Family Musings

Mary loves her sippy cups. She also happens to love other kids sippy cups too! I'm always trying to watch her at play dates to make sure she isn't drinking after other kids and spreading her cute little germs all around. Enter Applied Labels - dishwasher safe labels that last and last and last. I stuck our labels on every sippy cup in our house a few weeks ago and they haven't gone any where even though each cup has been washed almost daily. We go through a lot of cups in our house every day. I designed our labels to be super simple so both girls, mommy, and daddy could use them. I just put our last name and a star picture on them. This helps the nursery workers at church and MOPS too. No more markers rubbing off or masking tape being peeled off when the edges start to curl. We used to have some stretchy, bumpy name labels, but they were very specific to each child. Also, they were too thick to let us stack the cups unless we took them off before putting the cups a...

Choosing a car seat is a big deal - they are expensive, everyone has an opinion, you don't know how fast or slow your child will grow, and you have to make sure you buy one that fits your car. More than anything though, we want our kids to be safe when they are in our cars. That is the main reason we put so much effort into choosing the best car seat we can afford. I know that I spent a lot of time researching car seats online before I ever set foot in a store to buy one. I read reviews, posted messages on forums, and checked out consumer magazines. In other words, I took it as seriously as any other parent. We've had really good luck with the seats I choose. The girls both started out in a bucket seat (a Graco Quatro Tour ) before moving into a rear-facing convertible seat (the Evenflow Triumph Advance ). And now they are both forward facing in convertible seats.  Several weeks ago I received a Recaro ProSPORT car seat (in Hanna) to review. I knew it was coming and was rea...

I first heard of Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day more than a year ago. I thought it sounded great, but making homemade bread was sooooo.... NOT on my radar. Now though, I've spent most of this year making a couple loafs of homemade Amish white bread a week and feel like I am ready to venture into more interesting textures and flavors of bread. After 3 hours of rising in a 2 gallon bucket After a reminder about this book from Tracey (yes the same awesome friend who started an Amazon Wish List for Joplin, MO moms ), I decided to buy Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day. And I don't regret it. I knew I was going to like the bread I made when following the procedures in this book. I even went ahead and doubled the Master Recipe because I knew I couldn't fail. That's how easy the authors made the process. The basic premise is to make up a master batch of dough and then pull chunks of it off to make individual loafs through out the week. The dough can last for up to 1...

What exactly should you get your husband as an anniversary gift for year 13 ? Especially in a year when the schedule is as tight as the budget. The traditional list for anniversary gifts suggests lace. And I can think of some fun ways to interpret that for a husband... but none that I would blog about. The modern list for anniversary gifts suggests textiles or fur. Let's just say, I didn't go that route either. Instead, I gave him something very unconventional. He wasn't expecting it and it still made him smile the next morning when he saw it. What is this magical gift that makes him smile the next day and I can still blog about? I cleaned our master bedroom. Shocking. I know. I'm living on the edge here with my wild and crazy gifts. Seriously though, if you knew what I had to work with, you'd appreciate the 4 hours I spent working on the room to make it look like this: The scroll work piece over the bed is new to us and I finally hung it up. This sort ...

13. It is supposed to be an unlucky number. But not yesterday. Yesterday, Bruce and I celebrated 13 years of marriage. And it was good. Luck had nothing to do with it - good or bad. There were no fireworks, or fancy meals at restaurants with large skewers of meat or pots of chocolate. But it was good. I take that back. There were fireworks. And balloons. Bruce drew some for me on our master bathroom memo board. It was a simple day, simply marked by a meal together as a family and plans to go out on a date this weekend. 13 years ago, the best man at our wedding, Justin, gave a speech. And in it, he called us "a couple that works." I've reflected on this description a lot over the years and think he meant that, even though we weren't obvious choices for one another at the time (to anyone but us that is), we still made sense together to those who knew both of us well. I truly believe that statement is as true today as it was 13 years ago. Bruce and I are...

Sometimes it takes a personal story for us to really see the need when other people are experiencing a tragedy. Today, even though I had been aware of the horrible after math of the recent tornadoes in Joplin, MO, I finally saw the human side of it. My friend Tracey shared about the moms of young children in Joplin who had lost their homes. It hadn't occurred to me, but these moms probably didn't crawl into their bathtub or basement with their baby's lovey or pacifier. And of course, the Wal-Mart suffered a lot of damage so they couldn't just go out and replace these items easily. They can't really do any of the daily stuff of raising preschoolers easily. So Tracey, because she is awesome and responded when she saw the need, created an Amazon.com Wish List for the moms of Joplin, MO . On this wish list are things like pacifiers, diapers, blankets, and other items that moms will need in the coming weeks but won't have easy access too. The MOPS group of Jo...

Several months ago, I came across this simple interview (don't remember where) and thought it would be fun to sit down with Charlotte to capture her answers. She'll be 4 in August (less than 3 months away!) and it was nice to hear her insight on Mommy. What is something Mommy always says to you? - "I love you." What makes Mommy happy? - "When I say I love you and hug you." What makes Mommy sad? - "When there is no love in the house." How does Mommy make you laugh? - "Jokes, like the elephant joke." What was Mommy like as a child? - " You always wanted an apple." How old is Mommy? - "5" (!) How tall is Mommy? -  This tall (she spread her arms out). When asked to tell me how tall that was, she said "19 feet long." (19 is her new favorite number.) What is Mommy's favorite thing to do? - "Snuggle with me." What does Mommy do when you're not around? - "Type messages to me....

My 3 (nearly 4) year old knows that some day, Jesus is going to knock on her heart's door. And to hear her tell us that she is looking forward to that day makes my heart happy. And maybe it makes my eyes a little wet too. She already has a love for God that impresses me and I can't wait to see what happens when He really takes hold of her life. I'm sure I'll need some help letting go, but she'll be in good hands. Almost daily, my husband and I make efforts pour the love of God into her and her sister, in ways they can recognize and in more subtle ways that they may never notice. Bruce prays Numbers 6:24-26 over them each night. I try to teach Charlotte and Mary  Bible verses that will build their character . Ultimately, we are trying to teach them that they are loved not only by us, but by God too. Some of these efforts come out in the books we read to our girls. Some of these efforts are seen in the television shows we let them watch, or not  watch. And more r...

Someone was asking me about cookbooks and recipes today when I came across the  Take the Carrabba’s Personality Quiz on Facebook . I quickly took the 5 question quiz and discovered that my pasta personality is Penne Franco, a dish with sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and ricotta salata. It sure sounds like something I'd enjoy and now I might be inspired to make an Italian style pasta dish for dinner tonight!  My husband's favorite pasta dish is a Creamy Spinach-Chicken Lasagna. I was sure I had posted it before, but couldn't find it any where on the blog. And since it is one of our favorites, I thought I ought to share it with you now. It started out as a recipe from my mom, which I've now made so many times, I don't even look at the written recipe any more. Plus, since my life is busier, I've turned it into a no-boil lasagna to make assembly quicker.  Creamy Spinach-Chicken Lasagna 1 box lasagna noodles 2 cups cooked chicken 2 cups loosely pa...

How do you know you are truly loved by your friends? How about when they all gather around you in prayer to encourage you and ask God to bless you, even though you are leaving their happy fellowship? That's what happened to me this morning. You can't see me, but I'm in the middle of that cluster of lovely, praying women. I am the recipient of their happy blessings. Today was the last day of the 2010-2011 MOPS year and, in the midst of celebrating all of the good things they have learned and accomplished this year, they took a quiet moment to lift me up as I continue the process of starting a brand new MOPS group at my home church. The testimonies shared by several women today have reminded me that I am on the path God has set for me to reach out to other moms that need someone to come beside them and care about them and their children. The laughter shared over a delicious brunch encourages me to continue to build the relationships I have with my MOPS friends and ...

It seems that picking fruit has become a tradition for our family. We missed strawberry season, but we did make it out for blueberry and tomato picking. This year, a friend from church invited us to come and pick at their large blueberry patch since they had more than they could pick before they went all bad. It was a gorgeous morning, topped off with getting to pet their horses. Mary seemed to know exactly what to do and took her bucket straight to the first blueberry bush. She already looks like a pro! Charlotte too remembered what to do and actually told Mrs. Lori, "I know how to do it!" when Mrs. Lori tried to show her which ones to pick. Such joy from a small little berry. They tasted delicious right off the bush, super sweet with a nice pop when you bit into it. Charlotte being very earnest to choose the best berries. Mary wasn't as professional as I would have liked and her favorite thing to do was dumping the bucket out after she had several in it. M...

Today was a big day in the life of my Charlotte Moon. She went on her first real, planned sleep over tonight. It's at her G-ma's house and she has been talking about doing this for at least a month now. Charlotte and I made a list of the things she would pack and this is what she decided she needed to include: Bow Wow (her floppy stuffed dog) Tooth brush, tooth paste, and her butterfly rinse cup Pajamas Twinkle Toes Sunshine Bear I Love You Stinky Face book I added some clean clothes for the next day, zipped it up and she was ready to go! We met my mom halfway between their house and ours and then I left Charlotte and my mom so they could have breakfast together. A few hours later though, my mom called to tell me Charlotte had a fever.  The fever stuck around for several hours and really put a cramp in their plans together, but eventually the Tylenol brought it down from its high of 102.4 and by 9 pm, my little girl was her typical self! My mom was in for a late,...

Sharing free ice cream at Chick-fil-a yesterday Just a moment ago, Charlotte asked me for a snack. She settled on a slice of "flat cheese." As I opened the fridge, I told her she'd need to take a slice to Mary too. Then, when I opened up the drawer, I saw there was only a single slice of flat cheese left. I gave Charlotte two options - eat it in the kitchen, or share it with her sister in the living room. She quickly and cheerfully said she would split it and then did her best to fold it in half evenly. I guess that means that some of what I am trying to teach her is sticking in her heart! In honor of my daughters sharing so well, I decided to create a little poster for them to help them remember a Bible verse about sharing. I'm not in the habit or practice of making "printables," but I think this turned out kind of cute and thought you might want to share this verse with your littles as well. Or maybe you just need it as a reminder for yourself...

I finally knew the Bag Holder had secured a permanent place in my kitchen when I went to cook dinner last night. Without even thinking about it, I reached for the Bag Holder to prepare a chicken and rice recipe I've made before using regular bowls. It wasn't until I added the last ingredient that I even realized that I had changed the way I cook, bake, and store food. Thank you Kara for sharing this simple yet innovative kitchen tool with me. It's a true multi-tasker that would make even Alton Brown proud! And before I sign off with this series of reviews, I thought I'd share a few of the ways I've used it that haven't been documented on the blog yet. I used the Bag Holder to put up about 70 pounds of tomatoes. I was able to buy them for about $3 so I couldn't pass them up, but I had to figure out a quick way to store these gems! Ready to be flash boiled to make skin removal easier. After their ice water bath and skin removal. They felt so ...

Forgive me for posting this when it is probably too late for you to do anything about it. But, well, my mom is great and she reads my blog. So if I posted this idea before she got it, then she'd know, and the surprise element of the gift giving would be lost. And that would be sad. Because I love surprises. This gift is highly customizable and can be adjusted to suit the tastes and preferences of the recipient. You can click on the image to see it better. Her name is Debra, which is why it is bigger and centered in the middle. The rest of the names are her immediate family members. If you let your eyes be creative for a moment, the names are in the shape of a tree. So this is kind of like a family tree, just arranged artistically, not chronologically. And it's a complete coincidence that my name is at top. I swear! I learned how to make this flower from Emily, of Jones Design Company. She shared a great rolled paper flower tutorial on her blog last week, and I was gla...

All day I've been cranky. It might have something to do with the lack of sleep this past week, but more likely it has to do with unmet expectations. I'm talking about my own expectations of myself. I expect a lot of my mothering. And some days I live up to them, but typically, most days I fall far short of my mothering goals. I find myself crying at 3 pm because I have no idea how I am supposed to mold these little girls into Godly women with the example I am setting for them. My patience wears thin with the high expectations I have of them and of myself. Nobody could meet these expectations. I know this, but that doesn't make it easy to let them go. But, I'm working on them. I talked with an older, wiser woman last week who helped remind me that I lack perspective right now. She helped me to remember to look at my 3 year old and my 1 year old as exactly what they are - 3 & 1. They aren't sissies, but they are fragile in some ways. They are watching me...