Blog Archives
22
Jan
So, I’ve mentioned once or twice that I’m refining our dietary habits, partly out of health consciousness and partly out of necessity due to food allergies. As a result, I am becoming a alternative cookbook hoarder. But it’s all digital, so no fear of my kids getting buried in a landslide of heavy books. Digital is also super easy to peruse recipes, bookmark interesting ones, and keep track of the whole collection. The same cannot be said of traditional, hardbound cookbooks.
My best friend who has never talked to me nor knows me in real life in any way, Katie Kimball, [ ... ]
Category: Book Recommendations, Cooking, Family Life, Parenting
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21
Jan
Today is Day 18 of the 30 Days to Less Stuff and More Life Challenge. If you want to jump in, go get the book at Amazon, Simple Living – 30 days to less stuff and more life.
There is more to life than stuff. That’s a no-brainer, so let’s talk about relationships today. The true wealth of a person’s life is measured in relationships, not money or possessions.
So, rather than concentrate on acquiring more stuff or multi-tasking the day away, I want to invest in real-life relationships. Such an investment won’t fade in the sun, wear out with over-use, or [ ... ]
14
Jan
When my husband and I got married, I was not a great cook. Capable, for the most part, but not great. Over the past 16 years, I have improved a lot. It didn’t happen overnight. But each year, we made minor changes, sometimes major changes, to our diet. I took cooking classes, not because I was so horrible, but just because I enjoyed learning new techniques and trying new cuisines. I gathered a few recipes from here and there, and we have a somewhat eclectic recipe selection now.
I started baking most of our own bread six or seven years ago [ ... ]
Category: Cooking, Family Life, Health, Parenting
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07
Jan
Life gets complicated, and I’m always looking for ways to streamline my meals. Usually it feels like rowing upstream. However, I employ a few tricks that have a return on investment in the time management department. A few extra minutes here often saves an hour later. That adds up!
Cook extra. Doubling a dinner recipe not only gives me twice the amount, it provides another meal, either for lunch later in the week or a freezer meal on a night I don’t have time to cook.
Use the crockpot. When cooking for a crowd, like I do every day, I use the [ ... ]
05
Jan
Today is Day 17 of the 30 Days to Less Stuff and More Life Challenge. If you want to jump in, go get the book at Amazon, Simple Living – 30 days to less stuff and more life.
Okay, so I took a break from decluttering, or at least writing about decluttering, but we’re back on track now. Day 17 is a no-brainer. Clearn off the front of the refrigerator.
I think a person’s personality is reflected in how many magnets she has on her refrigerator. It’s definitely directly proportional to how many kids she has. That should give you a hint about [ ... ]
04
Jan
Just the word, “chores,” evokes a fight or flight response in most children. And even in many adults. Chores have gotten a bum rap in the last generation or two. My parents grew up pulling their own weight at home from a very young age, and it didn’t stunt their growth or make them cross-eyed. However, the next few generations missed not only the reasoning behind chores but also the results they produce.
Who believes money grows on trees? I don’t think I need to burst anyone’s bubble here. It’s not the money I’m talking about. Just like money doesn’t appear [ ... ]
Category: Family Life, Parenting
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26
Dec
I think most people gravitate toward safety by default. Sure, you might have the toddler who climbs everything with a toe hold, but very often he, or she in my case, decides sooner or later that falling isn’t much fun. As parents, we may also discipline this daring streak out of them. Or, if they make it past those two speed bumps, then peers usually conform the adventurer to some form of passivity.
I believe this is akin to a slow killing of the soul. If you don’t dream, you don’t grow. If you don’t grow, you stagnate. Once you stagnate, [ ... ]
Category: Christian Living, Family Life, Parenting
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23
Dec
I recently spent the weekend at the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort at the Tremaine Dance Convention with my oldest daughter. I also attended dance conventions when I was in high school. I know, that was a long time ago.
When I was a kid, I loved dance. I had a wonderful dance teacher, Miss Linda. She had beautiful long black hair, and she passed a love of dance and music on to her students. In turn, I searched for a dance studio for my girls with the same love and values I had grown up with. I found it at The [ ... ]
Category: Christian Living, Family Life, Home School, Parenting
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15
Dec
We have accumulated lots of Christmas decorations over the almost 15 years of our marriage. We didn’t have much when we got started, and my husband decided we needed everything right away. I wanted to build our stash a little more slowly with meaningful decorations. We kind of did both. He went to the after Christmas sale and bought a cart-full of Disney ornaments, one of my least favorite themes in the world. I pick out yearly ornaments to commemorate our growing family. Every year each child gets a special ornament with her name and year on it, and we [ ... ]
04
Dec
I’m sure somewhere there is someone who hasn’t worn braces, but that wouldn’t be me. I, in fact, have worn braces not once, not twice, but three times. My husband is on his second round. My oldest daughter has braces now, and I have at least one in the wings waiting her turn. My philosophy: A good parent lines up a good orthodontist. And a good orthodontist knows pay dirt when she sees us.
My first round of braces was the oh-so-chic, over-the-head metal frankenstein-looking variety. With my curly frizzy hair, I was the picture of teenage awkardness. My second [ ... ]
Category: Family Life, Health, Parenting
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