Day 4: Soccer Mom

I have managed to make it nearly 13 years without having my children in organized sports.  This year Julia decided to play soccer with North Lakes Academy.  She is on the varsity soccer team and loving it.  I hope to learn to take some better action shots of her in the future.  I confess I am enjoying watching her.  Her face lights up and she shines when she plays soccer.  Seeing her joy makes me smile!

Day 3: Playing Hookie

This is a great week for homeschoolers.  As everyone else is headed back to school we took a field trip break.  We are in our 5th week of school so I don't feel too bad!

We took our first trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.  I was concerned it might not appeal to the girls, but they loved it.  It was so nice to see the girls interested in horticulture and curious about nature.  I love these girls!

Grammy joined us for the day.  I wonder if she knows how thankful I am she's able to enjoy field trips with us?   She brings such laughter and fun.  It's good to have her cheering for our team.

Fall is on it's way, I can't decide what to do first take out all my sweaters, make soup or bake a pie!

Dahlias are my favorite flower and coral may be my favorite color.  

The petals on this dahlia are perfection.  I once watched a show on numbers and the fact that flower petals run in a fibonacci pattern.  It was the first time I thought about God really digging math and creating even mathematics with creative yet orderly design.  

These coral rose blossoms were one of the few that were left after summer's peak.  I could have spent many more hours at the Arboretum.  I look forward to going again.  I still can't figure out how it took me this long to go.  My girls were even saying that we should come back again, soon.  It's nice to share some interests with them.

Day 2: Frustration

This day has been filled with mystery smells, forgetful minds,  and challenged attention.  I'll not wish it away just yet.

This was the sweet moment of the day.  In my frustration and feelings of inadequacy to teach these little gems I stole a second to stop and appreciate the gift I have in homeschooling for one more year. I'm making mistakes and struggling alongside the girls, but I wouldn't trade my role for anything.

This I would trade.  Loads of laundry and fumigating stinky little girl mattresses, bedding and bedroom.  How can such  small beings make such an awful smell?  In case you are wondering how to get a mattress to smell better you need to get pet and kid deodorizing spray.   Now what would I trade this for?  A pedicure and pristinely clean house.  I know it's shallow but I do think it would be worth the trade!

A Photographic Journal: Day 1

It's been years since I've opened this account.  YEARS!  This time I'm blogging to keep a journal of what is happening in my life photographically.  I have wanted a fancy camera for years and the day finally arrived yesterday.  Pete bought me my dream camera and then to top it off he took me to one of my favorite parks to hike and try out the camera.  I am one blessed woman.

This is my favorite photo for the day.  Everywhere I looked there was fresh new growth on the forest floor, on the stone cliffs and the decaying trees.  The soft curves of this mushroom are almost luxurious in form and these fluted lips capture my fancy.  Will I ever cease to be enamored by God's voracious design?

Life has grown, abundantly but in directions I could not have prepared myself to take.  These silent years have been a mix of maturing and humbling.  A time of seeking my Lord and His will aside from human voice.  I've had a growing, gnawing desire to express.  I pray this is the outlet the present time needs. At the least I look forward to looking over not just words, but pictures of these fleeting days.

Pinterest Recipe Review

I have a love hate relationship with Pinterest.  I love to find new recipes to try, but when they don't work out I find myself irritated and frustrated that my creation doesn't taste or look like the gorgeous pictures represented.  This week I have tried several new healthy recipes.  They have been a hit!  The week prior we were on vacation and I tried lemon muddy buddies that was a terrible soggy flop.  Here are the healthy hits.  As a bonus they are all dairy, gluten and refined-sugar free!

Black Bean Hummus
http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/2013/06/black-bean-hummas-recipe/
We made this for lunch today and my children asked if we could have it again tomorrow.  Three out of the four loved it and it's super good for them.  That makes me happy.  We spread the hummus on Food Should Taste Good Brown Rice crackers and topped them with avocado and tomato.  On the side there were cut up vegetables that tasted equally as good in the hummus. 

Quinoa and Kale Winter Salad
http://www.cookinginredsocks.com/2012/12/03/quinoa-and-kale-winter-salad/
This was what we ate for lunch this week-end.  I didn't have cranberries so we just used raisins and I did not use orange oil in the dressing.  The kids didn't like this as well, but my husband and I liked it.

Chocolate Banana Breakfast Quinoa
http://greatist.com/health/recipe-chocolate-banana-breakfast-quinoa
Again 3 of the 4 children loved this recipe.  I can't help but wonder if they have a conspiracy against me to never all like the same thing?

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

This morning has not turned out to be what I envisioned.  Instead of a beautiful summer day spent playing outside and laughing it is 10:15 and we are still working on getting chores done!  We started 3 hours ago!  Inevitably every time we sway from our structured school routine we run into this issue.  Everyone including mom quickly slips into vacation mode and forgets how to be disciplined and get the work done.  My children forget how to do their chores with diligence and start doing everything half-way.  I start to nag, yell and fuss instead of discipline.  This is not how I want to spend these precious few days of summer!
So to the word I go seeking encouragement and a little kick in my pants.

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." 

 Proverbs 22:6

This verse escapes me when I most need it.  Somehow I fall into the habit of thinking that if I teach the children once they'll know what they are taught and practice it well.  This is folly on my part.  Clearly Proverbs 22:6 is telling me that I do the training now and the pay off isn't all at once, but rather progressive through their lives.  If this is the case I need to adjust my expectations as a parent and make sure to repeat, repeat, repeat until they are trained so that they can be blessed by their training not just for the moment but for life.

The other half of the folly I face is the lack of discipline.  Words do not equal the rod.  

"When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent."  Proverbs 10:19

When I preach to the children and go on and on about how to do this job and what was wrong it never has the desired result.  I am reminded that:

"Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but whoever loves him is diligent to discipline him." 

Proverbs 13:24

 Ahhh....I am starting to feel a little better about our lack of diligence situation.  I have been lacking in a couple of key areas: discipline and encouragement.  All the children have been hearing is mom yammer on with complaint and accusation of jobs not well done.  My children need a consistent training, which involves the rod and much praise and encouragement.    

As families we rely on each other and need one another to each pull his own load.  Those who don't work don't eat, meaning it shouldn't just be daddy working everyday and mommy keeping the home while the children play and are run from one entertainment to another.  It means we are training up our young ones to be diligent men and women someday.  Who know how to keep a home and how to work hard.

The work of training is much harder than just doing the jobs myself.  It takes so much more to teach someone how to do something than to just do it for them, but even more work is requiring the same standard day after day.  That is where we prove our mettle.  When we discipline for the 20th time over the same offense or where we train that job one more time because they still haven't mastered the details.  I haven't gotten to the place yet where we are seeing consistent fruit, but I have seen glimmers of it in the past.  That is motivates me to get back on course, well that and the promise that God gives of having children who will not stray from their training!

Summer Menu Ideas

With each season our menu changes.  My goal remains the same through the seasons, provide the most nutrient dense food for what our budges allows that tastes great and can be made while managing a large family.  Here are the items on our menu this week and the recipe for the delicious kabobs we had for dinner today.

Breakfast-Smoothies, eggs and toast, pancakes, cereal, oatmeal, granola, french toast

Lunch-peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, tuna salad, hot dogs, garlic pasta, chicken and salad, paninis

Dinner-Fajitas, thai noodles, kabobs, chinese burritos, fish, sausage grill packs and grilled chicken thighs

Beef Kabobs

1.5-2 lbs Top Sirloin, cut in cubes

1/4c teriyaki sauce

1/4c soy sauce

1/4c honey

3/4 olive oil

2T lemon juice

2T sherry (I use red wine)

1.5 tsp. grated ginger root (I use powdered ginger)

bamboo skewers

assorted grilling vegetables (mushrooms, par-boiled red potatoes, onions, peppers, zucchini, yellow summer squash etc.)

olive oil

salt & pepper

Place cubed beef in gallon size bag.  Mix remaining ingredients up to the skewers and pour over meat.  Marinate over night.  Soak bamboo skewers for several hours before you are ready to assemble the kabobs.  Wash and cut up vegetables, toss with oil and seasonings.  Assemble kabobs.  Cook on grill approx. 5 min per side.  These are great served with rice in place of potatoes and fresh melon.