Christmas Weekend

I know that this is very belated...but it took me awhile to remember to upload the pictures!


One of the best things about Christmas being on a weekend was that Daddy didn't have to work at all on Christmas Eve! 

Christmas Eve:

We let the kids each open one present on Christmas Eve - Quinn opened a Little People book that has flaps that you open and see what is inside.  Owen opened a Spiderman puzzle.  Then him and Daddy put it together:

And Quinn wanted to help too!

I made my Baked Potato Soup for supper that night (along with grilled cheese with bacon).  Then we went to Christmas Eve service at our church - Owen got to hold his own candle at the end of the service.  We had to blow it out early as he was being dripped on :)

Then we put out the Reindeer Food that Owen made at school and also put out some chocolate milk and peanut butter kiss cookies for Santa.



Christmas:

I woke up not feeling the greatest so Daddy got up with the kids and I slept a bit longer but knew I shouldn't keep the kiddos waiting too long to open presents.

Owen got a Nintendo 3DS with a couple games (Mario World and Legos Star Wars) and a case for it.  He also got some wall tracks, books, a new coat, lots of clothes, and an Angry Birds toy for his backpack.

Quinn got an activity block, lots of clothes, a "car", puzzles, and her first pair of DSW shoes :)

Daddy got a lot of darts supplies and Mommy got a new pair of shoes (Nothing says love quite like getting each other their favorite obsession that you don't quite understand!).

We had pancakes, bacon, cinnamon rolls, and eggs for lunch.  Followed by some Oreo chocolate pie. 

We then played some board games!  All in all, a great day!

Outfit of the Week

Now for those of us with a much more casual Valentine's Day ahead, here is an oufit that can take you out for a fun night of bowling...ooh, that sounds like fun!


Top:  St. Johns Bay Mix Print Top - current price at JcPenney:  $11.00

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Jeans:  Levi's 515 Bootcut Jeans - current price at JcPenney:  $37.00

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Shoes:  east 5th Sicily Peep-Toe Leather Slingbacks - current price at JcPenney:  $35.00

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Bracelet:  Jennifer Lopez SilverTone Openwork Cuff Bracelet - current price at Kohls:  $18.20.

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Now, I think I would where this more often than the "fancy" outfit, but I like both!

Runza Recipe

About a week ago, I mentioned that I made some homemade Runzas.  Today, I will share the "recipe."  Note that this recipe make a lot of Runzas (72 small) so I freeze some in foil for quick meals later!

For 72 (ish) Runzas:

6 pounds 80-85% lean ground beef
1 small head of cabbage
1 large onion
72 Rhodes dinner rolls (frozen section)

First note the direction on the rolls - they take about 3-5 hours to rise, so you need to get the first batch out about 4 hours before you are ready to start really making them, then the other batch out an hour later.

Chop (or grate or dice) onion and cabbage to desired size (I grate mine in a blender and the kids don't even know they are eating some veggies then).

Brown (with salt and pepper) hamburger (I do about 1 lb at a time) and put in large pot with some of the grease.  Add the onion and cabbage (as well as a bit more salt and pepper) and simmer for at least 10 minutes.

Put some of the meat mixture in a colander.

Roll out one of the pieces of roll and add a heaping scoop of meat mixture, seal dough.
Continue for each.

Bake on GREASED baking sheet for 15-20 minutes.

(Feel free to add more to the runzas - I add cheese, but some people may add olives, mushrooms, etc)


For Runzas that you've frozen, you can reheat in the foil they were stored in.  Bake them for about an hour at 300, then "open" the package and bake for another 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Time waits for no one

A friend of mine's wife gave birth to their child last night...very early (almost 3 months).  I ask that all that of you, please pray for the child who is in NICU (his wife is doing ok).

When I heard this, it makes me realize how precious time is, and that it waited for no one!  Thus, it reminded me of this poem (author unknown):

To realize

 The value of ten years:

Ask a newly

Divorced couple.

**********

 To realize

The value of four years:

Ask a graduate.

**********

To realize

The value of one year:

Ask a student who

Has failed a final exam.

**********

To realize

The value of one month:

Ask a mother

Who has given birth to

A premature baby.

**********

To realize

The value of one week:

Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

**********

To realize

The value of one minute:

Ask a person

Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

**********

To realize

The value of one-second:

Ask a person

Who has survived an accident.

**********

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when

You can share it with someone special

Parent-Teacher Conference

So, last night we got to have our first parent-teacher conference.  Daddy stayed home with the kids and I went to meet Owen's kindergarten teacher.  She was a bit behind schedule, but I'm sure it is hard to force parents out if they still have questions/concerns.  When I got in there, she told me that she would take some time to talk to me about Owen's social skills, as I was a bit concerned at the beginning of the school year, especially since he was the youngest in his class.  But first, she was going to talk about his test scores.

There were 3 mains areas that they tested (two were of "reading" types - visual recognition but then verbal as well, the other was math).  In each area there were about 3-4 sub-tests in which students were given a task and they had a minute to complete as many of that task successfully as possible.  In order to see how each student is doing, there are goals (or benchmarks) that they would like students to be able to complete.  Owen beat all of the goals on all of the sub-tests!  In addition, his "math" tests were at the first grade's benchmarks!

In addition, he made great progress on reading and is right where he should be with that.  He understands sentence structure (capital first letter, punctuation at the end, spaces between words) and uses it when asked to write a sentence.  Finally, their last task was to write the numbers 1-20 in these boxes without looking at any numbers for reference - he did awesome!

She then moved to social skills and asked if I was as worried anymore, which I'm not.  He comes home with great stories about friends, he'll tell me that he isn't friends with some of the kids because they do "bad things."  She then told me that once Owen realized that he didn't have to "take" things and could say how he felt, she noticed a great improvement is his social skills and she believes that he is doing great at it too!

So, in other words I heard what every parent would like to hear.  I'm very happy and proud of Owen that he is doing so well.  I think we made the right choice with starting him young.


You are doing awesome, my Owen!

Owen at 15 months

Owen at almost 5!

Why is it...

Why is it...

• that there are signs on the wall that say "please throw trash away" yet no trash can in the room?
• that the second I sit down to supper I hear "Mommy, I need more drink?"
• that we always want something to look forward to vs enjoying the here and now?
• that the game Hungry Hungry Hippos does NOT fit in the box once assembled?
• that technology is suddenly "not working" 30 minutes before the homework deadline?
• that when you finally throw away a piece of junk that you've kept for years, you need it the next week?
• that you can't tickle yourself?
• that people don't like seeing larger people work out?  (What is the point of working out folks!?!)
• that we expect more of mothers than fathers? 
• that the more I think about something the more confused I get?
• that people can win a million dollars for knowing "useless" information but we can't give more scholarships to people who actual have useful information?

Outfit of the Week

With Valentine's Day coming up, I thought I would put together a more "fancy" outfit for the women who are lucky enough to be going to a place where this is desired.  (Don't worry, I'll put together a more "casual" outfit for those of us who aren't going fancy!)


Dress:  American Living Seamed V-Neck Sheath Dress - current price at JcPenney:  $50

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Shrug (if you want):  Jump Apparel Shirred Sleeve Shrug - current price at JcPenney:  $20.

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Necklace:  JcPenney Fashion Jewelry Rhinestone Necklace - current price:  $20.

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Shoes:  Jacqueline Ferrar Women's Lara Glitter Pumps - current price at JcPenney:  $40.

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Homemade Pizza

Growing up as a child, I was no different in the fact that I loved pizza (and still do).  In addition, I have always been a thick crust girl when it comes to my pizza.  My Mom, however, is a thin crust girl.  So when she made homemade pizza, it was a thin crust.  Now don't get me wrong, I love pizza of any crust so I did of course eat it.  But when I got out on my own, I never really made homemade pizza because I wanted the thick crust.

Then while in grad school a friend of mine had this leftover pizza from lunch and I asked her what pizza place it came from and she said she made it!!  It was a thick crust pizza and she made it?!?  Recipe please.  She told me that she got this recipe from home economics class so that is the source I got for you today!

Homemade Pizza Thick Crust

1 cup warm water
1 package rapid rise yeast
2 T vegetable oil
1 T sugar
1 t salt
3 cups flour (plus a little for kneading)

Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Then add oil, sugar and salt and stir well.  Add about 1 cup of flour and mix in.  Add between 1.5 and 2 cups flour until dough is not real wet anymore but isn't getting crumbly.  Knead dough on floured surface for about 5 minutes.  Let it rest and rise for at least 20 minutes (I usually go 30 minutes).  Press dough onto greased pizza pan and poke holes in it with a fork (to avoid bubbles).  Bake for 13 minutes at 375.  Add desired toppings.  Bake for another 12-15 minutes at 425.

For a little something extra, when I have the pizza half baked (before I add toppings), I spread on a little butter and top it with garlic powder :)

Enjoy!

Am I Super Mommy?

On Monday, Owen was off from "regular" Kindergarten and I was off from work.  So, I decided that I would take Owen into daycare for his half day of kindergarten there and then pick him up around 1 (kept Quinnie home with me).

Monday started with all of us oversleeping until about 8am, so I got Owen dressed, threw on some sweats, put Quinnie in her carseat (jammies still on) and we took Owen to daycare (as he also ate a granola bar on the way!)  Got him dropped off at about 8:25 and came back home.  I got out some of the dough for making Runzas today (recipe another day!).  At about 9am I got a call that Owen had just got sick in the bathroom so I was headed out again to get him (still me in sweats and Quinnie in her jammies).  He seemed fine when I got there, but just to be safe, I took him home.

Once we got home I asked him what he wanted to do - right now he wanted to watch a "new movie."  So, I got out Cars 2 that he got for Christmas from Uncle Dan and Aunt Amber and he got to watch it.  Although he loved the movie and sat rather still for it, he wasn't acting sick.  During the movie, I got my hamburger browned, cabbage and onion grated, and got everything simmering.  I started rolling runzas at 11:30.  At about noon, I started to get the kiddos lunch (Owen had a lunchable and a runza, Quinn had a runza and puffcorn).  I ate a couple of runzas between making runzas and getting the kiddos additional things that they needed.

At about 1:45, I had the last pan of runzas in the oven (I made 72 in total).  So I got Quinn ready for her nap and had her down before the timer went off.  Phew, that's done!

However I was somehow a very smart mommy and was also planning to make a spiral ham, mashed potatoes and gravy for supper.  (Let's just say I had planned to make it Saturday or Sunday forgetting that Brandon had his dart banquet on Saturday and I had a department party on Sunday).  So I got that in the oven around 2:30.

Owen now wanted to play same games while Quinnie was napping but I told him I had to get some things picked up and cleaned.  "I can help you Mommy!" was the reply.  So Owen helped me fold laundry, clean off the table, pick up toys, pick up towels around the house and start more laundry.  He was a great helper.  Then we sat down to play some games.  We played "Guess Who" for the first time and then he helped me fold the next load of laundry.  After that, he wanted to play "Candyland" which he normally wins, but it wasn't happening much today.  Quinn woke up from nap, got them a snack and then Daddy got home.  I got the potatoes ready and gravy made for us to eat at about 5:45.  Daddy went to his "Best of the Best" tournament and I spent about an hour cutting and dicing the leftover ham for future meals.

That night, my neck hurt so bad (and still does) on just one side.  I couldn't even hardly sleep on that side.  Although I had done a lot this day (on my own accord), I felt like I was trying to be "Super Mommy."  However, what I realize is that I just want to be a good mommy.  A day like this once in awhile is busy and tough (as I had to do some work for school later that night), Owen will look back at how Mommy taught him responsibility (work before play) and how she took the time to spend with him doing things that he loved.  So, "We had a great day, it was a super way, to spend some time together."

Outfit of the Week

Top:  Old Navy Women's Printed Keyhole Top in Cool Combo - current price:  $29.94.

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Camisole:  Sonoma life lace trim cami - current price at Kohls:  $11.99

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Pants:  New York and Company Curvy Skinny Flare Jeans - current price:  $49.95. 

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Bracelet:  Jennifer Lopze Jet Simulated Crystal Studded Stretch Bracelet - current price at Kohls:  $26.60.

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Shoes:  Madden Girl Getta Pumps - current price at DSW:  $39.95.

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I think this is a pretty cute outfit, don't you think?

Hamburger Green Bean Casserole

A lot of people have been finding my recipes that I posted awhile back (homemade french fries and potato soup).  One of my friends has also asked me to start posting more recipes for quick suppers.  So, here is one that I really like.  Unfortunately I haven't made it in awhile so I don't have pictures to go with it.

I know I got this out of one of my cookbooks, I just can't remember which one.  It may have been "Where's Mom Now That I Need Her":

Hamburger Green Bean Casserole
1 pound 80-90% lean hamburger
1 can tomato soup
1 can green beans (I prefer the french style)
1.5 cups mashed potatoes (I either use leftovers or instant potatoes)
1 cup cheddar cheese

Brown hamburger and drain-off grease.  In same skillet as hamburger, add tomato soup and green beans.  Simmer until warm.  Put ingredients in 9 by 9 baking dish.  Top with mashed potatoes and then cheddar cheese.  Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Almost TOO Enthusiastic

The title here is a comment that was on my evaluations this past semester...in a class for elementary teachers.

Ok - so maybe I am a bit enthusiastic when I teach.  However, I have never viewed this as a negative, and I still won't.  When I helped evaluate other teachers, a comment I would give to some is "if you aren't excited about the material, how can you ever expect the students to be?"  Now, I can't guarantee that my students will be excited about the material I cover, but I CAN guarantee that I will do my best to make it exciting by showing the students how much I love teaching, and teaching this particular material.

I believe that one of the things that I have going in my favor is what I majored in as an undergraduate - Secondary Education with math and speech/drama subjects.  Already having an education background is a very strong asset when teaching at a college (for those that don't know this, you do NOT need a teaching background to teach at a college).  In addition, the speech/drama subject has also helped me - I am somewhat good at "acting" like I know what I'm doing even if I just prepared the material a day (or hour!) before class.  Probably all of my students who only know me from a classroom setting would probably guess that I'm an extrovert.  Well, I'm not really - I can try and act like one.  Is this a bad thing...that I pretend to be an extrovert?  Standing in front of 75 students I'm getting better and better everyday and I think that I may have even convinced myself that I'm an extrovert. 

So maybe my moral of this story is if you want to have a certain characteristic, maybe forcing it on yourself is a good idea.  How else are you going to become more of what you want to be without actually "going through the motions?"  I could list off many things that I want to be better at - being a good mom, drinking more water, eating healthier, becoming more organized, etc.  But until I actually start doing those things, I will never get better at it - they are just empty words. 

When people ask me how I got to be so "outgoing"  I say that the first thing I had to realize is that I can't please everyone and if I try, I'll please no one.  I needed to be comfortable with the person I was first before I could put myself out there.  Have I ever been rejected or hurt?  Oh yes!  Do I regret putting myself out there?  No - this is who I am.  You can take it or leave it.

Quinnie Update

Now as most of you know, in late October Quinn started receiving some help from First Steps.  At the time, she qualified based upon the "self help" category (as she wasn't feeding herself).  In addition, she wasn't walking yet.  Both of those things have been "fixed" partly thanks to the help of our developmental interventionist.

At Quinn's 18 month check-up, there was concern about her lack of speech.  So we had her hearing tested and although her hearing was in the "normal" range, they also found that she had middle ear fluid.  When I was driving back home from Nebraska, the pediatrician called and they have decided to watch and wait - retest her hearing in 4-8 weeks to see if the fluid is still there or not.

However, due to the worrying about the speech, I talked to our First Steps people and Quinn is going to start getting a speech therapist to help her with this - starting in February.  So please wish us luck and hope that this works as great of wonders for Quinnie as her developmental help has (she will still be getting this through March).

Outfit of the Week

This is a look that is definitely on the trendy side - if you don't like the bright colored pants, you could wear jeans or a pair of khaki dress pants and then wear a bright shoe for some color!  Enjoy!


Sweater: Old Navy's Women's Basket-Weave Sweater in sea salt - current price:  $36.94

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Pants:  New York and Company's City Double Stretch Stovepipe pants - current price:  $49.95

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Shoes:  Nine West Gwendle Leopard Pump - current price at DSW:  $69.95

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Earrings:  New York and Company's Four Hoop Beaded Earring - current price:  $10.95

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Baby Steps

I have always been a girl who took things one step at a time - I was so afraid that if I looked too far ahead I would trip and fall right where I was.  So the fact that my children appear to be doing the same thing is not too surprising.  Yet for them, I appear to be looking far ahead.  I'm looking so far ahead that I am not taking the time to enjoy where we are and every step we've taken - even if they are baby steps.  Yet, at least we are moving forward.  So here is a tribute to the baby steps that they have made recently.

Owen

• He has his first spelling test today which he is ready to ace!
• He has started to listen much better and helps Mommy out when she asks.
• His eating has gotten better, not great, but better - baby steps!  (We don't cry much at the table any more, he will eat a few bites of veggies, and he is eating a better variety of foods)

Quinn

• She is starting to "babble" much more (which I'm told is the first step children must go through before doing much real talking)
• She is walking almost everywhere and wearing herself out!
• She is beginning to be a bit less picky about what she will pick up to eat.

Now, I'm not saying that I'm not going to look ahead for my kids as I feel it is my job to help lead them down the correct path.  They themselves need to be paying closer attention to what is right there in front of them and I need to stop for a minute and enjoy it too!

             

A few reminders for students going back to college

As we are approaching the beginning of the spring semester, I believe there are a few things that students should be reminded of (though if you're reading this, I'm probably preaching to the choir!)

1. Make sure to come to class on the first day or at least email the professor if you're sick or something.  Many universities have an attendance policy the first week or so and you could get dropped for non-attendance.  In addition, this isn't high school and we do generally actually cover some material on the first day.  Miss it and don't communicate it - already starting off on the wrong foot!
2. On that note, when you email your professor (or anyone in a formal manner) be sure to use an appropriate title (if you don't know if they are a "Dr.", "Professor" is a safe bet).  Don't use any texting lingo, proofread it (we all make typos, but try to keep them to a minimum) and be careful of  "tone."
3. In addition to that, if you have a question that you think you need to ask the professor, spend at least 10 minutes trying to figure it out on your own first before sending an email.  This will prevent the "nevermind" emails.
4. If a professor makes a textbook "optional" it is just that - however, if you are struggling in the class and you didn't buy the book, don't blame the professor or use up all their precious time because you didn't want to spend the money on a book.
5. Do actually take the time to READ the syllabi for your classes - a lot of it might go without saying, but each professor may have their own policies or nuances that you want to be aware of.
6. If you can do exactly what we do in class (i.e. - regurgitation), this is worthy of a C in a class, nothing more.
7. This class costs $$$!  Why is this one of the few things that cost money that we don't care if we get short-changed on?  Go to class, expect every minute to be utilized, and if they go over a minute or two, think of it as a bonus :)
8. Remember that students are expected to spend about 3 hours (for an average student) per week outside of class for every hour you are in class.  Thus if you are taking 15 credits, you're expected to spend about 45 hours per week outside of class working on things for class.  (Notice that is more than a full-time job and count the 15 hours in class and you're at 60 hours.  Please also note that there are 168 hours in a week, about 56 of which you should be sleeping.  Thus, this leaves about 52 hours for commuting/eating/working/fun/etc.)

~~*~*~*~~

Education is not a spectator sport!!   

~~*~*~*~~

You will only get out of a class what you put into it!!

~~*~*~*~~

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Brain Dump

So this might not be the greatest post in the world, but I have always promised to give you an honest look into what is going on in my head!

1. About two years ago, I drove back to Nebraska after they had a pretty large snowfall the day before.  I drove over 700 miles to get to the Nebraska border and the interstate was closed (found another way).  Then on Monday on our way back to Kentucky, everything was fine until I got to the Kentucky border (about 15-20 miles away) and suddenly the roads were icy and speeds were around 10mph.  Seriously!!!
2. On that note, my kids were amazingly good on the trip.  Owen was very helpful and listened to me.  That sure does make it easier.  Quinn did get pretty fussy toward the end and didn't eat the greatest, but all in all, they were really good!
3. I'm still having a hard time adjusting back to Eastern time (from Central).  I believe this has a lot to do with leaving at 4:30am  (central) on Monday morning more than losing the hour on the way back!
4. Quinn has not been eating very well for about a week now.  I'm not sure exactly what is going on.  Normally she gobbles up peanut butter jelly and she wanted nothing to do with it yesterday as well!  This is a hard decision for us as I want her to eat what we give her but she is also so tiny that we can't afford for her to not eat and lose weight!
5. No one who works for a college in any way (including book reps) should not be allowed to be "out of the office" the week before classes start!  Argh!
6. How can kids be so tough on things?  Owen has already burnt through a backpack and his folder is almost split into 2 already.  Next year I need to buy one backpack early and then wait for the school supplies to be on clearance and buy a few back-ups!
7. Finally, and this I need responses to please!, any quick ideas for how to save some extra money?  We've had a few extra medical bills coming in and I need to find some more ways to save some money!  I already coupon on things I know I'll buy, we're at the lowest cell phone minutes, got rid of the "extra" unneeded channels on our cable.

So there you have a lot of what is going on in my head.  Anything you'd like to share?

Happy HumpDay!

New Year, New Goals

First off, I promise that "Outfit of the Week" will return next Monday.  Yesterday, I was busy traveling with my 2 kiddos for 15 hours!  (If you want my suggestions on traveling with kids, see this post).


Now that we've started a new year, it is time for some new goals.  I don't like to call them resolutions as I feel I'm setting myself up for failure.  So here are my goals and their corrensponding strategies:

1. Work-out at least three times a week - strategy:  Work out at work on three of the following 4 days:  Tuesday, Wedneday, Thursday, Friday.  Wednesday would have to be a quick one (I'd have an hour to get changed, work out and go get Quinn) but I sometimes have long meeting on Tuesdays!
2. Jog an entire 5K in May - strategy:  Two of my three workout days from above should be training for this and then another day of the weekend should be devoted to this.  Plan on starting this the first of February!
3. Cut back on soda - strategy:  Slowing ween myself down.  I don't believe (right now) that I can give up my morning "wake-up" pop, but would like to get down under 32 oz a day...for now!
4. Eat more fruits/veggies and less "bad carbs" - strategy:  Keep more fresh fruits arround the house and replace one of our sides (that would probably be some type of potato or garlic bread) with a salad at least once a week.
5. Stop snacking after 9pm - strategy:  Eat a snack with the kiddos and eat what they eat (I have a tendency to bring out the "good stuff" once they are in bed!)
6. Worry less about Quinn's development - strategy:  Take this one day at a time, one milestone at a time.  Remember that when a child is at a lower percentile, someone has to be there and I'm sure that there are many more kids out there that are in a similar boat.

Ironically, I believe number 6 is going to be the hardest for me.  I really also wanted to set a goal of losing weight, but I truly believe that by doing numbers 1-5, this will help aid it more than just stating that goal.

What are you goals (feel free to share your link with me if you've blogged about this too!)