Inspired Wednesday - Make & Take Time

Last week Renee from NextGen Homeschool linked up a post about how to choose educational apps for your kids.  Her post is timely and extremely detailed.  If this is a topic that affects you, be sure to check out her post - and Renee, please visit our Inspired Wednesday page and take the "I was featured on Washed Up Inspired Wednesdays' button back with you.  

Becky, you've won the copy of "A Life with Lily!"  


If you have a post about an encouraging activity, project, or trip that you've taken, please link up below and add a link back to this post.  Either way, please read on to find out more about a fun activity that we enjoy here in our nest, and be sure to hop over to Where He Leads, We Follow to check out Stephanie's  Inspiring Wednesday post, too.  :-)

<center> </center> <center> <a href="http://www.anestintherocks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Where He Leads We Follow" src=" https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ohwdk6NVRkHOqw4e5ESiU7MbEagPhE-hv-xQ8n7ssQj9tJQ19wcqpWGGP-TElN4VD1mzg-8ju6UoXBCmjQcRZ-Sol0lMUG_D6XyntMTIaaJNc_qjLAlAGxHoBMUHbmGpAerIHLIhBgQT/s1600/Inspired+Wednesdays2.jpg"/></a></center>

Last Wednesday, I was holding tightly to the premise of Washed Up Inspired Wednesdays. My kids didn't want to start our school projects because they were building a huge thingymajig, as my son calls it, with their mutual K'Nex - and then, once we began, they didn't want to stop.  In the midst of the project craziness the washer flooded our play/schoolroom - twice.  While cleaning that up and trying to make dinner a child knocked over a picture frame, shattering glass all over the floor.  

I was totally ready to grab some chocolate and a good book and go stick my head in the sand somewhere.

And then I heard the kids laughing.

Afraid that there was some other disaster in the making, I hurried to the laundry room, where they had laid old towels down on the few remaining drops of water, stood on them, and were skating around the small space, drying everything up and having a ball.

I realized that what was a huge interruption to my "well-planned" day was an opportunity to have fun for my kids. Sure, they knew that they carpet was going to smell the next day, and they knew they would see less of Daddy that night since he had to fix the problem instead of hang out with them, but they are still wearing their rose colored glasses.  They still see the good in so many things.  Even in clean-up.

I've been thinking about that this week, and while most of us probably know this, I think my mid-week stress just needs a healthy dose of rose-colored perspective.

That mountain of laundry that must be washed, dried and folded?  We are well dressed.

The dishes that never seem to end?  We have plenty to eat, several times each day.

The kids that are noisily leaving K'Nex all over the house?  Our kids are happy, healthy, and creative.  They envision what I cannot and do not let the small stuff stop them.

So sometimes when the flood waters rise or the crumbs threaten to take over, we need not shout about who made yet another sandwich, but to praise the one with the initiative and the knowledge to make it - and then gently show them how to clean up the mess.

Personally,  I think all of this is easier when a few hugs are thrown into the mix, and usually we all feel most stressed when we haven't taken the time for that.  So, know that the crumbs will probably be there later and snuggle into the couch for story time.  Take some time to remind yourself why you're on this parenting journey, anyway - and don't forget to don your rosy glasses.

What's stressing you today, and how can you see it in a rosy light?

We want to give you something rose-colored and happy to think about, so ponder this:  what might your own custom signature look like?  One reader will win just that from Tatorbug Creations next week!  Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter below. :-)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GratiTuesday - Free Chocolate!

A few months ago I received a message saying that I had won a giveaway from The Contest Corner. Winning anything is exciting, of course, but then I found out that I won this:

CHOCOLATE!

And not just any chocolate - but chocolate made in my Pennsylvanian hometown!

I was super excited about both parts of this fun turn of events and even more so when my package arrived in the mail.  It came with this wide assortment of chocolates.  Pretzels, non-pareils, covered graham crackers, nuts - it was all yummy.  Truly, I'm not sure that a better kind of prize exists!

My package arrived right after Christmas, when the entertaining and visiting was over and the New Year's celebration was about to begin.  Since I did not buy our traditional box of mixed chocolates this year, my Asher's Chocolates were most welcome.

We enjoyed every bite of these chocolates and slyly fought over them.  The chocolately treats were loved by all of us.  

Who wouldn't like to have great chocolate delivered to your door for free??

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers - and be sure to come back and link up tomorrow for Inspired Wednesdays!

Menu Plan Monday - February 11, 2013

This is a busy week for us - Fastnacht Day, Ash Wednesday, and Valentine's Day all in a row.  Throw in a few co-ops and other commitments, and we're busy people this week - and so I'm planning some slow-cooker and other types of simple meals.

Breakfast:

- yogurt and Cinnamon Almond Granola
- scrambled eggs and fruit
- fastnachts, fruit

- Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Dinner:
- Chicken & Cheese quesadillas, cheesy rice, tortilla chips & beans
- Sausage sandwiches with onions & peppers, Sun Chips, carrot sticks
- Hawaiian Chicken and veggies over rice

- Baked chicken, S'Mashed Italian Potatoes, steamed broccoli
- Chicken & broccoli stir fry over rice
- Leftovers
- Dinner at church - what to take??

What's on your menu for the week?

For more Menu Plan Mondays, visit OrgJunkie.

Blueberry Biscuits

Recently my Little Man commented about how much he would like to eat a local fast food restaurant's blueberry biscuit.  This treat tastes fantastic, but is no doubt quite unhealthy, so it's not something that he's had more than a few times.

And then I wondered:  why couldn't WE make blueberry biscuits?   

I couldn't think of a good reason not to, and so our experimentation began.  

The first batch came out beautifully, and they were all eaten before I could get a picture of them.  The most recent batch is somewhat less pretty to look at, but the biscuits taste amazing.

So if you're looking to add a little variety to your biscuits, here's how!  These couldn't be simpler to make, but they definitely have a higher fun factor than an ordinary biscuit.

Ingredients:

• 2 c. flour (both white and white-wheat work well - you can use either one)
• 4 T. softened butter
• 4 t. baking powder
• 3/4 c. milk
• 1 t. salt
• 1/4 c. blueberries - I used frozen ones that we picked last summer

Directions:

1. Measure dry ingredients and stir together.
2. Cut in the softened butter.
3. Add the blueberries.
4. Add the milk all at once.
5. Stir rapidly for a few seconds, then turn out on a lightly floured board.  
6. Knead vigorously for 30 seconds.
7. Pat or roll to 1/2" or 3/4" thickness.
8. Cut out and place onto a greased cookie sheet.
9. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10  minutes or until the tops begin to brown.
10. Mix a basic vanilla glaze with 1 c. 10X sugar, a splash of vanilla, a pinch of salt, and about 1 T. of milk (or enough to make a gravy-like consistency).  
11. Drizzle the glaze over the biscuits.
12. Serve warm.

How do you like to eat YOUR biscuits??

Inspired Wednesday: Start a Book Club & Giveaway

Welcome to the kick-off of Inspired Wednesdays!  If you have a post about an encouraging activity, project, or trip that you've taken, please link up below and add a link back to this post.  Either way, please read on to find out more about a fun activity that we enjoy here in our nest, and be sure to hop over to Where He Leads, We Follow to check out Stephanie's  Inspiring Wednesday post, too.  :-)

As we considered homeschooling as an option for our family, I knew that I wanted to provide fun and exciting ways for our kids to interact with literature.  I knew that we would read often, together and separately, and would read books of all kinds, but I wanted our children to build personal connections with the characters, the setting, and the information provided in the stories.

Thus began our daughter's book club.  We read and select books a few months in advance, and then the group meets monthly for a few hours on a Thursday afternoon.  We try to do what the main character does in each story: we dress up, cook, play outside, or whatever s/he does.  So far we've gone on safari, hosted tea parties, cooked apple butter, and sewn pillows!

This might sound like a lot of work, and in some ways, it is; but it's fun work, and we're building a love of learning, of literature, and a love of of history into our daughter, as well as establishing some great friendships.  After the first few events, it became less work and more fun.  We all look forward to book club Thursdays!

The best part is that you decide how it works.  Once a month too often?  Try once each season.  Maybe you have a group of friends with children of similar ages, and you all want to take turns hosting.  Maybe it would work best for you to have your book club just during summer vacation. Maybe you have older children who can take on a large portion of the planning themselves, or maybe you want to work without a set schedule and have a meeting whenever the spirit leads you.  Be creative!

You could also have a club with a theme.  Have a pirate-lover in the home?  Read through a selection of fiction and non-fiction pirate books.  Is your child into nature?  Read books of explorers, field guides, and fiction adventure. The possibilities are endless!

Establishing a book club for your children is easier than you might think. To get step-by-step directions and printables to use when planning your club events, visit my my new Teachers Pay Teachers store and download a complete planning guide for FREE!

Life with Lily by Suzanne Woods Fisher was our most recent book club selection, and the girls ranked it as their favorite book read so far.  To get you started, we're giving away a copy of this wonderful story!  Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below - this is one book you won't want to miss.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Come back on Friday a list of some great book club possibilities.  In the meantime, link up your fun and family-friendly ideas below!  We'd also appreciate a link-back with our handy-dandy button below.  If you're not a blogger, we'd love to hear your inspiring tip in the comments.

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*Thanks to Tatorbug Creations for our new graphics!

E-mails From Nana

This has been a year full of new seasons for us.  When the school year began, I expected our homeschooling adventures to be our biggest change, but we've faced one after another.  

The most recent is my husband's work schedule.  Now in training in a new position, he's commuting three hours each day.  The kids are staying up later so that they can see him before they go to bed, which means we sleep later, eat breakfast later ... you get the idea.  None of this is bad, just different - but add this on top of both kids being sick for a month; weather that changes more often than our shoes - we've had a snowstorm, an ice storm, and beach weather all in the last two weeks; and trying to figure out some new projects for school, and I've been worn out.  

We've been staying pretty close to home because of our illnesses and the weather, and we've all been missing outside human contact.  With studying necessary at night for the daily tests that training requires, even my husband has been much more absent than usual - and we've all felt it.

So we've been even more excited than usual to check my email throughout the day - because my grandmother has been giving us all sorts of tips and help on our current unit of study.  My Big Helper even asks if Nana has emailed when she first wakes up, and she saves certain bits of news to hunt-and-peck in her next email so she can 'surprise' Nana.  My Nana, the coolest grandmother ever, just got a new computer and has been emailing my daughter back.  I love seeing the two of them connecting via technology over the 440 miles separating them!

All relationships have seasons.  Right now my friends and I are all taking care of sick children and getting back into the swing of things after the holidays, and so our focus is all at home.  My husband is spending a few weeks settling into his new position, and the kids are on antibiotics and improving rapidly.  The loneliness and restlessness that the kids and I have been feeling will soon be over, but in the meantime ...

We can't wait to see Nana's next email! 

For more GratiTuesday, visit Heavenly Homemakers.

**Don't forget to come back tomorrow and link up your inspiring family fun posts for our first ever Inspired Wednesday!!

Menu Plan Monday - February 4, 2013

** Be sure to stop back on Wednesday for the first ever Inspiring Wednesdays blog hop!  There will be giveaways, features, and ideas to keep your week fun and lively.  Don't miss it!

Confession time:  I didn't follow my meal plan very much last week.  Between crazy weather and schedules and a sick little girl, we ended up opting for the simple route.  With my husband away for work training, that often meant pulling leftovers out of the fridge.  

We're going to be doing that again some this week.  Why cook more if there's already good, healthy food prepared?  We're keeping this week simple - plus continuing to use the ham that I baked last week.

Breakfast:

• yogurt parfaits with Cinnamon Almond Granola
• Breakfast burritos with ham, eggs, and cheese

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars and oranges
• Leftover pancakes (see dinners)

Dinners:

• Pancakes with maple syrup and sausage
• Spinach, Chicken, & Pasta Casserole
• Ham & Cheese Muffins, carrot sticks, applesauce (didn't make these last week)

• Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Grandma's Biscuits

• Ham, Green Beans, and Potatoes with bread and applesauce
• Free Pizza from the Super Bowl giveaways
• Leftovers

What are you cooking this week?

For more Menu Plan Monday, visit OrgJunkie.