Menu Plan Monday

BREAKFASTS

Cereal, Milk, Juice

LUNCHES

Monday - Pizza, Pears, Milk (Austin cooking)*

Tuesday - Ham & Cheese Sandwiches, Peas, Peaches, Milk

Wednesday - Sausage & Cheese Biscuits, Tater Tots, Applesauce, Milk

Thursday - Chicken Nuggets, Peas, Strawberries, Milk

Friday - Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Hash Browns, Fruit Cocktail, Toast, Milk (Austin cooking)*

Saturday - Roast Beef Sandwiches, Tater Tots, Blueberries, Milk

DINNERS

Monday - Beef Stroganoff, Corn, Grapes, Cinnamon Rolls, Milk (Amanda cooking)*

Tuesday - Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Milk

Wednesday - Pizza Rolls, Corn, Cheese Cake, Milk (Amanda cooking)*

Thursday - Slow Cooker Taco Chicken Soup, Vegetables & Dip, Biscuits, Milk

Friday - Pot Roast, Applesauce, Bread, Milk

Saturday - Baked Potato Bar, Salad, Bread, Milk

SNACKS

Bananas, Grapes, Apples, Graham Crackers, Oyster Crackers, Popcorn, Milk, Juice

*Austin and Amanda each plan and prepare two meals a week.

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Meet Me On Monday

Meet Me on Monday is hosted by Java at Never Growing Old and is fun way to learn to know each other better. Here are this week's questions and answers.

Crunchy or soft tacos?

Crunchy! I love crunchy tacos.

Do you scrapbook?

I don't scrapbook. I sometimes wish I could get into scrapbooking but somehow it just isn't in my blood.

Do you take any daily medications?

I take Paxil too control my OCD. I am so fortunate that it does a wonderful job and my life before and after Paxil are as different as day and night.

What is your favorite sound?

Does silence count? Because sometimes I long for silence. But seriously, my favorite sound would have to be the voices of my family.

Where were you born?

I was born and have lived all my life in Virginia.

Proverbs 31:14

She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. Proverbs 31:14

I'm struggling a little with this verse because I'm not sure how to apply this to my life.

One commentary that I read suggests that this verse means that the food she buys is bought with money that she has had a hand in earning. It also suggests that it means she provides a variety of food from many different places. Variety provides interest and a broader range of healthy nutrients for the family.

I like this commentary that describes her as having the art of such ships as sail away and bring goods and wares from a distance. She displays an enterprising, prudent spirit. She brings in what is necessary for her family, even if it is from a distance.

There is a lot to ponder here and I guess that is what I will be doing this week, as I look to see how this applies to my life.

Link for more thoughts on Proverbs 31.

I would love to hear (read) some thoughts from others.



Thank You

Taking a moment to thank my husband -

For going with us to skate town Monday evening even though we would get home late and you had to be at work early Tuesday morning.

For helping us plant garden Tuesday evening . . .

. . . and tilling up some more ground for me when I said I thought we would need more room.

For helping Michael put together his model fire truck.

For trimming our straggly looking shrubs into something a little tamer.

You do so much for us and we really do appreciate it.



Planted By Streams of Water

Blessed is the man who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither - whatever they do prospers.

Psalm 1:1-3

10 Science Websites for Kids

Extreme Science - This site has a variety of articles, some with videos to go with them, on a many different science topics. Most of the articles deal with extremes in science, as the name of the site suggests. This is one that my daughter will enjoy and my son, who struggles with reading, will appreciate the video component.

Popular Science - This site is best suited for older students, but is full of articles, photo galleries and videos about a variety of technological science.

The Rudiments of Wisdom Encyclopedia - This is the link to the Science section of The Rudiments of Wisdom Encylopedia. Here there is an alphabetical list of science subjects, which, when clicked on will take you to an explanation of the subject in cartoon form.

The Science Explorer - Fun science experiments and activities that can be done with things found around the house.

ScienceMonster - While this site is still under construction there are some good resources available here, with more on the way.

Sea and Sky - Exploring the Splendors of the Sea and Wonders of the Universe.

Exploratorium - The musuem of science, art and human perception. There is lots and lots of cool stuff here.

Science News for Kids - Science News for Kids helps kids keep up with current scientific discoveries and theories.

National Geographic for Kids - National Geographic for Kids is one of my very favorite learning sites. There are so many resources here, fun games, videos, great photos, and all presented in a way that holds a child's attention.

Thankful Thursday

I have so many things to be thankful for that sometimes it's hard to know where to start with the thanks.

I am thankful for the warm spring weather we've had recently and the signs of spring that are showing up more and more every day.

I am thankful that we were able to plant some of the early things - carrots, beets and peas - in our garden earlier this week.

I am thankful for trips to the park . . .

. . . and to the top of the mountain.

I am thankful for the delicious meals that my Austin and Amanda cook - what a blessing not to have to cook every meal myself anymore.

I am thankful for our yard full of birds . . .

. . . and our much loved cat who never catches one no matter how hard he tries.

I am thankful for a roof that no longer leaks,

And for my dear husband who works so hard to take care of his family.

But most of all I am thankful for a Heavenly Father who loves me so much He provided me with all these blessings.

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Paper Village

I've been wanting to print the little paper city for the kids to play with and yesterday I finally got it printed and cut out. Older kids could cut it out for themselves but my little group is too young to tackle this type of cutting.

I made each child a set and this morning I got it out for them to play with. One thing I did different than shown in the instructions was to glue the little people onto small popsicle sticks. I thought they would be easier for my gorup of kids to handle that way. I used regular printer paper but I'm sure that thicker paper would be even better.

But they had a lot of fun. I had crayons available for the to decorate their cities if the wanted too but left it up to them.

They had a lot of fun with this paper playset and I'm sure we'll be playing with them more and adding to them.

Links to paper city printables

Paper City

Vehicles

Helicopter

Sidney Opera House and Luna Park

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Letting Go and Restoring Rest

I've been thinking a lot recently about who it is that God really wants me to be.

I have a lot of ideas about the person that I should be. I should be the person who keeps the house clean, the laundry washed, dried, folded and put away, and who puts delicious nutritious food on the table for each meal. I should be the person who decorates the house for each holiday, plans wonderful parties for each child's birthday and never forgets an important date.

But I'm not that person. Dishes sit in my sink more often than I'd like and my son comes to ask me if I know where any clean socks are. I am not a party planner or big decorator. These things just do not come naturally to me. Oh, I do them when the need becomes great enough but they are not what makes my spirit soar or my soul sing.

What does?

Writing, even though it is an art I have far from perfected, fills me with energy. Reading good books nourishes my soul. Learning with my children brings joy to my heart. Discussions with friends are important to my mental well being. All of these are reflections of who I am and the person God made me to be.

So even though there will always be those things that I must do even though they do not come naturally to me I will let go of the expectation of being perfect at them.  I will instead embrace the me that God created and know the He does not make mistakes. I will rest in the fact that He loves me and made me who I am for a reason.

I will let go of the need to be like others I admire, and rest in knowing that I am good enough just the way I am. I will let go of needing others to approve of me and rest in the approval of my Creator. I will let go of the pressure to be like that mother or wife and rest in being the mother and wife that created me to be in this family.

This is where I belong and who I am supposed to be and here is where I will find rest.

And now, I'd love to know, who did God create you to be?

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The Confiscation Bin

When we moved into this house we declared it a fresh start in dealing with clutter. We all agreed that we wanted to work harder at keeping things neat and tidy.

One of the ways we've done this is too get rid of a lot of things by giving them away or throwing them away.

Another way we've worked on this issue is by setting up a "confiscation bin." It's not the most creative title but it does work.  

The rules are simple.

1. Do not leave your things lying around.

2. If you do leave your things lying around another family member can pick them up and put them in the confiscation bin.

3. Mom and Dad are not exempt.

4. To redeem an item from the confiscation bin the owner must first complete a job from the job jar.

The job jar has a variety of jobs that need to be done from time to time but do not always get done in the day to day routine. Things like "clean under the living room couch" or "wash windows in upstairs hallway."

While we all have found our things in the confiscation bin (notice my shoes that I kicked off after church Sunday now waiting redemption in the bin) it has greatly reduced our quantity of clutter.

And, as I'm sure you can imagine, the kids get a great delight out of finding things that belong to one of the adults and making a big deal out of confiscating it. But we get a good laugh, acknowledge we're human too, and pick a job from the job jar.

It works for us.

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