.)

*Image taken from Homemade by Jill post (see link above)

Baby Bib & Tag Blanket

I did some sewing again!

Little a has been agreeable during the evenings, and I've had my hubby home to keep him company, so I pulled out my old little sewing machine again!

A bunch of months ago, I showed this project (baby burp blankets):

I made a few more for the other babies being born to friends and family. Then I also tried to make a matching bib. This baby bib project I got from a website I found "Homemade by Jill." But like all tutorials I follow, I had to change it to make it my own.


However, this time, I wasn't 100% happy with my results. I liked it enough to still include it in a gift, but I didn't LOVE it. Jill's were cuter and nicer. Maybe I should have followed hers exactly.

Here was my pattern. I cut out the flannel--same stuff as the receiving blankets I had made. Then I used the same trim and went around the bib (instead of following the tutorial). I ended at the neck back and stitched the rest without the trim. When I made a second one, I did the same, but put a few embellishments on (a button with a tie for decoration on the bottom left corner--where was my camera that time??? It was a bit cuter!)

So, yah. It was cute, it was fine, but it wasn't one of those projects I am jumping to make more of immediately.

Then when I had little a, my friend gave me this little pacifier blanket that she had made. I LOVED it! I had seen one a few weeks before (compliments of my little nephew from the Midwest) and thought that this was a project I could find on the net and make, but then little a came a little too early, so . . . that never happened!

Thankfully my friend is so super creative and crafty and gifted one for little a! (And I love, love, love the soft minky material!!!) Little a is now at that age where he is holding it and sleeping with it, so he love, love, loves it too! A super great gift!

So, a bunch of months/weeks/days later, I decided I wanted to still give it a try--to try to make one of these, but to make one that matched the blankets I had been making. So, here is my go at it:

The first thing I learned is that you should not sew if you still have a super bad case of mommy-head and lack of sleep. I made a huge obvious mistake that I can't believe I am actually admitting to on my blog. I sewed it all wrong!

The following is step two--not step one as I tried!

I sewed the binding on to the sides first. This obviously doesn't work when you need to sew the tags on the other sides later. Oops!

So here is my binding (see the unfinished white edge?). . .that I needed to take apart on all the corners later on. It still finished nicely, just double the work. Next time, I'll do a better job!

So, this part would be your first step. . .

Cut the ribbons for your "tags" or loops.

Have your fabric right sides together. (I used a square that was about a foot or a foot and a half square.) Pin one of the ribbons (folded as a loop to the edge that you want to sew). I pinned four tags on one edge. The "bad ends" were even with the edge of the fabric.

Then sew across the edge of the fabric. I tried taking a picture in the light so you could see my tags through the fabric. I did this to opposite ends (the top and the bottom).

Now is the time that you would want to turn the fabric inside out so the good side is showing and the tags are sticking out as shown. Then you want to sew the binding onto the sides of the blanket! Finishing the corners. . .you'll have to fold them under and hand-sew them if you want a neat, tidy finish, or you can just leave them with a cut edge at the end.(I opted for the neat edge; the original tutorial I used for the burp blankets, she made her edges just raw and cut). Then I finished off the tag blankets by stitching across the top and bottom edges about a 1/4 inch down from the edge.

And the finished project:

Baby Bib &Tag Blanket, Part 2

Just wanted to show some follow-up work. . .

Above, on the right is a burp cloth and a tag blanket as described in above previous post.
On the left. . .I had a bit of fabric left over, but not enough to do anything with, so I used it as the tag blanket "background", and made it with no cute border and a bit smaller. It is just top stitched around the entire deal. It still matches, so I am happy.

And above, is the boring part of all this blanket making. . .the creation of the binding. Lots of ironing and folding and measuring (Using an old, rickety, stained mini-ironing board. . .it was great back in my college days, and small enough to easily store. Maybe next on my list of sewing projects should be an ironing board cover. . .)

Summer Reading Reviews

Continuing on our summer reading program with the kids. . .

A few more books we've read for you to take a peek at (from the last two weeks):

Wiggle, Giggle Tickle Train by Nora Hilb and Sharon Jennings

My hubby asked a few weeks ago which is more important in children's picture books/story books: the writer or the illustrator? I said both, and this book definitely demonstrates that. The words are a little rhyming jingle accompanied by a drawn (okay pencil crayons and watercolour as the media) picture of kids being imaginative and creative. On the opposite page, is a photograph taken that is of the "same thing" in real life. Example, on the one page where it talks about a train and the train noises and actions, the "drawn" picture is about kids making trains out of household objects and their imagination. The photo is obviously a real train. There are a few creative ones that my E had to think about the connection between the two. Cool book! On a mommy level it is neat to see pictures of imaginative play and know your kids do the same thing. . .or a variation of such imaginative play!

Once I Ate A Pie by P. McLauchlan and E. McLauchlan Chrest; illustrated by Katy Schneider

This book is about a bunch of dogs. We chose this one from the Library because my son had developed a HUGE fear of dogs (we may have a few in our neighborhood who like to yap a LOT and nibble at ankles! An aside, for all you dog owners out there. . .please keep your dogs on leashes when they are on the streets!!!) So, one idea to help calm his fears was to get a few "dog" books. This one is a cute one, as the photos of the dogs are very well done (E could pick out each dog and compare it to one of the dogs he knows of) and the "story" are all thoughts of dogs--nice ones and naughty ones! Each page is the thoughts of the one dog pictured. It starts with a puppy, and ends with the same one as a dog. . .making the story have a bit of a circular or cyclic feel.

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback

This author/illustrator also does the book The House that Jack Built. As you can see, it earned itself an honour. . .and I agree. The moral of the story is that "you can always make something out of nothing" and describes this in a very creative and cute way. The part that E and Princess A liked best, was that there are "holes" in the book. . .yes, the one object keeps being re-purposed until it becomes so small and lost. They loved finding the hole on each page and seeing what the new thing was. It is easy reading, a little repetitive, and was a great book for my little reader. Taback includes an explanation about how he re-did this book into this very one and it also includes a folk song in the back for which the story is based on. Me, being the musician and singer that I am, will save that for another fine reader of the book. . .words are easy. . .notes on a staff=not so much!

Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella by Paul Fleischman; illustrated by Julie Paschkis

For my Princess A, we need to find "princess books" when we go to the library. She enjoyed this book, but it was way beyond her understanding. This is definitely a picture book for an older crowd! The author tells the story of Cinderella, but tells each part of it in the way different countries around the world have passed on the story. Confusing for preschoolers, but an amazing teaching tool for fantasy literature and fairy tales for older grade levels.

The illustrator does something similar. Each part of the story is illustrated based on what the words say (ie: if the glass slipper as we know it is a golden sandal, then it is illustrated as just that), but she incorporates the name of the country in her illustration, and has used folk art traditions of each of these countries as well. I don't claim to be an artist by any means, but I was impressed with the way this books was done--how much research and authenticity must have gone into both the writing and the artwork. This book is definitely a teaching tool and a work to enjoy.

Pinkalicious by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann

Super great story for Princess A! It included all the girl-y, frilly, princess-y features needed to please an aspiring little girl of imaginative royalty! I swear this book could have been about my own daughter. . .a very creative story, a very real problem to solve, very creative solution, very colourful and exciting pictures, and just plain cute! I can't wait to read the "purple" version story by the same authors. . .and any others that are out.

Babies: All You Need To Know by Deborah Helligman; illustrated by Lauren Freeman

With a baby is the house, I thought this would be a great little book to read with the kids. . .and it was. This books is a National Geographic book (much to the humor of my husband!) and pretty much summarizes everything tasteful about a baby that a sibling should know. I was quite impressed with it and with the pictures. In the back, there are also a few pages about how those reading or listening to the story can be a baby-scientist. E LOVED that part. . .getting paper and pencil and making some observations. . .very good connection to real part of learning. I'm assuming there are other topics of this kind of book, and I would recommend them as a choice of literature when beginning science experiments in school. Lots of information, lots of things to observe.

1 2 3 I Can Make Prints by Ireme Luxbacher

This is a great books for any age level. . .it tells you about doing art projects using prints. It begins with easy projects and moved on to harder ones, and then ends with an art project that incorporates each kind of print-making taught in the book. What I liked about this book, too, is that it had a bunch of "art words" (vocabulary) used in art projects and clearly explained what they meant. Not knowing the words or terms didn't stop you from making a project, but allowed you to use the words in making it. The illustrations were bright, exciting and made E and A want to start an art project immediately.

Again, I didn't check at the time, but if there are more to this "set", these would be great books to accompany any art curriculum--lots of new info for younger students; lots of good review and easy reading for older students. In the case of older students, this book could easily accompany a station or centre activity (which there are not a lot of resources on) or an enrichment/work finished type of activity. Good for checking for following directions, understanding what was read and making a final project!

Well, that is all for now. . .happy reading. . .

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday-Potato Soup

I figured it was about time I did one of these posts again. . .



Here is a Baked Potato Soup. If you know me at all, I'm not a big soup fan. It just reminds me too much of. . .well, I won't get into it. But one day at Red Robins (of all places) I decided to order the Baked Potato Soup. I loved it. At a local bar and grill I ordered the same thing. . .loved it. So, then I decided I needed to find a recipe that I loved. . .and that was close to these ones that I loved so much!



This is what I came up with. . .it's based on a Best of Bridge recipe, I think. . .but that was so long ago, that it has been changed somewhat by my own tastes!



Here is my recipe:
4-8 large potatoes--depending on how many extras you have. . .what do you do with one potato in the pantry?
1/2 c. celery, diced. Only, we don't like celery, so I add it if I have it. I do always add 1/2 cup of carrots and corn.
1/2 c. onion, diced
1-1/2 or 2 c. water
4 chicken boullion cubes (or left over packets from those noodle soups)
1/2 t. salt
2 c. milk (or more, depending on how thin or thick you like your soup)
1 T. flour
2 c. sour cream
parsley or green onions
other baked potato toppings

*Peel potatoes, dice potatoes and put them in a large pot. Add other vegetables, onion, water, boullion cubes and salt. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender (about 20 minutes).


*Remove from stove and mix with an electric mixer until the mixture is a smooth paste. Or--the way I prefer it--use a potato masher in the pan until it is a bit chunky. Add 1 cup of milk and heat again. In a medium bowl, blend he sour cream with the flour. Stir in 1 cup of milk. Slowly add this too the soup mixture a bit at a time. Heat and stir until thickened. If it is too thick for your liking, add a bit more milk. Also, if you are a spices-kind-of-person, you can add more salt, pepper, parsley--whatever you want or whatever might make you happy at this point.

Serve. . .Top with your typical baked potato toppings. For us, we like cheese, sour cream, green onions, bacon, peppers. . .) Serve with garlic bread or a salad. This serves about 6.

I often double the recipe so I have a meal or two for the freezer. I thaw it in the fridge and then heat it up for a quick supper. Because of the sour cream and milk in it, when you are warming it up, be sure to stir it well and often and have milk handy to thin it and make the texture all good again!

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Menu Plan . . . Monday?

Late as always!



From last week. . .


Monday (CP)- Easy BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, buns, corn on the cob

This recipe is super easy and super good. I used a maple syrup BBQ sauce this time, added a few onions and peppers, and voila--a great meal!


Tuesday-hamburgers


Wednesday-corn fritters, sausage, grilled veggies


Thursday-Hamburger Helper (sorry--I have three kids--two kids and one BIG kid-who love it, so we gotta have it every now and then!), beans (from the garden!)


Friday-out!


Saturday-hamburgers again! corn and french fries


Sunday (BFS)-Pancakes, eggs and ham





And this week. . .


Monday(CP)-Teriyaki chicken wings, mashed potatoes and corn

The wings were pretty amazing! I just wanted an easy to make, non-scouring-the pan-after-kind-of recipe, and found the perfect one! Just be careful not to "over-crock" them. . .otherwise the meat falls of the bone and defeats the purpose of eating wings.


Tuesday-Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake, Harvest Potatoes, veggies and dip

This recipe was a try on the whim as I has left-over ham from Sunday and wanted to make a chicken thing. I think the real cordon bleu deals are too much works, so I decided to check if this would be a good replacement. . .and it was. I changed the recipe slightly--I may have added a tablespoon or so of onions and I didn't do the whole croutons on top, but a breadcrumb and butter mixture (1 Cup of crumbs to 2 T butter) instead. Then sprinkled with a bit of Parmesan. We loved it. . . you might too.

I don't recommend having it along with the Harvest Potatoes--two "cheese casseroles" is a little heavy and overkill. For us it was more the convenience of it as I had an hour to make and prepare supper as I had company over before supper and just wanted something that would be ready. (Would have been a good CP night, but . . .then I would have had to have a clear menu plan. . .and with the late post, obviously I don't!)

Wednesday- left-overs or sub sandwiches

Thursday-Spaghetti, garlic toast, salad (from the garden!)


Friday-Pizza


Saturday-???


Sunday (BFS)-french toast casserole, breakfast sausage


Not a lot of excitement here. . just eating out lives away. . .



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