Toddler Tuesday: Come on, you were all thinking it!

  I have decided that since toddlers have enough energy, imagination and personality for two children, they really need a special day each week. One special day to write about the exciting (ha!), destructive, bewildering and hilarious (after the fact at least) adventures they have day after day.

  Since many of my readers have toddlers of their own, I know this post will be appreciated. I encourage you to add your own toddlers (mis)adventures in the comments. Because since they are going to find something to get into regardless, we might as well all have a good chuckle about it!

  Of the top of my head, here are a few of Lucy's imaginative messes from the last week or two. I assure you there are MANY more that I've blocked out so that I can try and remember all the cute and adorable things she says and does, and continue to like her Lol.

  Not even half an hour ago I went to get a drink of water. I reuse one glass all day and keep it by the sink. When I picked it up to refill it I noticed something shiny in the bottom. Upon further inspection the shiny items were also a little slimy. She had found a broken necklace I had stashed in an unused tea light decoration, awaiting my next trip to the mall. She had taken the hand lotion beside the sink, pumped a couple squirts of lotion into the tea light section of the decoration then (I'm assuming) tried to wash it off with the bit of water in glass. At least she was trying to clean up after herself?!
 
  Last week I walked into the kitchen to find her standing beside a huge white powder "puddle" on the floor. Looking closer, she was also coated in a fine white powder and was licking it off of her hands, which were caked with it. That mess turned out to be popcorn seasoning. Guess we forgot to put it back in the spice cupboard the night before. That'll teach us not to pick up after ourselves.

  She is not allowed to play with my new iPhone, however I did keep my old iPhone and let her use that. She has basically made a game out of trying to sneak my new phone anytime I set it down.  A few days ago during one of those times she found it, she discovered it had a camera. Later that night I deleted over 40 photos of her eye and forehead. All exactly the same picture.

  Lucy disappeared down the hall a couple days ago. I noticed because it got really quiet all of a sudden. You all know what I'm talking about. Your working away on some task or chore and suddenly realize, it's quiet. TOO quiet. Then you drop what your doing and hurry off to find the source of the quiet. What mess has your toddler found to keep them busy and quiet this long?! Well this particular day, Lucy had discovered my essential oils. I had quite a few of them out on my headboard because Avary was sick and I'd been using them on her. She was covered in eucalyptus oil and my floor was covered in sweet almond oil. On a positive note, my floors shiny, and if she had any cold symptoms the eucalyptus would have cleared it right up. She smelled good too!

  Make sure to share your toddler stories too! And remember, we might as well approach them with humor
or we'll all end up with nervous breakdowns ;)

Mommy Monday: Enjoying parenting

  I was unsure what I wanted to talk about this morning. I was full of energy and motivation and was busy cleaning and tidying up the house. Then a very sweet little girl  asked me to snuggle her. How could I resist such an offer? After a good snuggle Lulu and I ended up baking some bread and cookies together while Avary napped. It was a perfect morning with my little girl. It also gave me the inspiration for this post.
  Last spring I struggled with depression. It was not the first time, but it was the worst. Everything seemed to make me angry or overwhelmed. I was always angry or on the verge of tears. For the first time I was not enjoying being a mommy.

  It came at an especially bad time. I had had several months of pure mommy bliss prior. Everything had seemed to come so easy. The house ran smoothly, stayed clean, and was organized. I baked all our breads, snacks, and baked goods and cooked all our meals from scratch. The kids and I enjoyed several special activities each week, including planned outings and I had a daily schedule for them.

  Oh how far I fell! Suddenly the house was a disaster zone and no amount of cleaning and organizing helped. The kids were constantly being loud and misbehaving- when they weren't busy fighting of course. I looked around me and just wanted to cry, or maybe scream depending on the day. What had happened?! I had lost my groove and I wanted it back!!

  I still baked and cooked everything but not with the same ease and not as efficiently as before. Forget a daily schedule and planned outings. There was time for snuggles through the day, but that was about it. No story time, no art time. Frankly no patience to even attempt those things, or much else. I was lucky to make it though the day in one piece! I hated feeling so out of control.

  I struggled through most of the summer, although not as badly because Trev had some vacation time and having him around 24/7 helped. I was able to accomplish things while he entertained the kids, and he really worked hard to try and help me around the house too. Around fall I began to feel better. Then at Christmas time I read something that gave me the final push I need. I don't remember where I saw it, but I saved it, and here it is:

  Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. Love is kind, though harried and tired. Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens. Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way. Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure. "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

  Of course you can subtract the vague Christmas references and you still have a very true and beautiful paragraph. To be honest I teared up a bit when I read it. The basis of that paragraph is 1Corinthians 13:1-13. How many times had I read those verses? I love that passage so much it was even part of my wedding vows. However I had never quite read it like that. When you substitute all those day to day things in, that passage hit me hard. I teared up and was very convicted that I was NOT being the mother I could be, or the mother I wanted to be.

  I was spending so much time trying to fix all the little things. If only I could get the house running perfectly again, or as de-cluttered and organized as it had been before. If only I could get back that "super mommy" appearance and be organized, put together, and be, well....perfect.

  One problem. I'm human. I'm not perfect, nor can I ever be perfect. I can however, be the best mommy I can be for my children. I can be the most loving, kind, attentive and supportive mother I am capable of being. I can be the mom my kids deserve.

  This was a very freeing realization. I'm not saying that everything else can just be ignored. Not at all. My children deserve a clean and safe environment, and good healthy food. They deserve educational activities and special outings. If I just focus on being their mommy and loving them, and ask God for patience and wisdom, the rest will fall into place.

  These last couple weeks have been anything but perfect. Lucy and Avary have had colds, Jake has been very whiny and the house has been far from perfect. On the positive side, there has been a good healthy meal every night, and the house has been "clean" despite being a little messy with toys and odds and ends out of place. The kids and I have enjoyed lots of special time together and there has been lots of love, joy and laughter in our home.

 Here are a few of my favorite moments from the last couple weeks:

Avary and Lucy playing the morning Avary started to feel better.

Jake loving on his best doggy friend Nikki.

Lucy and I baking together this morning.

Yes, she is sticky and covered in baking ingredients, but we were having fun :) She is laughing here and trying to take my picture while I take hers.

Avary being silly with mommy and daddy.

My handsome little man again.

Big snuggle fest this morning. Last night was a rough night and big stuff ended up snuggling mommy most of the night. Looks like gingerbread decided to join in too :)

  I hope this week, and every week, your home and your family is full of fun, love and special moments too!

Saturday night snack: pizza pockets!

  Tonight I decided to make something I never have, pizza pockets :) I was even really naughty and used all in bleached flour instead of whole wheat!

To make these, use the basic pizza dough recipe I posted under the pizza post. Like I stated, I used all unbleached all purpose flour. I also used an extra quarter cup of warm water.

Pizza Dough recipe: http://5bulmers.blogspot.com/2012/01/saturday-night-snack.html

My dough looked like this.

After letting it rest for 10 minutes I pinched off 8 round balls of dough.

       Next I flatted them out, not as flat as I would if I were making a pizza..

  Then I put a rounded Tbsp of tomato sauce, you can use more if you can fit it (I just used left over Ragu that was in my fridge), and whatever toppings we wanted. The kids wanted just cheese, Trev had hot peppers and mushrooms and I had hot peppers, mushrooms and green peppers.

*Tip- don't let the sauce run over the edges, it makes it harder to seal them up later.

Then I added our cheese (as much as I could fit, about a Tbsp or less) and closed them up.

Make sure to seal them well!

                               

Then flip them over (These would make the perfect item to freeze for quick cooking in a pinch. You could freeze them at this point).

When you have done this to them all, bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

They should puff up nicely and lightly brown on top.

Let cool and enjoy!

Mommy Monday: Caring for sick kids.

 What a long week this has been. Avary (Big stuff) has been sick. This is day five.  Fever, cough, stuffy nose....the works. As a mom, watching her suffer and not being able to do much to help is the worst. Of course I just want to take away whatever virus is bugging her. It's especially hard when they are so small (she is only 9 months old) because there is very little you can give them for cold/flu's. Throw the fact she is teething in, and the pool girl just can't win!

  Even though I may not be able to do as much for her as I would like, having her snuggled on my chest 80% of the time these last few days has helped me remember something. When we are sick, we all just want one thing. Well...two I guess. Obviously we want to feel better. However while we are suffering with whatever it may be (cold, flu, virus, headache, stomach ache etc), we want to be taken care of and comforted.

  Perhaps as moms (and dads) we are giving our kids more then we think when they are sick. We are giving them snuggles, 24/7 love and care. Despite the fact that I can take many many different kinds of medicine for whatever sickness is inflicting me, the thing that helps the most is when someone (my hubby or sometimes mom) does something above and beyond to help me out and take special care of me when I'm sick. As an adult we don't get that 24/7 care when we are sick.

  I guess in the end it all goes back to the fact that Love and our time are the two of the most important things we can give our children. Sometimes we focus so much on everything we wish we could do for them, or give to them, that we forget that very simple and true fact.

Saturday night snack: nachos

Sorry this ones a little late. Big stuff, our youngest, has been sick for the last several days. This week we had nachos for our weekly snack. I know you've all probably made them before, but here is how I like them :)

Nachos ingredients:

Corn chips
Green peppers (had to use red pepper this time)
Mushrooms
Green onions
Tomatoes
Shredded marble cheddar cheese.
Salt
Pepper
Re fried beans
Salsa
Sour cream

The amount depends on how much toppings you like. I love my loaded, while my hubby likes his light on the toppings and heavy on the cheese. It's all personal preference.

Place corn chips on baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Top with cheese (half of what you want) veggies (except green onions) then remaining cheese. Place some re fried beans on the side.

Place in oven preheated to 350. Bake until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with green onions.

       Place on plate an top the received beans with salsa and sour cream. Serve and enjoy.

Mommy Monday: Raising Lucy

  Lets be honest, I'm a mommy. I need some time to talk about that :) I've decided Mondays I will have "Mommy Monday". A chance for me to share, vent and gush about mothering my children.

  My biggest challenge is our middle child, Lucy. She seems to have a never ending supply of energy. She also seems to have no problem finding new and huge messes to make and new things to get into that she shouldn't. I cannot take my eyes off of her for more then 2 minutes. Sometimes it's very hard to enjoy being her mom when I'm constantly chasing after her telling her no and giving her time outs.

  Sometimes I find being her mommy very exhausting and overwhelming. It's vital for me to be very consistent with her and set boundaries. Of course, that in itself can be stressful. She is only two, and she is very strong willed. She is also a red head and has the temper to go with it. 

 Despite all that, she is also one of the most sweetest and loving little girls I have ever met. She always wants to help, she loves to snuggle and she is so thoughtful of others, especially her brother and sister. Being two, she is talking and always learning more words. She says the cutest things, which are only made cuter by her adorable toddler voice.

  Today I just wanted to share and give some thanks, that although she can be very stressful and difficult, we have had a fantastic week. Sure she has had a few moments where she can't help herself. She slips and does something she shouldn't. Overall, she has been sweet, loving, good, kind, adorable and enjoyable. I treasure weeks like this! I hold them in my mind and heart and use them to get through the rough weeks.

  Thank you Lord for a good week with my daughter! I pray we have more of these :)

Saturday Night Snack

  Saturday night means something in our family. In our house, Saturday's official title is  "Movie night". It's the night we play wii, watch movies, play board games and have snack foods. The kids, look forward to this night. Trev and I do as well. You might remember that as part of our goals for the new year, our rules on junk food got stricter. Only on weekends is the new rule. By only on the weekend we mean, only on movie night.

  I'm sure that you all have a snack night too. in an effort to have a little more direction, and write in my blog more I thought I would start doing a  "Saturday night snack" post each week. This week it was pizza. I know that homemade pizza, although delicious, can be a pain to make. It's certainly not hard to make, however the process is very long. As a busy mom I don't always have an hour and a half to wait for the crust to be done. This was one of those times. It was 5pm and there was no way I could wait until 6:30pm or 7:00pm to serve dinner! I went in search of a recipe for a quick crust.

   I found a pretty good one, and adjusted it a bit. I modified it to use half whole wheat flour. This of course meant adjusting the yeast and I found I needed some more water. You could use all whole wheat flour if you want. I probably will next time. Also I should mention that this crust was fairly thick. I made a 15" pizza with it. I could have easily made two 12" pizzas by spreading the crust thinner. Here's the recipe:

Basic pizza crust

1-1/2 Tsp Active dry yeast

1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp sugar
1/4 Tsp sea salt
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached flour

Pizza toppings of your choice.

    Place 1 cup warm water and yeast in a bowl. Allow to process for about 5 minutes. Add the oil, sugar, sea salt, and flour. Mix until a smooth and fairly elastic dough has formed. If your dough is too dry add some of the remaining 2 Tbsp water until dough is the right texture. Don't worry if you add a little too much water and the dough gets sticky. Just sprinkle in some extra flour and that will fix the problem.

  When dough is finished sit on an oiled pizza pan, or a pizza pan and allow to rest about 10 minutes. The dough will not really raise. That's ok. After 10 minutes spread your dough on pan. Bake at 400 (425 if your oven runs on the cooler side) for 8-10 minutes; until lightly browned. I would recommend watching the dough and poking a few holes with a fork if it's bubbling a lot. A huge air bubble tried to form in my crust.

   Remove from oven. Top with your favorite pizza toppings. We used 1/2 jar of pasta sauce, onion, green pepper, and mushrooms. We often also add olives, pineapple and tomatoes. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and ground pepper, then top with about 1/2 a large brick mozzarella cheese, shredded.  Bake an additional 8 minutes. Remove from oven. Allow to cool 5 minutes. Cut and serve.

Have a fantastic weekend!!

Soul food

  Since it's Sabbath, I just want to keep tonight's post simple. I have been watching the Friend of God series for the past few weeks. It's a series done by Pastor David Asscherick. I have been so blessed by what he is presenting. I find him to be a very compelling speaker. More importantly, the truths, ideas and views he presents are truly humbling. You cannot help but praise God and yearn to know him better by the end of each message. I'm going to post the first message here. The following ones can be found on YouTube by searching David Asscherick Friend of God.

                                                 God bless and happy Sabbath!

Orange Vanilla Granola

Last night I made a batch of granola I had primised to my gram at Christmas. I used a recipe given to me by a family friend as the base recipe. Of course I couldn't help tweaking it a bit and giving it my own little twist. It turned out SO yummy! I made a second batch for myself today! I give this recipe to you with a word of caution. It's addictive!

Ingredients:

5 cups large flake or old fashioned rolled oats.
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup brown sugar ( you can use less if you wish)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp orange extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

*Optional*
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Measure out oats and sit aside

Combine all other ingredients ( except optional ones) and mix well.

Stir the oats into the wet mixture. Ensure they are coated well. If there is some excess liquid that's ok.

Mixture should now look like this.

Pour onto a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper.

Bake In a preheated oven in 200 (250 if your oven runs on the cooler side) for 2-3 hours. Stir at least twice, waiting until at least an hour to stir the first time. This will ensure you get some good clusters of granola. Remove from the oven when granola is ALMOST at your desired crunchiness/ dryness. It will harden some more while cooling.

Once granola is done baking and you have removed it from the oven, stir in almond slices, coconut and dried cranberries if you wish.

Store in an air tight container for up to 3 weeks. Enjoy as a snack on its own, as cereal with milk, or with yogurt.

Minestrone soup

For the last couple years I have wrote on and off (mostly off) in spurts. I seem to have such a hard time finding something to write about frequently. I don't want to bore you all with the mundane events of our daily lives. I don't always want to be going full force on this topic or that...so what do I have to write about frequently?!

It finally came to me! Why have I not been filling all that down time in with the one thing I consistantly LOVE?!?!COOKING!!! I am ALWAYS cooking up new dishes and baking yummy treats. Sometimes they are my own recipe, sometimes recipes I find, and lots of times they are a bit of both. Instead of falling off the face of the earth- sort to speak- for several months at a time, I could be sharing my passion with you!

So, in the spirit of this new epiphany, here it is. My first offical recipe post. I assure you, it's the first of MANY!! In fact, you all might begin to wish I hadn't thought of this ;)


Minestrone soup (my own recipe)

Ingridents:

->1 box of campbells vegetable soup broth (about 4 cups)
->1 796ml can of no salt added diced tomatoes
->1 540ml can of dark red kidney beans, drained, and rinsed
->1/2 medium size onion, thinly sliced
->1/4 cup fresh, or frozen, green beans
->1/4 cup frozen corn
->1 stock of celery, thinly sliced
->1- 1 1/2 cups uncooked whole wheat pasta of your choice (if using large pasta I recommending using 1 1/2 cups dry pasta. If using small pasta, only use 1 cup
->1 large clove of garlic minced
->1/8 tsp salt
->1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
->2 rounded Tbsp vegetarian beef soup seasoning

Pour soup stock and tomatoes in large sauce pan. Add pasta, onions, green beans and celery. Simmer on med low until pasta is almost cooked. Add frozen corn, garlic, beef seasoning, kidney beans, salt and pepper. Simmer an additional 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5-10 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!