tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60364026779664778802024-03-05T11:50:40.237-08:00Homemaking PilgrimBlessed is the man whose strength is in you, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. Psalms 84:5Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.comBlogger604125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-17313776401663646862016-07-20T19:59:00.001-07:002016-07-20T19:59:12.817-07:00Menu PlanThe blog's been pretty quiet as life has been really busy lately. First of all, we moved! More about that in another post. Summer is flying by, and we are trying to take advantage of it by going to the beach and lake every chance we get. We moved from the flat, treeless prairies to an area surrounded by forests and clear lakes with sandy beaches. We absolutely love the community we are in and have found a great church and have felt beyond welcomed by the people here. I would be happy to settle here, but if there's one thing I've hopefully learned, it's to hold all my plans with an open hand. In the meantime, I appreciate Jim Elliot's quote,<br />
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“Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”</h1>
My health has been not-so-great lately, and I finally decided to head to the doctor about it. Turns out some of the test results were a little wonky, and so I'm in the middle of going through a few more tests while waiting for a few more results to come in. It's doesn't look too serious, per say, but it will definitely mean lifestyle changes will have to be made.<br />
<br />
Monday: Grilled Steak, Blueberry Balsamic Salad, Potatoes for everyone else<br />
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Tuesday: Grilled Salmon, Salad, Potatoes for everyone else<br />
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Wednesday: Baked Meatless Ziti<br />
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Thursday: Tandoori Chicken (on the grill), Cucumber Raita Salad, Rice<br />
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Friday: Leftvovers<br />
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Saturday: Pizza<br />
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Sunday: Something Simple<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-80956744717464294992016-04-21T12:13:00.000-07:002016-04-21T12:13:41.677-07:00Menu PlanEmbarrassingly, I fell off the Trim Healthy Mama wagon after Week 1. I really should have known better. I simply like cooking (and eating) all types of food far too much for me to succeed long-term on such a plan. I do like and use some of their ideas, but I'm back to good old strict calorie counting, portion control, and intense exercising. Though I don't love it, and I know the results will likely take longer than I hope, it's probably my best shot at long-term, sustainable success. Time will tell.<br />
<br />
Here are my meal ideas for the next couple of weeks based on what I have on hand:<br />
<br />
<b>This Last Week</b><br />
Monday: <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/187110559492430629/">Swedish Meatballs</a>, Noodles, Veggies<br />
Tuesday: Leftovers and Pizza Bread (using sourdough bread in fridge)<br />
Wednesday Tuna Stroganoff over Rice, Veggies<br />
Thursday: <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/231565/meaty-stuffed-pepper-casserole/">Stuffed Pepper Casserole</a> (modified a bit), Salad<br />
Friday: Pizza (using sourdough bread in fridge) & Salad<br />
Saturday: Leftovers<br />
Sunday: Leftovers<br />
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<b>Next Week (a very busy week for us)</b><br />
Monday: <a href="http://www.plainchicken.com/2010/08/creamy-grilled-chicken-piccata.html?m=1">Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata</a> over Penne, Asparagus, Salad<br />
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Tuesday: Crockpot Beef Burgundy, Mashed Potatoes, Mixed Veggies</div>
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Wednesday: Leftovers</div>
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Thursday: Easy Crockpot Roast (makes its own gravy), Mashed Potatoes, Veggies</div>
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Friday: Leftovers</div>
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Saturday: Pizza</div>
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Sunday: TBD</div>
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<b>Other Meal Ideas</b> (Based on What I have on Hand)</div>
Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu, Mashed Potatoes, Veggies<br />
<a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/bacon-wrapped-smoked-gouda-stuffed-chicken-breasts-111169">Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts stuffed with Smoked Gouda</a>, Asparagus, Baked Potatoes<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-51742383796909520182016-04-05T10:09:00.002-07:002016-04-05T10:09:57.059-07:00Menu Plan & Starting THM (again!)I can hardly believe where we are in life right now. It is so interesting how God works and leads us. I can truly say that I never would have expected us to be where we are right now, but nearly 3 weeks in, and the journey has been wonderful so far. Over 2 years of praying for God's clear direction and seeing so many of our prayers answered with no and then finally a clear yes while other doors that we pursued were closed. (One door we had been pursuing was closed literally 10 minutes before our yes answer.). Details about what we are currently up to will likely follow on the blog in the future, but for now, those who know me in person are welcome to call or message me to find out more.<br />
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Also, you will likely notice Trim Health Mama (THM) friendly meals this week. I have wavered back and forth and back and forth about this. I have tried the THM way of eating before, had success, fell of the train. I had previously decided it just wasn't for me. Last summer I had a small amount of success losing a few pounds with calorie counting, low carbing, and pretty restricted portion control. However, I ended up gaining all the weight back <i>plus ten pounds more</i>. The reality is I'm currently at my heaviest non-pregnant weight, and I just don't feel good about where I'm at. I want to be fit and healthy and have just really struggled to figure this all out and have lasting success. I am going to try THM again, but I am making no promises for a lasting commitment or for this to be "it".<br />
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Here are my reasons for trying it again:<br />
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1) <b>Lower-carb seems to work better for me than calorie-counting at this point in my life</b>. After my first was born, I had great success with strict calorie counting and exercise. I lost a lot of weight and kept it off for quite awhile (even after my 2nd was born, I lost most of my baby weight that way). After my third baby, calorie counting just hasn't seemed to work well for me anymore. Perhaps I am insulin-resistant or something... Several months ago I again tried calorie counting and lots of exercise, had minimal success, but I felt like I was very hungry all the time. When I eat the THM way, I am not terribly hungry all the time. THM is actually not low-carb, but I would consider it lower-carb as it does cut out pretty much all processed sugar, grains, and flour. Brown rice, sprouted or sourdough bread is allowed, though, in the right setting, so it is not an extreme low-carb eating plan.<br />
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<b>2) With THM</b>,<b> I can eat most of my favourite foods with only a few adjustments: </b>The biggest and hardest change for me is probably giving up sugar and taco chips. I need to get used to the sugar-substitutes again, which does take a bit of an adjustment. Truvia is my favourite on-plan substitute. I can still have pizza (just have to use reduced-fat cheese and sourdough bread). I can still make my favourite cream-based pasta sauces and will just use zucchini noodles or dreamfields low-carb pasta instead. I think if I toast a Joseph's pita, I could come up with a half-decent taco chip and salsa alternative. If that fails, there's always crispy cheese chips (literally, shredded cheese baked in mounds into a chip that is super tasty <i>cause cheese is just awesome</i>). A big part of THM is just rearranging the foods you eat so that the carbs and fats are separate and finding ways to make my favourite foods THM-friendly. This is doable for me....I think.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>3) Buying some of the special THM items is much easier now than it used to be</b>. THM has become so popular that they now carry their own products, which are now easily ordered online. I know they aren't necessary to have in order to follow the plan, but I'm busy and need convenience in order to have this actually work. I also now feel more at ease with spending a bit more on groceries in order to make this work and my health to improve. Sadly, simple carbs (bread, pasta, white sugar, white flour, & potatoes) are some of the cheapest groceries and dairy and vegetables (and sugar substitutes like Truvia) are more expensive. So, in my opinion, in order to make THM easy to follow, it requires more grocery money.<br />
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<b>4) I can make nearly all our favourite meals THM-friendly </b>for myself by simply avoiding some of the side dishes my family will enjoy and adding in a salad.<br />
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<b>5) I'm going to allow myself some cheats once in a while. </b>My summer will include roll kuchen. No other explanation necessary.<br />
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Here is our menu plan for the week:<br />
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<b>Monday</b>: <a href="http://www.tasteslovely.com/best-stir-fry-sauce/">Beef & Vegetable Stir Fry over Rice</a>. I had mine over 2 packages of shiratake noodles.<br />
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<b>Tuesday</b>: BLT's and Potato Wedges. I will have mine in a Joseph's lavash bread wrap and have salad instead of potato wedges (I would have turnip wedges if I have them, but I don't).<br />
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<b>Wednesday: </b>Beef Burgundy, Mashed Potatoes, Veggies, Salad (I will skip potatoes)\<br />
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<b>Thursday</b>: Leftovers<br />
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<b>Friday</b>: Pizza (using sourdough bread that I will start fermenting on Tuesday)<br />
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<b>Saturday</b>: Tacos (I'll have mine on lavash bread wrap instead of white tortilla shell)<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-3892828452265292252016-02-12T15:19:00.004-08:002016-02-12T15:19:40.098-08:002015 Reflections (A Difficult Post to Write)I've been working on this post since January, and even though it's long past the normal time to write New Years type posts, let's just say I'm normally behind on these types of things. haha. On-time birthday cards, Christmas letters/pictures, etc. has just not been my thing these past few years. <br />
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2015, especially the first half, was an extremely difficult year for me. Thankfully, the year ended much better than it began.<br />
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2015 was the year I hit rock bottom. During my last pregnancy (2013 & part of 2014), I started to feel very "off". I would sit on my bathroom floor in the dark and cry for a very long time, praying and fighting the emotions I was feeling. I just kept telling myself that this was a "normal" part of pregnancy and having 2 little kids and that once I wasn't pregnant, I would feel more normal again. I was not upfront about how dark I was truly feeling. I just kept telling myself to toughen up and stop overreacting because life with little kids is hard for everyone. I felt an incredible burden of guilt and frustration for not being "tough enough" for motherhood and figured I just needed to deal with it "like an adult." I say these things in quotations because I understand now how wrong I was in my thinking.<br />
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In a flurry of stomach-flu chaos, I gave birth in early 2014. Instead of bonding with my baby and recovering properly, I spent the first week after her birth cleaning up after the stomach flu. It was one of the hardest weeks of my life. I thought I'd feel better once i was no longer pregnant, but instead, I started to feel more off than ever before. Life changes, a baby who screamed for hours every night nearly all night for 18 months, the responsibilities that come with managing a home and caring for 3 small kids, and extreme sleep deprivation worsened the downward spiral that had begun when I was pregnant. <i> </i>2014 was very, very hard, and the incredible "difficultness" worsened until I finally reached rock bottom in early summer 2015. The first half of 2015 being the worst days I have ever been through.<br />
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I felt disconnected from life in every way. A walking shell of a person is how I would describe myself. I could hardly be dragged out of the house to go anywhere. I didn't want to do anything or go anywhere and only wanted to be alone all the time. The spark was gone. I thought about my 20-year-old self and saw zero resemblance to the person I was now. My poor husband would come home for lunch and find his wife sobbing on the bed because I didn't want to pick the kids up from their activities or because I had to go to the grocery store. Just the thought of leaving the house for any reason, no matter how trivial, would literally make my legs feel ice cold, skin tingle, and make me feel like I couldn't breathe. I had anxiety attacks over the smallest of tasks. Going to the grocery store felt like I was dragging a thousand pound weight behind me. I would park in the parking lot, sit in my car, and cry for 10 minutes, then feel guilty over "what's the big deal. It's just a stupid grocery store" and then give myself a pep talk before forcing myself to go inside, heart-pounding, elephant sitting on my chest, so to speak. Any time I was around people, even my closest family, I felt like I was trapped inside a glass box and observing everyone else...feeling incredibly disconnected in every way. I felt so unlike myself, it is actually really hard to describe. I was really not doing well. I will not get into it all on here, but this blog post is a little glimpse of how I was feeling. Postpartum depression and anxiety. I had heard all about it, but I never thought I'd also be one to experience it.<br />
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I finally knew I needed to get help. Changes were made in summer 2015. Changes that were, and still are, hard. New habits and ways of doing life are never easy. I learned that self-care is not selfish. I'm not talking about weekends at the spa, pedicures, shopping trips, and things like that, though those things are not bad. I'm talking about even the very basics like 20 minutes alone to read a book a few times a week. Or, 15 minutes to jog around the neighbourhood alone while someone else watches the kids. The biggest thing I learned, and am still learning, was to be kind to myself. I also realized that I'm more of an introvert (an <a href="http://www.16personalities.com/intj-personality">INTJ for those Meyers-Briggs </a>geeks out there), an out-going introvert is how I would describe myself. Being around people all the time really burns me out. My husband is an extrovert, a quieter, more serious extrovert as I'm definitely the louder and goofier one of the two! :-). Being around people 24/7 energizes him. He could spend all day working around people and then still want to go out and do something or hang out with friends to relax. It's not that I am shy or don't like to spend time with people, but if I don't have moments of quiet solitude completely alone, I find that I get absolutely exhausted in every way.<br />
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I am doing so much better these days, mentally. I praise the Lord for this. I can look at a sunrise and feel a sense of happiness. At Christmas I was visiting and playing games and felt connected.....like I was finally inside my body and inside the room. I do not believe I ever felt the feeling "happy" during the past two years of depression until I finally got help. I could pretend and appear to be happy, but I never really "felt it". It is so very hard to explain. I am finally starting to feel like myself again. I can feel emotions...all of them....again. I am also grateful I finally got the help I needed and have gained a much better understanding of what others struggling with depressing/anxiety during and after pregnancy might be going through.<br />
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2016 is looking like it will be a year of change. Big changes are coming for our family, and I know I will need to rely on God (as I always do) to help me through what will be some incredibly difficult and emotional days ahead. We are starting 2016 with anticipation and excitement as to where the Lord is leading us. It is a smorgasborg of emotions, but I am grateful for God's clear direction and guiding hand in our life.<br />
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That's all for now!Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-39697144683927830202016-02-09T17:56:00.003-08:002016-02-09T17:56:52.947-08:00Menu Plan<br />
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Life has felt so busy lately, but it has been good. I'm going to make my best effort to enjoy the little things these days since life is likely to get much crazier in the near future. <br />
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Here's the plan for this week:<br />
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Monday: Crockpot Butter Chicken, Homemade Naan Bread, Rice, Broccoli <i>(This meal is very quick to prepare and is a definite family favourite) </i><br />
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Tuesday: Leftovers<br />
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Wednesday: Bowtie Alfredo Pasta, Salad<br />
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Thursday: Tacos<br />
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Friday: Pizza & Salad<br />
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Saturday: Chili & Cornbread, Salad<br />
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Sunday: Leftovers<br />
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Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-28893352136038506692016-01-25T22:07:00.001-08:002016-01-25T22:07:30.889-08:00Menu Plan Monday: Lasagna & Caesar Salad<br />
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Tuesday: <a href="http://www.melskitchencafe.com/honey-roast-chicken/">Honey Roast Chicken</a>, Mashed Potatoes, & Steamed Broccoli<br />
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Wednesday: Leftover Lasagna<br />
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Thursday: Leftover Chicken<br />
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Friday: Pizza<br />
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Saturday: Leftovers or Tuna Melts<br />
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Sunday: Going Out to Eat<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-80743803151311507422016-01-19T13:57:00.003-08:002016-01-19T13:57:29.855-08:00Menu PlanMonday: Stuffed Peppers, Grilled Cheese<br />
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Tuesday: Crockpot Honey Balsamic Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Potatoes, Gravy, Veggies<br />
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Wednesday: Leftovers<br />
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Thursday: Tuna Melts & Sweet Potato Fries<br />
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Friday: Pizza<br />
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Saturday: Leftovers/Chicken Noodle Soup<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-8644525508632569112016-01-03T16:57:00.001-08:002016-01-03T16:57:57.706-08:00Menu PlanSunday: Waffles & Saskatoon Berry Sauce<br />
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Monday: Beef Burgundy, Mashed Potatoes, Veggies (didn't get made last week)<br />
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Tuesday: Leftovers<br />
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Wednesday: <a href="http://www.skinnykitchen.com/recipes/amazing-balsamic-glazed-salmon/">Balsamic Glazed Salmon</a>, Rice, Steamed Broccoli, Tossed Salad<br />
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Thursday: Tuna Melts & Sweet Potato Fries<br />
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Friday; Potato Soup & Biscuits<br />
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Saturday: Leftovers<br />
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Alternate Meal: Stuffed Peppers (using leftover taco/tomato mix in the freezer)<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-84821255513544679942016-01-01T18:09:00.000-08:002016-01-01T18:09:08.985-08:00New Years Thoughts & ConflictionsIt's a new year, and I can't help but notice that I feel like I can breathe a little easier. I have had a spring in my step ever since I woke up from the glorious nap I had this morning.<br />
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I have also been contemplating a lot today. My emotions are conflicted. Here I am, enjoying the first day of the new year, feeling excited, anticipating fresh starts, and feeling nervously hopeful about 2016. My mind races with thoughts of all the things I'm going to accomplish, all the things I'm going to change in my life, and <i>oh yes, this year things are going to be different.</i> I am immensely bothered by my feelings that are associated with the "new year". What makes me think that I should feel different today, feel like today matters more than yesterday? That the goals I make today are somehow different from the goals I could have made a week ago? I do this all the time. I'll start Monday. I'll start on the first day of the month, I'll start in the New Year. Rarely, do I think <i>I'll start now in this moment</i>. A new year guarantees none of this. It doesn't guarantee things will be different, easier, or more hopeful. There is much futility in it all unless it comes from a true change of heart.<br />
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My own confusion about it all is, well, confusing.<br />
I suppose more than anything, the reason my emotions are so conflicted is because they reveal something about the state of my soul, something that is not very pretty. If my feelings of hope and fresh starts are so strongly associated with a date on the calendar, a "new year", do I really grasp and understand the concept of God's grace...His new mercies? His new mercies that are offered not just once a year, but every morning and every moment in which we are willing to surrender to Him, to repent, to ask for forgiveness. And isn't true hope a reality based on truth and not on feelings? I think it's apparent I have not yet fully grasped the depth of new mercies.<br />
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Still, I will make plans and goals. There is nothing really wrong with having goals as long as we hold our plans and goals with a loose hand and a heart surrendered, seeking His will and not our own.<br />
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And, I am so grateful that God doesn't offer fresh starts only on January 1st.<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-4528276958162535222015-12-29T21:08:00.001-08:002015-12-29T21:08:10.114-08:00Menu Plan This WeekTuesday: Spaghetti with Creamy Tomato Parmesan Sauce<br />
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Wednesday: Beef Burgundy, Mashed Potatoes, Veggies (family favourite)<br />
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Thursday: New Years Eve...not sure yet...maybe Pizza<br />
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Friday: Chicken Enchiladas, Rice, Tossed Salad<br />
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Saturday: Salmon, Rice, Broccoli<br />
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Sunday: Leftovers<br />
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I have a lot of things whirling around my brain that I want to blog about. I just have so little time right now :-). We had a wonderful Christmas and holiday time with our family. On Boxing Day, we bought ourselves an Ipad, which we are all going a bit crazy over :-D. I really, really like it and am having so much fun finding all sorts of apps for all sorts of things. One of my definite favourites is DuoLingo....it is SO MUCH FUN! I am brushing up on my French with it and hoping to become somewhat fluent. I have a thing for languages...I took Spanish and German in university (just intro courses) and enjoyed them so much. Supposedly, 34 hours of Duolingo is equivalent to taking a university course. It's got rave reviews from professors and it a super popular app. It is sort of like a game and I just love sitting down and working through the short lessons. Our kids are really into the Barefoot Atlas right now and are learning all sorts of things. E is loving a certain timed reading app, and is really motivated to read on it and answer comprehension questions. It is the perfect thing for homeschooling and this mama who loves learning all sorts of new things. I know we are already making such great use of it, and I can't wait to add some more great learning tools on it.<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a><br />
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<br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-73035224026642434632015-12-21T18:56:00.001-08:002015-12-21T18:56:33.908-08:00Menu Plan MondayIt's a busy time of year for everyone, but our family tends to keep the Christmas season pretty low-key. I do put up a couple of decorations,but we currently don't put up a tree, I do a little bit of baking (but not overly much), and we are also quite low-key with gifts. From us, each of our kids is getting one gift plus a few stocking stuffers. My husband and I actually don't exchange gifts right now. We prefer to use the money on other things like going on holidays or maybe a bigger item. For example, we are considering buying an Ipad for our whole family this year.<br />
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This year I baked a batch of cinnamon twist cookies (my Dad's favourite that I make for him since my Mom is gluten-free and doesn't bake with gluten anymore) and about 4 dozen old-fashioned cream cookies (a Mennonite tradition & also one of my husband's favourite cookies). The cinnamon twist cookies did not last very long around here and are already gone. Tomorrow I plan to take some time to decorate the cream cookies with the children. If time permits, I will also make up some snowflake sugar cookies that I usually make for Christmas, but I'm not really sure if I'm going to take time for that this year or not. Maybe I'll get around to it at New Years.<br />
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I have decided to keep going with homeschooling instead of taking a few weeks off right now. We will take a few days off (for sure the 25th, 28th, and the 1st,) but I'm hoping to just fit in a bit of extra work in on the other days and keep up as usual. With homeschooling this year, I have found it to be more beneficial for us to take a week off when things get a little crazy or when we are all feeling burned out. Today, we got about 2 1/2 days worth of school work in, so we might be able to make this a 3 day week, which would be great.<br />
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Here's the plan for this week:<br />
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Monday:<a href="http://www.melskitchencafe.com/sweet-and-sour-chicken-updated/"> Sweet & Sour Chicken,</a> Rice, Veggies<br />
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Tuesday: <a href="http://www.melskitchencafe.com/bowtie-chicken-and-asparagus-alfredo/"> Bowtie Broccol</a>i Alfredo<br />
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Wednesday: Tuna Melts, Salad, & Fries<br />
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Thursday: Vegetarian Chili<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-36226710334134729512015-12-07T10:12:00.003-08:002015-12-07T10:12:58.217-08:00My lifeLast week was kind of a tough one for us. One disappointment after another has made it hard for my heart to remain hopeful and optimistic many times. Feeling stuck on a hamster wheel, always trying to get off, is not a fun feeling. My head constantly needs to remind my heart to not trust in my feelings, which all came crashing down on Saturday morning.<br />
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Thoughts affect feelings, so I force myself to think the right thoughts to try and bring my feelings back around again.<br />
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My life exists to bring glory to God, not to bring glory to myself.<br />
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My life exists to point others to Him, not to myself.<br />
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My life exists to know and experience a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.<br />
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My life exists not to live out my plans, but to live out His.<br />
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When I awake in the morning, the sunrise reminds me of my Father, the One who paints the skies, and He reminds me that<i> <b>my life exists,</b></i> and His purpose for me here is not fulfilled.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><br /></a><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">..."being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29368A" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29368A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"> until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6</span></i><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-25955253326370050072015-11-23T09:26:00.000-08:002015-11-23T09:26:19.348-08:00Menu Plan Monday<br />
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Monday: Tuna Melts (one of my new fast favourites), Veggies & Dip <br />
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Tuesday: Chicken Noodle Soup & Biscuits<br />
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Wednesday: Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Veggies<br />
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Thursday: Leftovers<br />
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Friday: Pizza & Caesar Salad<br />
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Saturday: Toasted Southwestern Wraps (Beans & Rice)<br />
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Sunday: Leftovers<br />
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<img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" kasperskylab_antibanner="on" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-52513217848009868362015-11-20T08:29:00.001-08:002015-11-20T08:29:39.444-08:0010 Things <br />
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10 things I'm thankful for.<br />
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1) My winter micro-gel duvet. For the past few years we never even used it because my husband found it to be to warm at night. Now, he is getting older and colder at night, so I get to enjoy my micro-gel duvet once again. I love, love, love this thing.<br />
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2) Hazelnut international delight in my coffee<br />
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3) Sunsets and sunrises and the ability to appreciate them again<br />
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4) Pizza<br />
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5) Uninterrupted showers. Uninterrupted. <br />
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6) The blessing of family close-by<br />
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7) Finding a new-to-us van<br />
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8) A caring church family <br />
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9) The flexibility of home schooling and opportunity to see my kids develop a love for learning and learn alongside them<br />
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10) "Mommy, I want to snuggle with you."<br />
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Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-4414333613741239832015-11-10T12:40:00.003-08:002015-11-10T12:40:51.422-08:00Menu Plan<b>Sunday</b>: Skinny Cabbage Soup & Cinnamon Rolls <i>(Gotta balance it out, right?!)</i><br />
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<b>Monday</b>: Chicken & Rice Casserole (using up some leftover chicken in freezer), Salad, Mixed Veggies<br />
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<b>Tuesday</b>:Sausage, Perogies (Homemade Cottage Cheese for me, Potato for the family)<br />
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<b>Wednesday</b>: Leftovers<br />
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<b>Thursday</b>: <a href="http://damndelicious.net/2014/11/28/beef-noodle-stir-fry/">Beef Noodle Stir Fry </a><br />
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<b>Friday:</b> Homemade Pizza, Veggies & Dip<br />
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<b>Saturday</b>: Leftovers<br />
<br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-45028430096111773472015-11-06T14:51:00.001-08:002015-11-06T14:51:03.645-08:00Glimpse into Our Homeschooling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is a glimpse into a week of our homeschooling life that I captured a few weeks ago.<br />
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First of all, the following is a perfect example of why I love home schooling. On Sunday night of this particular week, we drove home after visiting family and our kids were looking at the stars as we drove home, discussing what stars were, Who made them, and talking about our solar system. When we got home, we put the youngest 2 kids to bed and then took our oldest outside to our back yard to look for the Big Dipper after we had looked it up on the internet and had shown her a picture of it. We then found the North Star (Polaris) and discussed how the North Star was used for navigation. I was pretty excited to find the Little Dipper for the first time - haha! We then tucked her into bed and let her sleep in until she woke up the next morning since we had stayed up late star-gazing. <br />
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Home schooling our 1st grader usually takes about 2 hours a day, 4 days a week. On this particular week I think we fit in her full week of school work into 3 days. The flexibility of home schooling is a huge plus. <br />
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We usually start out the day with our Bible reading & history. In the above picture, she is learning about the Passover. This led to a discussion about how the Passover points us to Jesus, the Lamb of God, and how His blood covers our sin when it's applied to our hearts so that God's judgment will "pass over" us when He sees the blood of Jesus applied to our sins.<br />
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Nathanael often does playdough at the table while we do our lessons. <br />
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Working on her Singapore math workbook. <br />
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Working on Rod & Staff "Going on Eagerly" workbook, which focuses on following directions, thinking skills, cutting and pasting, patterns, etc. Nathanael is looking at a colouring page I printed off.<br />
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We read our chapter book read-aloud (Reddy Fox) during lunch time this day. We read one chapter a day and have discussion questions about the passage to work on listening and comprehension and character building.</div>
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Reading/Phonic lesson for the day. She is using Pathway Readers and workbooks. I usually write new concepts or review concepts on a white board. <br />
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Here she is reading her reading selection for the day from her Pathway Book. <br />
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Working on her Pathway workbook, which has a grammar/spelling/vocab/reading comprehension lesson that corresponds to the passage she was reading in her reader. <br />
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Social Studies. We are working through Canada, My Country curriculum. Lately we have been working on labeling the oceans, talking about the east and west coasts of Canada, finding the St Lawrence River, the Great Lakes, learning provinces, and learning about the Appalachian region of Canada. <br />
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One benefit of home schooling is plenty of time to learn practical skills. She was so excited to peel her own potato!<br />
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Yep, still in pajamas today! This is her Going on Eagerly workbook again. <br />
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Doing a poem with actions to reinforce the history & Bible lessons we are learning this week. <br />
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A Reason for Handwriting Book A, which is a Bible-based printing program. <br />
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Science. Learning about migrating birds & butterflies. Learning about clouds, snow, and rain. <br />
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Doing an experiment with cottonballs and water to understand cloud formation and the water cycle. <br />
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Art time. Here, she is making a quail (which went along with our Bible lesson about God providing the quail and manna in the desert). <br />
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This week she also worked on learning how to clean the bathroom. She has been BEGGING me to teach her this for awhile, so I finally took the time to give her a thorough lesson :-D<br />
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She spent a long time colouring in her calendar today. She loves art & has been really into colouring lately. She also has her history book open (History for Little Pilgrims).I think we were learning about the 10 Commandments & the Golden Calf this day. <br />
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Reading from our chapter book with a little monkey on my lap (she was terribly clingy this day). <br />
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Singapore Math Textbook.<br />
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Number bonds. Learning about Methods of Subtraction. The top picture is her Singapore Math textbook. The bottom picture is her workbook. <br />
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Reading lesson from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. We have mostly abandoned this book (she only has a handful of lessons left) in favour for Pathway Readers. But since she had finished her First Steps book and workbook, we took a break from the Pathway program to do a lesson from this book before we start the new Pathway Reader Days Go By. <br />
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The pictures are only a glimpse of what our official "schooling" looks like during a week (not all of this was from one day!). We also use online games to learn, French youtube videos, educational dvds, library books, I teach her music lessons, and they pretty much get as much time to play outside as they want. The short school day means lots of time for exploring, playing, learning while just doing life, and time for building family relationships. It's not always "fun" for me everyday and it can feel overwhelming at times, I'll admit, but all in all, I really do love home schooling and getting to spend so much time learning alongside my little jewels. Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-12341874417441775112015-11-01T20:20:00.000-08:002015-11-01T20:20:20.514-08:00Menu Plan Monday<br />
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Monday: Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts and Creamy Tomato Sauce<br />
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Tuesday: Mennonite Style Chicken Noodle Soup (using leftover chicken & turkey in freezer)<br />
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Wednesday:<a href="http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/06/fall-off-the-bone-bbq-ribs.html"> Fall of the Bone BBQ Ribs, </a>Mashed Potatoes, Cooked Mixed Veggies, Coleslaw<br />
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Thursday: Leftovers<br />
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Friday: Homemade Pizza & Veggies / Dip<br />
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Saturday: Leftovers or a Fritatta similar to <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/03/bell-pepper-and-potato-frittata.html?m=1">this one</a><br />
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<img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-52456573834521330872015-10-25T13:24:00.002-07:002015-10-25T13:24:44.644-07:00Go-To Meals for Busy DaysI really love to cook. If I can cook undisturbed and have someone else clean up the kitchen, I find it very relaxing. This is all theoretical, of course, because I have yet to experience such a delight. However, I have been tossing around the idea of sending our kids to the grandparents or auntie's house for one evening a month so I can cook up a fancy supper meal for an at-home date. This way I can experiment with some fancy and expensive ingredients and avoid all the complaining about things like scallops and crab and hopefully not waste much food or money from picky eaters.<br />
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In reality, most days I just do not have the time or energy to cook the way I would like, so fast and frugal meals that don't require much effort are what it's at right now.<br />
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Here are some of our current favourites that frequently appear on our table:<br />
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<a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/wednesday-night-dinner-spaghetti-with-artichoke-hearts-and-tomatoes/"><b>Spaghetti with Creamy Tomato Sauce</b></a> (I don't follow the recipe exactly...I also usually leave out the artichokes to save money, but I do really love them in this)<br />
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<b>Tuna Stroganoff over Egg Noodles & Cooked Mixed Veggies</b><br />
(1 can of flaked tuna - not drained, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1-2 tsp lemon juice, salt & pepper, parsley, a few sliced sautéed mushrooms, and cooked diced onions simmered together for a few minutes and served over cooked egg noodles) I know it doesn't look or sound very appetizing, but this is surprisingly good. My husband really loves this meal, and I love how cheap and fast it is to throw together. <br />
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<b>Crispy Southwest Bean & Rice Burritos with Salsa & Sour Cream</b> (Basically I toss together cooked rice, black beans, salsa, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. I mix it all together in a bowl, sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on a tortilla, spoon the rice mixture overtop, wrap it up, spritz with olive oil or cooking spray and cook it on a cast iron grill pan until it's nice and crispy.) This is probably our #1 family favourite cheap and quick meal. Served with salsa, sour cream, guacamole if I have avocados in the house, and veggies and dip on the side. <br />
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<b>BLT Sandwiches</b> (sometimes on their own or with soup or potato wedges on the side)<br />
<b></b><br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-15704996254667835542015-10-14T18:21:00.002-07:002015-10-14T18:21:54.333-07:00Middle of the Week Menu Plan<br />
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We are taking this week off of school since everyone in our house is feeling a bit under the weather (head colds and sore throats). So far I am the healthiest of the bunch and am still feeling pretty good, so I'm trying to get a few things caught up in the house. I am terribly behind on going through pictures and updating baby books, but I think that will have to wait until next week as I have been going through the kids clothes again and have several things I need to get ready to sell online. <b> </b>Overall, Brielle has been sleeping so much better, and unless she eats something that bothers her stomach, she is now sleeping through the night. This has made such a difference, and I am so grateful.<br />
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<b>Monday</b>: Thanksgiving meal with family<br />
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<b>Tuesday</b>: Burrito Bowls/Wraps (rice, beans, cheese, salsa, sour cream, lime juice, cumin and chili powder mixed together)<br />
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<b>Wednesday</b>: Honey Sriracha Sesame Chicken, Rice (Cauliflower rice for me), Broccoli<br />
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<b>Thursday</b>: Frozen Pizza (Thursdays are typically our busiest days activity-wise)<br />
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<b>Friday:</b> Tuna Stroganoff, Egg Noodles, Mixed Veggies<br />
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<b>Saturday</b>: Turkey Noodle Soup (using leftover turkey from freezer)<br />
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<b>Sunday</b>: Leftovers<br />
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<img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-24840684945884882762015-10-05T09:01:00.000-07:002015-10-05T09:01:08.470-07:00Menu Plan Monday<br />
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I am keeping it very simple this week, and we will be eating lots of leftovers. <br />
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Monday: Crockpot Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Cooked Mixed Veggies, Cabbage Salad<br />
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Tuesday: Leftovers<br />
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Wednesday: Birthday party supper<br />
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Thursday: Mennonite Style Turkey Soup (using leftover turkey from the freezer)<br />
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Friday: Leftover soup<br />
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Saturday: BLTs<br />
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Sunday: Thanksgiving<br />
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Breakfasts around our house are very basic. My husband eats bread with jam pretty much every single day for breakfast, and he never really gets tired of eating the same things day after day. The kids usually have cereal (rice krispies, honey nut cheerios, or frosted flakes), toast, or oatmeal with whatever fruit we have around. Occasionally they eat scrambled eggs if I make them for myself. I eat the most variety for breakfast, depending on what I feel like eating. If I'm low-carbing it, I usually have 1 or 2 eggs, 1-2 slices of bacon, and coffee with cream. Other times I have oatmeal, or Greek yogurt & berries, or toast. Sometimes I make up a batch of muffins the night before, and we have those for breakfast. <br />
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Lunches are also very simple. The kids and my husband usually eat sandwiches (pb&j, egg salad, tuna, or ham and cheese) with veggies & fruit or leftovers. Lately I have been making a big pot of "skinny borscht" (cabbage, onions, celery, canned tomatoes with chicken broth and a package of lipton onion soup mix, dill, and sriracha) and eating that for my lunch most days. Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-17614460326703758512015-09-11T09:23:00.000-07:002015-09-11T09:23:04.472-07:00Reason #146...<br />
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Reason #146 why I love home schooling (most of the time!)...<br />
I get to hear all sorts of funny comments from my kids.<br />
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When Elianna was practising printing her letter "q"s today, she said, "<i>You know, a q looks just like a seahorse except that instead of a pointy head, it has a round head, and I guess its tail needs to be a bit curlier, too." </i>That kid has animals, critters, or sea life on her mind all.day.long. I love her. :-)<br />
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsignatures.mylivesignature.com%2F54488%2F195%2FE9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhn1vx-A4dDf6GrKe5wH1gmIJtla5TaXLE7wz0FzeM59tDdqJC5N0KRX2wA5wxiASJHUl0cdLrU2EnBqE0yVIWDOIQYWorQAdgMFPZK7knf1QvkZxgNWv90GAx5WKg0dFGQbA88l8LO1esrwQPw5Be_ow-J7TVufkt-i-UYxVpNZiR1WoOXl7vBS9T5lrGg29-ylm-H=" -->Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-11288984535162763572015-09-03T20:04:00.000-07:002015-09-03T20:04:36.058-07:00Grade 1 Homeschool Curriculum PlanI wasn't planning on starting "school" until next week, but yesterday Elianna was really wanting to "do school", so we did. Today we took the day off to go to a "not back to school" party and meet some fellow home schooling families.<br />
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Here is the plan for this year (Grade 1) in case you were interested. I also want to do a few "day in the life" posts this year with pictures as I personally love reading those kinds of things.<br />
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For the most part, we are using <a href="http://www.heartofdakota.com/little-hearts-packages.php">Heart of Dakota's Little Hearts for His Glory</a> as our main guide/lesson plan and supplemental activities.<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>English/Language Arts</b>: </li>
<ul>
<li>Pathway Readers & Companion Workbooks. There are 3 readers and 3 workbooks for reading comprehension, vocabulary, and spelling practice. The books are called <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/First-Steps-Pathway-Reading-Grade/dp/B000EADBGQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441334547&sr=1-1&keywords=First+Steps+pathway">First Steps, </a>Days Go By, and More Days Go By. </i>This will be our main phonics/reading curriculum for the year. Elianna is an early reader, so this is just to build on what she learned last year. This is my own phonics choice, not part of Heart of Dakota.</li>
<li>Using Heart of Dakota's lesson and activity ideas, we will also be reading through <a href="http://www.heartofdakota.com/story-time-set.php">these 8 classic children's stories</a>, including some Beatrix Potter and Thornton W Burgess animal stories</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Printing & Fine Motor Skills</b></li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.heartofdakota.com/handwriting-k-a.php">A Reason for Handwriting Book A</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.heartofdakota.com/rod-staff.php">Rod & Staff Going on Eagerly & Just Thinking and Choosing workbooks</a></li>
</ul>
<li><b>Math </b></li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Singapore-Primary-Mathematics-Workbooks-Textbooks/dp/9812809988/ref=pd_cp_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1S1X2PRJFY67K7V6SY87">Singapore Primary Mathematics 1A and 1B Textbooks and Workbooks</a></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Science</b></li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.heartofdakota.com/science.php">Our Father's World</a></li>
</ul>
<li><b>Social Studies/History</b></li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.heartofdakota.com/history-little-pilgrims.php">History for Little Pilgrims</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.heartofdakota.com/history-stories.php">History Stories for Children</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.donnaward.net/shop.php?area=item&sku=9780968678817">Canada, My Country curriculum</a> (not part of Heart of Dakota, but this is a necessary supplement because Heart of Dakota is more American-history focused. I wanted to add in Canadian history/social studies)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Bible</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Reading through the Bible plan for Heart of Dakota</li>
<li>Devotions for the Children's Hour (as outlined in Heart of Dakota)</li>
<li>Hide em' in Your Heart cd </li>
</ul>
<li><b>Music/Art/Drama/French/Phys Ed</b></li>
<ul>
<li>I will be teaching Elianna piano lessons using Music for Little Mozarts</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Draw-Write-Book-Critters-Storybook-Draw-Write-Now/dp/0963930710/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441334866&sr=1-1&keywords=draw+write+now">Draw.Write.Now Book 1</a> for drawing lessons</li>
<li>Arts/Crafts activities that correspond to daily lessons (as planned in Heart of Dakota)</li>
<li>Dramatic play as outlined in Heart of Dakota guide</li>
<li>French youtube videos & free resources</li>
<li>Phys Ed - free play, extracurricular sports, etc.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
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That is the plan for this year. It takes only about 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day, 5 days a week of actual "school work" to get this all done in 35 weeks or so. The biggest challenge is keeping the 18 month old and 3 1/2 year old out of trouble during "school." I am also working through Little Hands to Heaven (prek) with Nathanael to try to keep him somewhat involved and occupied. </div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-21828912487199261642015-08-27T17:12:00.000-07:002015-08-27T17:12:55.335-07:00Milk Allergy & a Rough DayLast night I got 3 hours of sleep. This is not all that unusual, although it is a bit worse than usual. I *attempted* to nap this morning as I wanted to be as coherent as possible for the kids' paediatrician appointment. Well, the first 2 hours were spent breaking up fights between my oldest two. Then, Elianna informed me that Brielle (who was in her playpen) had gone "number 2" and ripped off her diaper and had thrown it on the rug. It's her newest skill. <i>Nice</i>. So I spent the next hour cleaning that up and bathing B. At 11 am I still hadn't drank my coffee and thus was feeling the ill-effects of my caffeine withdrawal. I feel like a bit of a bear-cat before my morning coffee. <i>Just keeping it real, here. </i>I took a minute to scarf down my coffee with a piece of cake for breakfast since I was too lazy/tired to make toast. I hopped in the shower because, well, the combination of my greasy 3-day hair and the morning's unpleasant events made it necessary. At this point, I was starting to run late for the appointment, so I quickly fed the kids a couple of leftover biscuits to tie them over until after the appointment. Our appointments were running late, but thankfully the children managed to refrain from acting like a bunch of hooligans in the waiting room. They saved all their hooliganism until after we were in the doctor's office, and I was trying to have an important adult discussion, which I have little experience with these days. Okay, it wasn't quite that bad...I'm sure he's seen it all. During the doctor's appointment, Brielle managed to fall off a chair (a toddler chair) and scream, bang her head on the corner of the doctor's desk and scream, make strange at the doctor and scream, all while Nathanael and Elianna argued over whose turn it was with some dinky toy. I hate dinky toys.<br />
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<i>"Oh, and is Elianna going to be going to school. Grade 1?</i>"<br />
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<i>"No, actually we are home schooling this year. Nah, make that road-schooling. We figured we should take our circus act on the road this year..."</i><br />
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Okay, so I didn't respond quite that way. Oh, but I wanted to.<br />
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All this to say Brielle will be entering the ranks of the dairy-free. I have long suspected a milk allergy may have something to do with her major sleep issues. I had cut her milk way back, especially in the evening, but it still didn't seem to be helping that much. Today at the pediatrician's we found out that her blood test showed a milk allergy. Thankfully, it's not too severe, but it is definitely enough that we need to go dairy-free for her. I cook with lots of dairy, so this will definitely add a bit of meal planning stress. However, if this fixes her sleep problems, I will happily welcome some minor inconvenience in the meal department. She didn't show any issues with eggs or wheat, so that's good.<br />
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Annnnnd...<br />
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We'll live and learn and life will go on.<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-25763403950696456782015-08-24T13:22:00.000-07:002015-08-24T13:22:12.635-07:00Menu Plan MondayI'm am still lamenting the star of the end of summer. I can't believe that we will soon officially kick off a new homeschool year. Most public school kids are back to school in one week around here. I am not planning on officially starting until after the long weekend (later than public school kids). We may fit in some school here and there in the meantime, but I'm mostly focusing on getting some character charts and chore charts/routines in place. We also want to take some time to just hang out as a family, enjoy the last of harvest, take some combine rides, etc. The flexibility of home schooling is definitely a major plus, so we will try to make the most of the remaining warm weather.<br />
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<b>Monday</b>: Tuna Stroganoff (a new frugal and fast favourite), corn on the cob, green beans<br />
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<b>Tuesday</b>: Homemade Pizza, carrot sticks<br />
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<b>Wednesday</b>: Southwest Chicken & Rice Wraps (another frugal & fast favourite) using leftover chicken from the freezer, Corn on the Cob, Veggies & Dip<br />
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<b>Thursday</b>: Breakfast for Dinner (pancakes, eggs, bacon or a frittata)<br />
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<b>Friday</b>: BBQ turkey (I'm going to attempt to bbq a turkey for the first time), Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Veggies<br />
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<b>Saturday</b>: Leftovers<br />
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<b>Sunday</b>: Something simple or out to eat<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6036402677966477880.post-1787960585775952822015-08-21T12:32:00.000-07:002015-08-21T12:32:21.656-07:00Faith Stretching - Part 3Well, the answer was no. Another door, window, crack in the wall, <i>whatever it was</i> closed. <a href="http://homemakingpilgrim.blogspot.ca/2015/08/faith-stretching-part-2.html">Read part 2 here</a>. Honestly, we are pretty disappointed. This really did seem like such a good thing for us. That's where faith and trust and hope come in even when I feel very crummy. <i>Pressed but not crushed...perplexed, but not driven to despair. Perplexed. Yes, that about sums up the way I feel about my life right now.</i><br />
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Somewhere behind the clouds the sun is still shining, right?<br />
Sometimes, though, it is hard to keep hope alive.<br />
I feeling pretty bummed today, fighting back the tears of yet another disappointment. Two significant doors closed in two weeks. <i>On second thought....so much for fighting back the tears...</i><br />
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God is still good...<i>even when the answer is no</i>....a<i>nd I don't understand why it couldn't have been yes</i>.<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/195/E9BA1184F499CCA574EC91E106623B6A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16444026039728800336noreply@blogger.com1