I read the most beautiful newsletter today filled with poetry, history, recipes, stories and etiquette pointers. This got me thinking about the newsletter I used to post for our website here, and then led me to brainstorming for creative ideas. The best I got was a lecture for my boys about not playing with their private parts. How inspiring, right? I wanted to write something so eloquent and creative. Day to day life doesn't always turn out so eloquent and beautiful. These are the things I did today:
I cleaned up barf.
Made a lovely, beautiful breakfast of omelets, hash browns, strawberries and juice, and no one ate it.
Made tea for Hannah in her antique pink rose cup.
Snuggled with a feverish Ammon for half the morning.
Talked with Curtis until he was almost late for work.
Cleaned my kitchen.
Watched the snow.
Marveled at how quiet our day was without dogs barking and fighting in the backyard (Fox has found a new home).
Didn't take a shower today and laid in bed with Ammon while reading a romance novel.
Watched Dancing with the Stars with Hannah and commented on the dresses while Ammon told us he needed the pink and blue dresses. I think the fever was making him delirious.
Watched Joshua use Cookie's floppy ear as a napkin.
Watched Nemo try to eat my flowers.
Sent Curtis to the store to get paper so I could finish printing out a project.
Made Angel Food cake and strawberries for dessert (which is rare) and brined and cooked some chickens, which smelled wonderful. Then we ran out of dressing and for the second time ever I made a ranch dressing from scratch that tasted good.
Looked at pictures of our trip to Texas last week, but I don't know how to download them to my computer.
Read several articles about "Why You Shouldn't Buy a Home", "My Experience With Being Rich", "Don't Send Your Kids to College", and "Businesses That Your 12 Year Old Should Do". Very enlightening, all by James Altucher.
I found a small notebook on clearance at Target a few weeks ago. I dedicated it to Manifestations and Asking Angels for Help in These Things. Almost every night before going to bed I make a list of things I want to happen and review previous lists. Within about a week, most of the things I listed have happened, been organized so that they will happen, or circumstances have changed that I don't need those things anymore. It's very exciting to cross these things off. It gives me some focus in my life. How often do we go through day to day life, not giving much thought to our duties, chores, responsibilities; just seeming to be on auto-pilot? This gives me some direction.
We found out last week that we will be facing unemployment again in two months. This would be twice in 6 months we have been unemployed. At least this time we have a notice and Curtis is already looking for other jobs. I could be pessimistic about all this (already had my moments a few days ago), but I'm choosing to be optimistic. This also gets my mind racing about school, career choices, businesses I could do from home. Again, I'm reminded my place is in my home with my kids. Still, I'm very curious about what life is like as a cashier at Walmart. I have no idea why. I know it's not the most glamourous job on earth, but I just think it would be interesting. What do people buy? Why? Are there really people that come through that are featured on People of Walmart? Curiosity killed the cat, I suppose.
Life isn't predictable, as much as we would love it to be. Sometimes it is boring, but as I read in an article today, we should be filled with joy in all we do, from doing the laundry to cleaning the toilet to going to church to playing with our kids. What a difference your perspective in things does for you.
So, cheers to matching 50 socks, changing those diapers, laughing with your kids, and kissing your husband. May everyday life be fulfilling for you. May you find some time everyday to stop and smell the roses.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
A Homemaker's Day Book
I was reviewing our blog this morning and realized how little I have shared with our dear readers over the last year. In review, I would say it was year of healing, settling, business, and learning life lessons, on both Shiloah's and my part. To start off again, I thought I'd share the Day Book again.
OUTSIDE MY WINDOW: It is cloudy, with snow capped mountains and brown below, with a hint of green of spring about to arrive. I think we are supposed to get snow again this weekend, but it doesn't look very threatening. I'm loving the almost 50 degree weather this week!
I AM THANKFUL FOR: Women that come to your rescue! I wrote about our last week on this blog here if you care to catch up. I really hope I can be of service to others like these women were to me.
FROM THE KITCHEN: Well..it's dry cereal right now. I think I might make a roast later today for dinner and left overs for Sunday lunch.
I AM READING: Prepare yourselves for this list: Sacajawea (only have 200 pages to go), The Scent of Jasmine (my fluff), Carol Tuttle's Remembering Wholeness, Donna Eden's Energy Medicine, and Inner Wisdome by Louise L. Hay.
I AM HEARING: Kids crunching on cereal, kids playing in the living room and an occasional bark from the backyard because a squirrel or bird dared enter the perimeter.
I AM CREATING: In the last two weeks I have made I Spy bags, recovered my grandmother's chairs, put together three small beds for three small boys, put together a dresser and a table and eight chairs. I have yet to put together another dresser and some toy shelves and recreate our play room.
I AM GOING: To pick up my van after repairs were done for the upper ball joints. I fear I may know more mechanical stuff about vans than I want to.
I AM HOPING: To get our house cleaned up, laundry caught up, and errands and bills organized for a week-long vacation to Texas to see my family later this month.
AROUND THE HOUSE: This is my new saying, "The house threw up on itself". So cleaning. And more cleaning. I have carpets to clean, rooms to organize and a garage to clean out. I've contemplated doing a garage sale, but that old saying, "use it up, fix it up, or wear it out" is honestly being done. None of it is very garage sale worthy, and most of these items usefulness is gone.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS: Using the built in camera on my computer to take pictures of us kissing the kids. And Simeon's toothless grin.
A FEW PLANS FOR THE WEEK: We WILL finish my Lewis and Clark curriculum I made for the kids this year. We have one more week!! I told them if we finished the last lesson then we could take the vacation to Texas.
A PICTURE THOUGHT FOR YOU:
OUTSIDE MY WINDOW: It is cloudy, with snow capped mountains and brown below, with a hint of green of spring about to arrive. I think we are supposed to get snow again this weekend, but it doesn't look very threatening. I'm loving the almost 50 degree weather this week!
I AM THANKFUL FOR: Women that come to your rescue! I wrote about our last week on this blog here if you care to catch up. I really hope I can be of service to others like these women were to me.
FROM THE KITCHEN: Well..it's dry cereal right now. I think I might make a roast later today for dinner and left overs for Sunday lunch.
I AM READING: Prepare yourselves for this list: Sacajawea (only have 200 pages to go), The Scent of Jasmine (my fluff), Carol Tuttle's Remembering Wholeness, Donna Eden's Energy Medicine, and Inner Wisdome by Louise L. Hay.
I AM HEARING: Kids crunching on cereal, kids playing in the living room and an occasional bark from the backyard because a squirrel or bird dared enter the perimeter.
I AM CREATING: In the last two weeks I have made I Spy bags, recovered my grandmother's chairs, put together three small beds for three small boys, put together a dresser and a table and eight chairs. I have yet to put together another dresser and some toy shelves and recreate our play room.
I AM GOING: To pick up my van after repairs were done for the upper ball joints. I fear I may know more mechanical stuff about vans than I want to.
I AM HOPING: To get our house cleaned up, laundry caught up, and errands and bills organized for a week-long vacation to Texas to see my family later this month.
AROUND THE HOUSE: This is my new saying, "The house threw up on itself". So cleaning. And more cleaning. I have carpets to clean, rooms to organize and a garage to clean out. I've contemplated doing a garage sale, but that old saying, "use it up, fix it up, or wear it out" is honestly being done. None of it is very garage sale worthy, and most of these items usefulness is gone.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS: Using the built in camera on my computer to take pictures of us kissing the kids. And Simeon's toothless grin.
A FEW PLANS FOR THE WEEK: We WILL finish my Lewis and Clark curriculum I made for the kids this year. We have one more week!! I told them if we finished the last lesson then we could take the vacation to Texas.
A PICTURE THOUGHT FOR YOU:
My kids don't seem to get kissing on the cheeks, so we always get planted right on the lips. At least this time, Simeon wasn't holding my head in place like he usually does. LOL! I must have finally learned to do it right in his book.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
9 Months Gluten Free: A Different Shopping Trip
Today I had to go grocery shopping. Things were getting pretty sparse and nobody wanted more popcorn for snacks, so I ventured out. At the checkout, the lady in front of me had a full cart and as I waited to put my things on the conveyor belt I took a quick inventory of her things against mine, and then pondered on how different our shopping is now that we have to be gluten free.
Shredded Wheat, Basic 4, Hamburger Helper, pizza dough...all those things used to be on my shopping list. Basic 4 cereal was one of my favorites. While I always felt we ate pretty healthily, I never bothered reading labels, searching for allergens that are supposed to be in bold letters at the bottom of the ingredient list. Wheat was healthy for you, right? WIC (which we were on for years) listed it all out for us on those folders: No sugar, fortified, whole wheat cereals and breads, whole or 2% milk, cheese, peanut butter, and 100% juice. Celiac or a gluten free diet did not compute, so of course, all these cereals were healthy for normal people. How much I've learned in the last 9 months.
Remember when you start dieting how they advise you to stay on the outer aisles of the grocery store? Now I'm pretty much forced to that. Our shopping list is different. Our menu is different. Usually we don't find gluten in veggies and meats. Some stores have a nice gluten free aisle or section. Some do not. When we first went gluten free, it took me 3 hours to go shopping because of all the label reading I had to do. I'm a little better now, but sometimes I can't find the food I usually get and it will slow me down having to read new labels.
Things that feel like mine fields:
Salad dressings, condiments, canned soups (don't even bother with these anymore), chips, spices, dry soups, frozen potatoes, Asian foods (you would think with the rice noodles we'd be safe, but it comes in the form of the yummy sauces that all have soy sauce, which is distilled with wheat), and sometimes the "health food" section, which may seem gluten free but you might find it hidden in the starches, like malt (barley), or oats.
Bread
This has been a struggle from day one. One the airplane back from England I asked for a gluten free meal. I think the bread was actual Styrofoam. I couldn't eat the cereal (corn flakes) because of barley in them. It's very hard to find a fluffy, "holey" bread, as most of them end up pretty dense. I've found a few that are really good though over time, but it's not a quick meal.
Menus
Forget just running through the drive-thru at McDonald's. Most places will cook their breaded fish/desserts/chicken in the same fryer they do the fries and so the fries have gluten all over them. While the fries may well be gluten free, they aren't after being cooked in that same oil. It takes planning on our part for quick lunches. There are about three restaurants I found we can eat at without little effect. Our menu at home changed. I grew up eating a meat, starch and veggie. We didn't do boxed meals, pizzas, or bread items very often, and so this is how I learned to cook. Our starches now are potatoes, rice, rice pasta every now and then, and hominy. Is it bad I feel slightly proud of myself when I make a meal in which we are eating two veggies? Breakfasts were another problem. Rice Chex only holds you over for so long, so I found some gluten free muffins to make (adapted my pumpkin ones and found a wonderful banana nut muffin recipe), and then the old standby I grew up on: rice with milk, sugar and cinnamon. Then I discovered Coconut Dream milk. It's like dessert for breakfast when we use it on the rice! No longer do I keep Poptarts on hand for breakfast on the run. We now get a nut bar or cheese stick. Or both sometimes. Boiled or fried eggs are the other quick breakfast. Thankfully I homeschool so lunches can be soups, one dish meals, baked potatoes, leftovers, or nachos. If I had to send off four kids with gluten free lunches, they'd be bored by day three. Our picnic lunches are pepperoni sticks (if I can find them) or gluten free jerky, cheese sticks, a fruit, a pudding, and chips or nuts and juice or water.
While it sounds overwhelming and challenging, I have to say that now I know where to go in the stores, I find it easier to go shopping as a gluten free consumer. I laughed today when Ammon held up a candy to ask if he could have it, and when I responded, "Nope. It has wheat in it. Sorry", he put it back without any fight. Sometimes we get frustrated and shout "I wish we didn't have to do this stupid diet", more out of inconvenience. Overall, I've seen a major improvement in myself and the kids, which only motivates us more to stay on the diet. Had I started off with a bad, resentful attitude about a gluten free diet, I'm sure that now I would be dreading this diet.
As I put my things on the conveyor belt, I noticed that I had 16 bags of frozen vegetables, meats, a huge bag of salad, a few gluten free mixes I haven't been able to figure out how to make my own yet, and canned "safe" foods. It was simple, and yet exciting as I cataloged all the possibilities I could do with a roast or chicken thighs and legs, or spaghetti sauce. So, its not so bad now. My energy is coming back. My hair is straightening out (not stick straight, but not frizzed out either). No more stomach pains. No more horrible acne and pale-faced pictures (think Twilight...yeah...that bad).
If you care to share a recipe at the bottom of the page, please do so. You can never have too many of those, right?
Shredded Wheat, Basic 4, Hamburger Helper, pizza dough...all those things used to be on my shopping list. Basic 4 cereal was one of my favorites. While I always felt we ate pretty healthily, I never bothered reading labels, searching for allergens that are supposed to be in bold letters at the bottom of the ingredient list. Wheat was healthy for you, right? WIC (which we were on for years) listed it all out for us on those folders: No sugar, fortified, whole wheat cereals and breads, whole or 2% milk, cheese, peanut butter, and 100% juice. Celiac or a gluten free diet did not compute, so of course, all these cereals were healthy for normal people. How much I've learned in the last 9 months.
Remember when you start dieting how they advise you to stay on the outer aisles of the grocery store? Now I'm pretty much forced to that. Our shopping list is different. Our menu is different. Usually we don't find gluten in veggies and meats. Some stores have a nice gluten free aisle or section. Some do not. When we first went gluten free, it took me 3 hours to go shopping because of all the label reading I had to do. I'm a little better now, but sometimes I can't find the food I usually get and it will slow me down having to read new labels.
Things that feel like mine fields:
Salad dressings, condiments, canned soups (don't even bother with these anymore), chips, spices, dry soups, frozen potatoes, Asian foods (you would think with the rice noodles we'd be safe, but it comes in the form of the yummy sauces that all have soy sauce, which is distilled with wheat), and sometimes the "health food" section, which may seem gluten free but you might find it hidden in the starches, like malt (barley), or oats.
Bread
This has been a struggle from day one. One the airplane back from England I asked for a gluten free meal. I think the bread was actual Styrofoam. I couldn't eat the cereal (corn flakes) because of barley in them. It's very hard to find a fluffy, "holey" bread, as most of them end up pretty dense. I've found a few that are really good though over time, but it's not a quick meal.
Menus
Forget just running through the drive-thru at McDonald's. Most places will cook their breaded fish/desserts/chicken in the same fryer they do the fries and so the fries have gluten all over them. While the fries may well be gluten free, they aren't after being cooked in that same oil. It takes planning on our part for quick lunches. There are about three restaurants I found we can eat at without little effect. Our menu at home changed. I grew up eating a meat, starch and veggie. We didn't do boxed meals, pizzas, or bread items very often, and so this is how I learned to cook. Our starches now are potatoes, rice, rice pasta every now and then, and hominy. Is it bad I feel slightly proud of myself when I make a meal in which we are eating two veggies? Breakfasts were another problem. Rice Chex only holds you over for so long, so I found some gluten free muffins to make (adapted my pumpkin ones and found a wonderful banana nut muffin recipe), and then the old standby I grew up on: rice with milk, sugar and cinnamon. Then I discovered Coconut Dream milk. It's like dessert for breakfast when we use it on the rice! No longer do I keep Poptarts on hand for breakfast on the run. We now get a nut bar or cheese stick. Or both sometimes. Boiled or fried eggs are the other quick breakfast. Thankfully I homeschool so lunches can be soups, one dish meals, baked potatoes, leftovers, or nachos. If I had to send off four kids with gluten free lunches, they'd be bored by day three. Our picnic lunches are pepperoni sticks (if I can find them) or gluten free jerky, cheese sticks, a fruit, a pudding, and chips or nuts and juice or water.
While it sounds overwhelming and challenging, I have to say that now I know where to go in the stores, I find it easier to go shopping as a gluten free consumer. I laughed today when Ammon held up a candy to ask if he could have it, and when I responded, "Nope. It has wheat in it. Sorry", he put it back without any fight. Sometimes we get frustrated and shout "I wish we didn't have to do this stupid diet", more out of inconvenience. Overall, I've seen a major improvement in myself and the kids, which only motivates us more to stay on the diet. Had I started off with a bad, resentful attitude about a gluten free diet, I'm sure that now I would be dreading this diet.
As I put my things on the conveyor belt, I noticed that I had 16 bags of frozen vegetables, meats, a huge bag of salad, a few gluten free mixes I haven't been able to figure out how to make my own yet, and canned "safe" foods. It was simple, and yet exciting as I cataloged all the possibilities I could do with a roast or chicken thighs and legs, or spaghetti sauce. So, its not so bad now. My energy is coming back. My hair is straightening out (not stick straight, but not frizzed out either). No more stomach pains. No more horrible acne and pale-faced pictures (think Twilight...yeah...that bad).
If you care to share a recipe at the bottom of the page, please do so. You can never have too many of those, right?
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