Alicia's Homemaking

Our Cloth Diapering System {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 31 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I pulled the cloth diapers out of storage boxes a couple weeks ago. When Peter was tiny, I used cloth diapers, but then we moved to our small, washer/dryer-less apartment and changed the cloth out for Huggies and Pampers. Now that we have a washer and dryer again, I'm happy to switch back and not shell out money for disposables!!

Using cloth diapers will save us HUNDREDS of dollars a year! Who-hoo! Plus, they're cute.

Here's our new little cloth diapering system...

Right now I have a total of 18 diapers, and I do a load of diapers every other day.

The diapers I use:

One Size Fuzzi Bunz Cloth Diaper. This is my favorite! It fits trimly and is adjustable so that it can fit your child all the way through potty training (supposedly!). It has adjustable elastic around the legs and the waist. These diapers are super soft and fluffy, and I find that they dry easily (I put the inserts in the dryer and hang dry the cover). And I haven't had any leak problems.

FuzziBunz Cloth Diaper, Size Small. These also work very well. Mine seem to be leaking a little, however. I used these diapers with Peter and also loaned them to a friend for a period of time, so maybe they have some detergent residue. Fixable, I hope.

bumGenius One-Size Cloth Diaper. I use this diaper with a doubler (an small insert for extra absorbancy) on Edmund overnight. Since he's still pretty little (15 lbs), this diaper is bulky on him. But it works great at night! And once Edmund is bigger, the diaper won't be as massive on him, since it will be unsnapped to a larger setting.

bumGenius All-In-One Size Small. This is an "all in one" diaper...you don't have to worry about putting in an insert. It's just like a disposable, only washable. These diapers fit very well and aren't bulky. However, since the insert is sewn in, they don't dry as quickly as my other diapers. I actually prefer pocket diapers (all of the others are pocket diapers) for that reason. I bought these diapers when Peter was little, and I don't think BumGenius sells them anymore (they switched to all one-size diapers).

Next up, the wipes. I'm using cloth wipes for the 1st time, because it just seems to make sense. The used wipes and diaper can all go in the diaper pail together. For wipes, I'm using some Circo washcloths and a flannel baby blanket, cut up into squares. To moisten the wipes, I use a peribottle filled with water. Sometimes I add a few drops of baby soap and baby oil to the bottle, other times I don't. Works like a charm!

Since you can't use regular diaper rash cream when you're using cloth diapers, I've started using Angel Baby Bottom Balm whenever Edmund has the beginnings of a rash. It's safe for cloth diapers and can actually be used for a multitude of things...scrapes, bites, etc.

So, that's it! I also have a wet bag that goes in my baby bag to put dirty diapers in while we are out and about and a liner that goes in my diaper pail. The liner is great, because then I can dump the entire bag of dirty diapers into the wash (liner included!) and not have to touch any dirty diapers.

Yes, there is more laundry to do now. But that's honestly not a ton of work. I prefer doing the laundry over making multiple trips to the store to buy diapers!

What do you think? Have you cloth diapered your babies?

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It's Thursday, so link up your adventures below!!! You know how it works. :)

P.S. The diaper links in this post are amazon affiliate links. I used amazon to order most of my supplies, including the Ruby Moon Cloth Diaper Detergent that I use.

Single Mom For (Almost) a Month {Try New Adventures Thursday}

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:20:00 +0000

From the moment my feet slide out of bed in the morning to the time when I tuck Edmund into bed after his late night feeding, I am going.

Between moving, a stomach bug, our car accident, a weekend trip to buy another vehicle, and having my husband out of town Sunday-Friday each week, this month has been intense...and I'm pretty pooped.

But I've gotten some time in with my boys. Often it's diaper-changing, ouchie-kissing, please-don't-bang-on-your-brother's-head, and mess-cleaning time--but it's time.

Lately we like to sing at the top of our lungs. Our current favorites (read: Peter's current favorites) are He's Got The Whole World In His Hands, Cebu (from Veggie Tales, sung with passion), and Let's Go Fly A Kite. Peter plays his beloved acoustic guitar and instructs me to play his toy electric guitar, which he calls a "spatula guitar" (?).

The amount of "things to do" on my plate has been overwhelming...and there's always housework. This week I decided to be more intentional about enlisting Peter's help with the chores. It's two for one: we spend time together and also get the cleaning done. It takes longer, but it's worth it. He loves to be involved.

Two other temporarily-single mom lessons I'm learning this month:

- Waking up early (even if it's only 30 minutes) makes all the difference in the world. Time to drink my coffee. To crack my Bible. To anticipate the day.

- We need to get outside at least once during the day.

And oh! If I know any single or military moms, I should take them dinner. I can think of at least 2 off the top of my head...:)

So thankful for my boys!! And for the fact that my sweet spouse comes home today.

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Here's to this week's adventures! Link yours up below. :)

New Gardening Potential {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:43:00 +0000

Last year we grew our first-ever vegetable garden and had moderate success. It was all in containers, since we lived in an apartment. We got our feet wet and learned about things like aphids, blossom end rot, and weird zucchini fungi. Our bell peppers and herbs thrived the most.

Now that we've moved, I'm so excited that we can actually plant things in the ground or in raised beds!

Here's the front yard potential....

This huge bed is pretty much empty and ready for...something. It has a lone rose bush (yay!) and some random plants here and there. Come fall, I'm thinking of planting vegetables farther back towards the window (this area gets the best sun) and then flowers towards the front of the bed.

I already planted a few flowers (zinnias and marigolds) in another front yard bed, and some impatiens in the back yard, which is more shaded. I've never done flower gardening before (for any length of time with any measure of success), so I'm excited about this! I think I'm sort of between planting seasons, since full-blown scalding summer is right around the corner for us Floridians. So I'm not sure what to plant right now...need to do some research!

Do any of you grow flowers in Florida? Any advice for me?

The rose bush is a tall, scraggly affair that has given us one beautiful rose at a time since we moved in. This is rose #2 in her loveliness.

Which brings me around to the fact that I know nothing about rose gardening except that rose bushes have to be pruned.

The front of our house also boasts two large fig trees and four (four!) tangerine trees. Homemade fig newtons, anyone?

The tangerine trees seem to have a black mold and some white eggs (?) on the leaves. We've treated all the trees with neem oil once, but I need to figure out what else we should do to keep them healthy....because I'm SO excited at the prospect of a good citrus harvest in December!!!

I've planted some staple herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary) in a pot by the front door and they are already taking off. The herbs I planted last year grew like weeks and were such a lovely addition to many of our meals. I'm hoping to add an additional pot with thyme, parsley, and dill. I'll plant cilantro in the fall.

Another cool gardening thing? We have a compost barrel in the back yard!!!!

Who knew rotting vegetables could be so exciting, right?

Did you plant a garden this year? Flowers, vegetables...or both?
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It's Thursday--time to link up your new adventures! It's easy-peasy: Link up your blog post, link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and then leave a few sweet comments on other participant's posts! You can also tweet your post or others with the hashtag #TryNewAdventures. I look forward to seeing what you've had up your sleeve. :)

Of Accidents, Celebrations, and Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:20:00 +0000

An hour after hitting "publish" on my last blog post, I was driving down the road on the way to an appointment, the boys buckled into their carseats in the back.

Suddenly there was a silver car turning left in front of me....just feet in front of me! 1st second--I slam on the breaks. 2nd second--we collide. Metal on metal, the boys' shocked screaming in the backseat, then metal on metal again as the cars spin and hit each other a second time, coming to a stop.

We are stunned, the cars pressed together in the median. The other driver hugs the woman in her passenger seat, and we are all ok. I'm ok. The boys are ok.

It's the second accident I've experienced in the last 3 years where both cars were seriously damaged but not a single passenger was hurt. Not even a scratch.

I felt God's hand over us so tangibly that day. After the initial shock, I was calm, even cheerful. All I could think of was that my boys were ok. I held my lanky two year old on my hip...because I could. Edmund was peaceful in his carrier (Oh thank God for sturdy carseats!). The other driver tearfully hugged me, and we marveled that God wanted us to walk the earth another day.

Talk about a dose of perspective to start the weekend off!

And it was a lovely weekend....

On Friday, we packed Peter up to spend the day with our friends Chad and Diana...

...so that Andrew and I (and our tag-a-long Edmund) could spend the day celebrating our 5th anniversary!

We started the day off with a fabulous breakfast...

...which involved Eggs Benedict (be still my heart!).

Also known as the "how-to-gain-5-lbs-in-10-minutes" breakfast. See those grits? They don't look like much, but they were AH-MAZ-ING.

We soaked up each other's company for the rest of the day. Picked up some anniversary/mother's day flowers at The Fresh Market, took a nap, played with the baby, relaxed at a coffee shop, and enjoyed a scrumptious Cajun dinner at a downtown restaurant.

It is so sweet to look back on the past 5 years. In that time, my husband and I have moved 4 times, had 4 jobs between us, gone through a year-long military deployment, had two kids, and (almost!) finished a master's degree. My husband's character has been proven to me in the stressful times. In the nights of separation and the high-pressure school days, he has consistently put his Lord and his family first. He has loved me so well. I am in awe of how ingeniously God answers prayers and knew exactly what I needed in a husband.

On Saturday, we enjoyed a now-yearly tradition of picking blueberries at a local farm. The farm opens up to the public for free picking once a year, and we don't miss our chance! Peter thought it was the best thing ever, and was running up and down the blueberry rows saying "Oh! Dere's one! Oh! I need to eat moy boo-berries 'cause I's hunga-ly."

We picked 24 pounds of blueberries. They are huge and deliciously crisp and sweet.

I enjoyed some of them with my Mother's Day breakfast in bed the next morning...

All in all, we had some precious family time.

Now the new week is here, and I'm making weekly goals for the 1st time since we were out of town for a month/moving/sick! I would share a menu plan, but with my hubby gone it's comprised mostly of dishes like spaghetti, beans and rice, and PB&J (is PB&J a "dish?" Hahaha...).

Goals for this week:

Make a large batch of red sauce in the crockpot.
Work out x 2 (trying to be realistic, since Andrew's not around).
Memorize 1 Corinthians 1:25-31
Read 2 chapters of Killing Lincoln.
Go to bed by 10:15 pm each night, wake up by 6:30 am at the latest. This is my major goal this week!!!
Edit 10 photos from last week's photoshoot.
Write in both boy's memory books.

How was your weekend? Have you ever been in a scary car accident?

Linked to Money Saving Mom.

Attitude Adjustments {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:22:00 +0000

At first I thought I'd tell you about my flower gardening escapades today. But lately, I have precious little blogging time, and I'd rather tell you a small bit of what's been on my heart.

My husband has an out-of-town rotation this month. For various reasons, the boys and I could not accompany him, so we're at home. Andrew comes home on the weekends. During the week, it's just me and the boys. We're almost two weeks into the rotation...and whew! What a ride.

The first Sunday Andrew left, I knew I was in for a challenge. We had just moved (translation: I couldn't find things, since half of our stuff was still in boxes). For the 1st time in a looooong time, I had broken out with eczema on my hands and it hurt to touch basically anything. Peter was sick with a case of the runs and he threw up all over the floor shortly before Andrew left.

Oh boy. Let's just say I was not very excited to see my husband drive away for the week.

A couple mornings in to that first arduous week, Peter woke up still sick and super whiny. He didn't want anything to eat and just kept asking to watch Elmo. I set him up to watch his favorite furry friend and sat down at the kitchen table with some very strong coffee. Between the two boys, I had been up 4 times during the night. It was only just breakfast-time, and it felt like the day was already spinning out of control (a slightly dramatic point of view...yes. But that's where I was at!).

I did not want to have a good attitude. I wanted to go back to bed and not change another poopy diaper. Heck, doesn't waking up 4 times in the middle of the night and not having any reinforcements qualify a momma for a bit of self-pity?!

I told God about it in an "Ok. Here's-the-day-and-how-am-I-going-to-get-through-it" manner.

Almost right away, He reminded me that He had given me the day exactly as it was. The sick little boy. The sleep-deprived brain function. The out-of-town husband. The body fluids.

And if this is what He had given me, then He would provide the get 'er done (with a good attitude) ability.

We know that, right? How many times have you heard that if God gives you something difficult, He will give you the strength to handle it?

But PJ-clad with unwashed face and Elmo too-cheerful in the background, it rooted in my heart. And my day changed from: me, bemoaning the loss of my preferred day, to God, showing me His greatness in the present situation.

That's not to say that I've had the perfect perspective ever since that moment. Last night I went to bed grumpy and wanting to cry after finally getting both boys to bed shortly before 10 pm. But I'm wanting to remember. This is what God has given me today. It's not a dire situation (and I can think of plenty worse), but it's too big for me to handle.

God, however, is gloriously strong to meet the challenge.
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This motherhood gig is schooling me, ya'll! Link up your adventures below. I look forward to reading about them. :) Don't forget to link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and it's always cool to leave some encouraging comments on other people's posts. Our twitter hashtag is #TryNewAdventures.

New House Tour {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:40:00 +0000

The last week and a half have been a doozy. In that time my husband and I have:

-Gone house-hunting for a new place to rent.
-Packed up our little apartment.
-Moved...and unpacked all but approximately 10 boxes.
-Found tenants for a home we rent out in a different town.
-Parted, as Andrew had to leave for some out-of-town schooling.
-Taken care of our sick 2 year old, who came down with a stomach bug that lasted 4 days (he's feeling better as of yesterday, thankfully!).
-Made plenty of pots of coffee.

But we did it! And I love, love, love our new home.

Here's a little peak. We're not all the way settled (of course)...nothing on the walls and still need to buy throw rugs and curtains...but it's a start!

This is the dining room and front door entryway, taken before we moved any furniture in. The dining room is still empty (except for a desk it's temporarily housing) because we don't have furniture for that room yet. In time. We're on the Dave Ramsey plan.

The living room. I'm really excited about having a mantel to decorate. Eventually we'll get a big rug for this room and a coffee table.

This is the breakfast nook! In the morning, the light floods in, and it's so cheerful. In our last apartment, we had absolutely NO direct sunlight, so this is such a welcome change.

The kitchen! It's not huge, but compared to my previous kitchen, it feels massive. And I love it! There's a dishwasher and a gas stove (first I've ever cooked on). There's even a pantry! Bliss.

Here's our bedroom. :) I love how there's room for both end tables to comfortably fit beside the bed.

Lastly, this is part of the boy's bedroom.

There are two other bedrooms, a laundry room, and a garage, which I haven't taken pictures of.

You should know...to take these pictures I had to move half-folded laundry from the couch to the bedroom (where I had already taken a picture). My house is not immaculately clean...just photographed strategically. :D

I feel SO tremendously blessed and thankful that we've found a new place to live. And can I just say...modern conveniences are UH-MAZ-ING. One of my favorite things is when the dishwasher and washer and dryer are all going at once. Such a lovely sound of productivity--when I'm not doing a thing!

What's your favorite thing about the home where you currently live?

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Ok, I've had a million adventures in the last week or so....what about you? Share your blog post below, link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and then leave a few encouraging comments on other people's posts! Our twitter hashtag is #TryNewAdventures.

Blast and Wretch (and technical difficulties)!

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:35:00 +0000

Today is moving day! I'm dying to give you a tour of our new place...but my Internet isn't working all of a sudden at our apartment. Boo!!! Our apartment is a mound of boxes and we're saying goodbye to the 700 square feet that we've called home for the last two years... More on this adventure when our Internet is working!

A Boy And His Papa {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:35:00 +0000

They've been pals ever since Peter was a tiny babe.

So what could be better than living for a month at Papa's house? Not much.

Yesterday they spent the whole morning together. Practicing how to use a hammer, driving in Papa's truck, pretending that a nut and a stick were a baseball and bat, using the shovel in the garden, watering the plants, dancing to the radio on the deck, singing songs...

They even played in the rain.

It's really sweet to watch my Dad being a grandfather. Anything done with Papa is an adventure!!

Speaking of adventures, we're home now and have a week to find a new place to live, to pack, and to move! Wish us success...:) I can't wait to show you our new place once we get settled in.

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Link up your Thursday adventure below! Don't forget to link back to Alicia's Homemaking and leave a few sweet comments on other people's posts.

Ooooops

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:11:00 +0000

I forgot today was Thursday.

I remembered last night and told Andrew..."I haven't written a post for Try New Adventures Thursday!"

"You should take a break tomorrow" he replied.

And then this morning was a rush, I forgot that it was Thursday, I forgot to even tell you I was going to take a break until Malisa tweeted to ask me where the TNAT post was!

Ooops.

We'll have TNAT next week, ya'll! In the meantime, here are a few instagram shots of what we've been up to lately....

Hanging out with my little buddy. He's getting so much personality these days!

Flowers that my sister Michaela sent us for Easter! :)

Peter playing the guitar with Memaw. His favorite thing ever!

Edmund's newest onesie. Cracks me up.

Dinner at my sister's...Roasted chicken, bread, grapes, cheeses (brie, goat, and gouda), and white wine...perfection.

(If you're on Instagram, I'd love to connect with you there. My user name is AliciasHomemaking!)

Life After PA School {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:38:00 +0000

Our 2 year grad school journey is almost over. 2 1/2 more months until graduation!

A large piece of the life-after-school puzzle fell into place just this week. Andrew accepted a job offer! A job in the same town as the school he is currently attending--something that was not in our original "plans" (sometimes I think God must find all our plan-making quite comical). After thought and prayer, we feel like we are supposed to stay in the town we transplanted to in 2010.

Which means that at the end of this month, we'll have a week to find a new place to live and move (our current lease will end). Adventures, adventures.

My tiny kitchen, which has served us so well! Waving goodbye soon...

Have I mentioned how excited I am about moving? I am thrilled at the prospect of:

-a dishwasher
-an in-house washer and dryer (good-bye laundry mat!)
-planting a garden
-a little more room
-a fenced-in back yard?
-room for friends and family to park, without having to deal with parking passes, etc. (living on campus makes parking a hassle!)

In turn, I will dearly miss the sweet community we have found while living in student housing. Neighbors from countries all over the world who will freely drop by and share a cup of coffee. The huge playground literally in our backyard. The fun and silly village events (ice cream socials, community holiday celebrations, etc.). The whiffs of Chinese, Thai, Indian, or Mexican food in the breezeways. And oh yes...the short walking distance to Starbucks and Chick-fil-A!

Andrew will be working in a large cardiac intensive care unit...have I mentioned how proud I am of him?

Here's to the next adventure!
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What's your latest adventure? Link up your blog post here and tell us all about it. :) Don't forget to link back to Alicia's Homemaking and leave some fun comments on other people's posts! :) Our twitter hashtag is #TryNewAdventures.

Rotation Days...

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:01:00 +0000

We are all settled into our month-long home away from home at my parent's house.

Coming home is a funny thing. Surrounded by my family and a large group of friends, everything is so familiar. The flow of get-togethers. The jokes. The movies quoted. The stacks of books sitting on every end table. I'm content with where our little family of four has been living these past two years--I have sweet friends and am not often homesick--and so somehow I forgot just how lovely, quirky, and warm the culture of my hometown circle is.

My parents have put us up in one of the larger rooms in their house, and we're pretty cozy! We seem to have figured out a workable sleeping situation for the boys. During the week I've been making simple meals that can feed the crowd (burritos, soup, pizza, spaghetti, and baked fish were on the menu last week!).

Our room...

I've been cooking in my mom's large kitchen!

Andrew, coming home from a day in the clinic/hospital doing cardiology...

The boys. Edmund is 3 months old now!

A quiet moment. There aren't many.

Peter cuddled up with Aunt Mariah, watching Veggie Tales on the itouch.

Clover in the backyard

Unfortunately, this clinical rotation means looooong hours for Andrew. He's learning a lot, but the boys and I miss him. I'm looking forward to this coming weekend, when we hope to spend time all together.

In the meantime, Peter is my dad's shadow. "Where's Papa?" and "What's Papa doing?" are his most frequently asked questions. Everything about Papa is cool--his tools, his truck, his tractor, where he's going, and what he's doing.

Sweet baby Edmund is my little pal. Such an amiable baby....I'm so thankful! He's all smiles and coos these days...rolling over and turning all around on his blanket. Those dark blue eyes light up when he sees me...he has my heartstrings all wrapped up.

Naptime is drawing to a close, so I'd better sign out. Come back tomorrow for Try New Adventures Thursday...I have an announcement about our next chapter in life!!

Morning Glory Muffins {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:39:00 +0000

These produce-filled muffins are a new favorite at our house. I love having baked goods for breakfast, but am trying to move away from the refined flour and sugar that typically define American breads and muffins. So, I recently took a recipe for Morning Glory Muffins and "healthified" it a bit. The result was delicious! And this is coming from a girl who doesn't like it when foods "taste healthy" (i.e. cardboard-ish, too grainy, too dry, not sweet enough, etc.).

The only downfall to these muffins is the fact that they still contain white sugar. But I'm satisfied with serving them as a snack or dessert (my toddler loves all things muffin)...or even for breakfast.

When it comes to making baking recipes more healthy, I have a new best friend. White Whole Wheat Flour. Have you tried baking with this sort of whole wheat flour before? White whole wheat flour is lighter in texture and taste than typical whole wheat flour (which is made from red wheat berries), but it has the same nutritional benefits. I am loving this flour! It is causing me to increase my whole wheat to all purpose flour ratio in many of my recipes...and even to give up the all purpose flour all together!

In my local grocery stores, I've found that King Arthur and Gold Medal carry this kind of whole wheat flour. Keep an eye out for it and try it next time you buy flour! I'd love to hear what you think...

Without further ado, here is the muffin recipe...

Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded carrots

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1 apple - peeled, cored and shredded

3 eggs

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup coconut oil (or vegetable oil)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
Grease 12-18 muffin cups (or line with paper muffin liners).

In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients--flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Then stir in the carrot, raisins, nuts, coconut, and apple.

In a different bowl, beat the eggs, applesauce, oil, and vanilla together. Add the egg mixture into the flour/carrot mixture. Stir until just moistened.

Fill muffin tins ¾ full.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 17-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy! These muffins freeze well.

**Printable Recipe**
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Did you have adventures recently (baking or otherwise)? Link up your adventure-ful blog post, link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and then leave a few happy comments on the posts of other participants. Our twitter hashtag is #TryNewAdventures. :)

One Month Relocation #2 {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Another out-of-town rotation has rolled around for my husband. Remember when we lived with friends for a month last July? It's that time again--only this rotation is back in our hometown, and we are going to be living with my parents for 4 weeks.

The cast of characters: My Dad and Mom. My 20-year-old brother, 14-year-old sister, 12-year-old sister, and the college student that also lives with my parents. Plus our family of 4! 10 people in all.

My family at my sister's wedding last year. I labeled those of us who will be at home in the next month...

I am looking forward to spending time with my family. On weekdays, I'll most likely be at home by myself with our boys. Both of my parents work outside of the home (as of last year). My sisters are in middle school at the private school where my mom teaches. My brother is working and in a band. The college student (Traci...she was also my roommate during the year my husband was deployed!) is at school and work. So our days will be semi-normal (I think!), with people-packed evenings and weekends.

There will be more cooking for crowds and visits with dear friends. Peter will love playing in my parent's huge yard and with Roxy, their dog. Edmund will be extremely loved and admired. And Andrew and I might be able to slip away for more-than-the-usual amount of dates!

Living away from my family for these last two years has definitely increased my appreciation for them, so I want to treasure these coming weeks. We pack up and go this weekend...2 cars, 2 little boys, pack 'n plays, laptops, clothes, and all.

It's always harder for me to blog when we're away, but I'm hoping to snatch some time during naps when I'm not occupied with cooking massive amounts of food. I have some fun posts brewing in my head/draft box...a breakfast muffin recipe, more on using a homemaking binder (+ a giveaway), and the story behind how I became a Jesus follower!

If you want to read more about my family, check out these posts:

Top Ten Tuesday: My Ultra Cool Family (what can I say...I'm biased!)
An Interview With One Of My Favorite Ladies
A "Normal" Day For a Homeschooling Mom of Six
Parenting Older Children and Keeping Marriage First
My Sister Michaela's "Up" Themed Wedding (happens to be a very popular post on my blog...)
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Link up your adventures below! The idea is simple: Link up your adventurous blog post, link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and then visit around and leave a couple fun comments on other participant's posts. Good times, good times.

For When You Can't Have Big Adventures {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Lately, it's been hard to have lots of new adventures. Not because I'm bored or in a rut. Far from it. More because...

...I'm pushing babies in the stroller to go check the mail, washing sippy-cup valves, cooking, laughing at Edmund trying to find his hand (he holds it in front of his face and it shakes, Parkinson-like, and he goes cross-eyed trying to see it), reading while I breastfeed, coloring pictures for Peter, catching friends on the phone when it's quiet enough to talk, filling the sink with oxiclean and stained baby clothes, shaking my head at how the carpet never looks clean, crafting something (anything!) into a musical instrument for Peter, and making lots of PB&Js.

Life is full of little things right now. With so many naptimes and feedings, I spend more time at home than before. There might not be money in the account for a trip to the mountains, but we can go to a friend's house and play outside. Or read at the library. Or have someone over for dinner.

We have scattered small new adventures of the very best kind. This week it was:

Waking up before the boys. I'm finally getting enough sleep to where this feels possible! Morning time before the little ones get up is precious. It's dark, no one has a need, the cup of coffee seems more special. I eat breakfast, get a shower, read my Bible, or exercise (so far never all four). The last time I was able to do this was in my second trimester/early third trimester...so I'm appreciating it!

Reading a book out-loud with my husband. This gets me so excited! I have visions of our family all cozy in the living room, reading Dickens or Shakespeare or The Hobbit to each other. Andrew and I did a lot of reading together in the 1st year of our marriage. But then he deployed for a year, and then there were kids, and then there was PA school (it's the big bad killer of any reading other than a textbook or wordy medical powerpoint). But school is nearing its end, and Andrew has decided that we can try again! We've started on The Heavenly Man and have already realized that we both need to work on our "reading out-loud endurance" (our voices get tired!)...

Having our Kenyan neighbor and his son over for dinner and learning a little about his life and culture.

What adventures did you have this week?
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Participating in Try New Adventures Thursday is simple: Link up your adventurous blog post below, link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and then leave a few kind comments on other participant's posts!

Slow Cooked Corned Beef Brisket

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Alternatively titled: My husband's favorite meal. :)

(I'm bringing this post back from the archives, since St. Patty's Day is right around the corner! Find some hungry guys, and feed them this dish...)

I typically don't do a lot of themed stuff for most holidays (with the exception of Valentines Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas), but I do get excited when corned beef brisket goes on sale prior to St. Patrick's Day (by on sale, I mean $2.99/lb here in my area). I had never cooked brisket prior to meeting my husband, but it is his favorite. Maybe because his middle name is Reuben, leading to an affinity for Reuben sandwiches? Regardless, let me share with you the makings of one of his top requested meals--Slow Cooked Corned Beef Brisket with Veggies! It is hearty and delicious.

The necessary ingredients:

1 rib celery, 3 carrots, 4 medium sized red potatoes, 1 head of cabbage, 1 3.5 lb brisket (can be as large as 5 lbs), bunch of cilantro, 1 onion, and salt and pepper to taste.

First, chop up your veggies. Remember that these babies are going to cook in the crock pot for 8 hours or so, so think chunky, or else they'll be mush. In hindsight, I could have used a few more carrots...I was just afraid of overfilling my crockpot.

Cut your cabbage into wedges, like so.

Then pack all your veggies into the crockpot. I start with the cabbage and then add the other veggies, trying to fill in as many gaps as possible. My crockpot is always stuffed to the gills when I make this dish.

Next, attend to the brisket. Take it out of it's package and rinse it, being sure to save the packet of seasoning that comes with it.

Then I like to trim some of the thick fat off, as pictured. Some fat will be left, and that's good (and unavoidable).

Place the corned beef on top of the veggies and rub the packet of seasoning on top. Season with salt and pepper. Then fill the crockpot with water. Ideally, you want to cover the veggies and the meat with water, but in this instance I did not have enough room. In fact, the amount of water pictured here is just a tad too much, because my crockpot boiled over slightly towards the end of the cooking time (but no worries, all was well in the end!)

Put the lid on and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the meal shreds easily with a fork, as shown below. If your meat is tough, then it probably has not cooked long enough.

I like to serve this with rice, to soak up the juices (although an Irish commenter tells me that this is very un-Irish of me....oooops)!

Ahhh. I am pleasantly full from this meal as I type.

Here is the printable version for ya. :) Enjoy!

Linked to Works For Me Wednesday, Things I Love Thursday, Ultimate Recipe Swap, I'm Lovin' It, Crockpot Mondays and Homemaking Link-Up.

Dear Monday: Menu Plan and Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:30:00 +0000

A peek into last week...

Peter loves to "help" me wash the dishes. Our step-stool is too short, so he lugs a chair from the kitchen table to the sink. One night last week, I snapped this picture in middle of trying to make dinner. I had been going back and forth from the counter to the stove, squeezing around the chair the whole time. I was also taking phone calls and reminding Peter not to pour water on the floor. I think it was 7 before we actually sat down to dinner...but he was so happy to be in the middle of it all.

Edmund wanted to keep his older brother company while he was watching Sesame Street...

Thanks to the $1 section at Target, Peter is proud owner of a new sketch pad and coloring book. He loves to color. If you ask him what color something is, his default answer is "red."

A kissy baby lounging on the couch...

My husband--what a sweetie! I had a couple emotional moments this week, and he patiently listened while I talked it out. "Steady" is one of the first words that comes to mind when describing this man!

Lately I have been reading up a storm. I finished two books this week and am in the middle of three more! I am being challenged and appreciate that stretching feeling. Andrew and I started reading The Heavenly Man together, and it is pricking my heart--increasing my desire to seek God and not get caught up in lesser things.

Spring is here! I am celebrating with fresh flowers.

A latte and an English muffin with cream cheese and blackberry jam is one of my favorite ways to start the morning. If you haven't tried it, you should.

One of my favorite moments this weekend? A backyard Chick-fil-A picnic as a family.

Now for my menu plan and weekly goals:

Dinners for This Week:

Monday--Pizza and Salad (we've skipped it the last few weekends!)
Tuesday--Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings (this meal has gotten pushed back for a couple of weeks, as well)
Wednesday--Burritos (made with this taco meat)
Thursday--Homemade Sushi
Friday-- Sticky Chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and veggies
Saturday--Tuna Noodle Casserole and veggies
Sunday--Leftovers.

We haven't made homemade sushi in a long while, so I'm looking forward to it! Now on to goals...

How I did with last week's goals:

(Accomplished 6 out of 9!)

~~Memorize Deut 8:14.~~ Yes!!!!! I finally memorized the whole passage!
Read 2 chapters from The Great Omission. I also finished Chasing Mona Lisa and Out of Mormonism.
~~2 learning sessions with Peter~~. Yay!
Make a quadruple batch of pizza dough. As it turns out, we never ate pizza this week, so I skipped this.
~~Make a triple batch of chili.~~
Exercise x 3. Only exercised twice this week. I was still under the weather at the beginning of the week, so that workout didn't happen.
~~Pray with Peter before naptime~~. (did this on 3 different days. Hope to be more consistent this week)
Write post #2 for a blog series that I'm working on.
~~Edit 15 photos~~. Flabbergasted that I actually accomplished this!

Goals For This Week:

Memorize Psalm 84:5-7
Finish The Great Omission.
Read 1 chapter from The Heavenly Man aloud with Andrew.
Make snack for playgroup
Make a quadruple batch of pizza dough.
Have two learning times with Peter.
Exercise x3.
Pray with Peter before naptime.
Mail pictures to family.
Edit 10 photos.
Write post #2 for an upcoming blog series.

Linked to Menu Plan Monday and Money Saving Mom.

In Which Squishy Goes Bowling {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:50:00 +0000

Seeing life through your two year old's eyes makes things go from fun to epic.

We told Peter yesterday afternoon that we were going to go bowling that evening. After that, all we heard were excited exclamations of "Go bowling! Go bowling! Go bowling, mommy?" Approximately every 2 minutes.

He didn't have a clue what it was, but he sure was excited about it.

I thought bringing a two year old and a two month old to the bowling alley might be an interesting combo. Containing Peter's incredible energy, breastfeeding Edmund, having them both up past bedtime...not to mention trying to bowl, which I don't have a good track record with.

But what a fabulous time. Two of our couple friends joined us. Peter was enamored with the huge, colorful balls. He even bowled a few himself.

Diana and Chad--our sweet friends! And Peter's favorite babysitters.

Larry and Corey! Love these two. But feel free to ignore Larry's t-shirt.

Look at that face! He was in love.

Balls come out of that dark hole. COOLEST THING EVER.

Cheering enthusiastically for someone's bowl...even if it was a gutter ball.

A sweet thing I love about Peter: his random, heartfelt bursts of "YAY!!!!"--complete with clapping. Like a soda bottle releasing excited, fizzy pressure. On Sunday, after the worship team finishes a song and people's voices have just quieted, Squishy's "YAY!!!!" reverberates in the auditorium. Sometimes after I put him down for his nap, I'll hear a periodic "Taaaa-daaaa!" or "Yay!" from the bedroom. The kid lives an exciting life.

And he roots for me when I bowl a total game score in the 50s.

Who cares about the numbers? I got to throw that giant orb of color down the shiny isle and hit the pins.

Epic.
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Did you (or your toddler!) live in the spirit of adventure this week? Link up your adventure-ful blog post, link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and then leave a few happy comments on the posts of other participants. It's a jolly time. Our twitter hashtag is #TryNewAdventures. :)

P.S. Don't forget to enter to win a copy of the E-licious Ecookbook!

Dear Monday: Menu Plan, Goals and {Giveaway!}

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:09:00 +0000

I have a fun, menu-planning related giveaway for you today!

One of my favorite recipes, Sticky Chicken, came from my friend Jenna's blog (read how, with this recipe, I can stretch one chicken into four meals!). Recently Jenna has put together a beautiful ecookbook filled with over 45 recipes--everything from Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy to Creme Brulee!

Personally, I've tried several recipes from Jenna's cookbook, and my family has enjoyed all of them. Besides my much-touted Sticky Chicken recipe (which is included in the ecookbook), we've also quickly downed Jenna's Friendship Casserole and Thai Turkey Tacos. This week, I'm trying her Shrimp Stir-Fry for the 1st time.

A few of the ecookbook's perks, in my opinion:

1) For an ecookbook, E-Licious is quite a volume! Over 45 recipes is a lot for an ecookbook...it's probably the biggest ecookbook I own.
2) Variety. There's a section for appetizers, desserts, crockpot meals, and even a section devoted entirely to pumpkin recipes!
3) Pictures with every recipe. Love that!
4) Practical, every-day ingredients.

Any cons?
There are a few recipes in the ecookbook that have ingredients that I use alternatives for:

Cream of Mushroom soup--I just make my own if a recipe calls for this ingredient...but it does make for a few extra steps.
Vegetable oil--I easily substitute coconut oil
Shortening--I substitute butter.

As a whole, I found Jenna's ecookbook to be stocked with family-pleasing recipes...I recommend it! See the bottom of this post for how you can enter to win a free copy for yourself.

Now for my menu plan and weekly goals:

Dinners for This Week:

Monday--Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata with Roasted Asparagus and Garlic Bread
Tuesday--Chili and Cornbread
Wednesday--Shrimp Sitr-Fry (from Jenna's E-Licious ecookbook!) with Rice
Thursday--Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
Friday--Pizza Night with Salad
Saturday--Zucchini Parmesan with Garlic Bread
Sunday--Leftovers.

On to goals...

How I did with last week's goals:

(I didn't do so well this week....)

~~Memorize Deut. 8:11-12 (breaking it down into smaller pieces this week)~~.
Read 2 chapters from The Great Omission
Have two learning sessions with Squishy (think I can pull it off this week?). Not so much. *sigh*
Pack Andrew's lunch 3 days this week (and add notes!). Turns out that his new rotation location provides lunch most days! I'll have to save this for a different rotation...
Exercise x 3. I exercised twice, and then I finally came down with my hubby's cold....and took it easy for the rest of the week.
Make a quadruple batch of pizza dough. Skipped this because I was sick.
Clean out the basket on )my desk. Nope. Will try again this week!
Edit 15 photos. I edited 9 photos...so at least that's something! :)

Goals for this week:

(A bit repetitive since I missed so many of last weeks' goals...)

Memorize Deut 8:14.
Read 2 chapters from The Great Omission.
2 learning sessions with Peter.
Make a quadruple batch of pizza dough.
Make a triple batch of chili.
Exercise x 3.
Pray with Peter before naptime.
Write post #2 for a blog series that I'm working on.
Edit 15 photos.

We're into the month of March now...are you still plugging away at those new year's resolutions or yearly goals? How's it going?
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Giveaway is now closed.

~~Ok, now for the giveaway!~~

To enter to win a copy of the E-licious Ecookbook, leave a comment on this post with your email address included. :) Easy peasy.

Extra entries (leave a comment for each):

Follow Jenna's blog (The Newlyweds).
Like Jenna on facebook.
Follow Jenna on twitter.
Tweet or facebook about this giveaway. Example: "Enter to win @newlyweds_sp's lovely E-Cookbook over at @AliciasTweeting's blog! http://bit.ly/ydkkzu"
Subscribe to Alicia's Homemaking via email or RSS.

If you'd like to buy this ecookbook directly, Jenna is offering readers of Alicia's Homemaking a 20% discount. If you buy the book and then win the giveaway, your money will be refunded! Use the code ELICIOUS20 to make the E-Licious cookbook only $4.00.

This giveaway will close on Tuesday, March 13th.

This post is linked to Menu Planning Monday and Money Saving Mom.

Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of E-licious to review. I am now an affiliate of this ecookbook. All opinions are 100% my own.

Mini Photo Shoots {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:31:00 +0000

Before baby Edmund was born, I was thrilled at the prospect of practicing some newborn photography skills on my very own adorable model.

Then he arrived, and the 1st 14 days of his life went by in a happy, busy blur. I did squeeze in one "photoshoot" with the help of my sister, but otherwise we just took a lot of snapshots. Not a lot of time for fiddling with camera settings or arranging elaborate props (or props at all).

Our daily pace is somewhat slower now, and I've started randomly doing some mini photo shoots with the kids. Mainly with little Edmund (he changes soooo quickly right now!), since getting Peter to actually look at the camera is a rare feat these days!

A bathroom photoshoot with Squishy when he was 16 or 17 months old.

To do a mini photoshoot, I'll just set aside 15-20 minutes of time when one (or both) of the kids is awake and happy. I'll try to find some good lighting (in front of a window or outside), and I'll go to town and take a lot of photos. In our tiny house with very few windows, sometimes perfect lighting is wishful thinking. The photos above were taken in our bathroom (fluorescent lighting) with my lightscoop. I'm working with what I've got...

The mini photoshoots are fun! It doesn't exhaust the subject. I take loads of pictures in a very short time frame and typically come out with at least 3-4 shots that I love.

Here are a few pictures from the mini session I did with Edmund yesterday:

I think my neighbors got a kick out of seeing me laying on my stomach on the ground snapping these shots (a couple of them came outside to observe). I got filthy! But it was a blast and definitely worth it.

I'm going to try a shoot with Peter or with both boys in the near future. Any creative ideas for getting a two year old to look at the camera?

Do you ever do mini photoshoots with your kids? Give it a try! Make it relaxed and have fun making and preserving memories with your family. :)

P.S. All of these photos were taken using my Canon Rebel XS with either the 18-55 mm kit lens or my 50 mm 1.8 lens. The 1st photo collage was taken using a lightscoop over my pop-up flash.
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It's Try New Adventures Thursday! What adventures have you been up to in your neck of the woods? Link up your blog post here, link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and then visit a few other participants and leave some encouraging comments. Our twitter hashtag is #TryNewAdventures. :)

Sharing Your Children's Names On The Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

When my toddler grows up a bit, he might not appreciate it if I'm still calling him "Squishy" in my blog posts.

In my beginning blogging days, I decided not to use my children's real names in the blogisphere for the sake of their own privacy. And maybe safety? So I've used the nickname "Squishy" for our firstborn, which has actually been his nickname "in real life" since he was a baby.

Do you see where we got the nickname? So SQUISHY.

But rolls of baby fat have been replaced with long toddler arms and legs...and he's starting to outgrow the squishiness. And to date, our second son has yet to have an official nickname.

And so questions about our kids, their names, and this blog have resurfaced in our house recently. A few thoughts:

1) It's difficult to not use a name when you are writing about someone. You can only say "he," "our son," "our toddler," or "the baby" so many times. The sentences don't flow as well. Using initials is my least favorite!

2) Cutesy nicknames are quickly outgrown. And I think when you have more than one child they become confusing to a blog reader. Which child is "Peanut" and which is "Sweetie?" I'm lost...

3) Despite the fact that it is probably ok (safety-wise) to use our children's real names on this blog, something about it still doesn't sit right with my husband and I.

The end decision? I've chosen two alias names for our sweet boys. Are you ready?

Squishy...

...will now be known as Peter. (A name I've always loved, but one we'd never use in real life because it doesn't mesh well with our last name.)

and Baby E...(goodbye initial!)....

...will now be known as Edmund. (I'm partial to this name, too, but do not like it shortened to "Ed!" So no Ed, y'all.)

Sound good?

For my long time readers (or those who know my family in real life!), you might be doing double takes on my blog posts for a little bit. But I think we'll all get used to it, and things will flow a better around here. And my children will be less google-able.

For those of you who blog, do you use your children's real names? Why or why not?

Linked to Works For Me Wednesday.

Dear Monday: Menu and Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:26:00 +0000

Someone has started smiling, and it's lighting up our world.

He's eight weeks old now, and such a good baby. Eats like a champ, sleeps fabulously (had a 7 hour stretch the other night!), and only cries when he's tired, hungry, or needs a diaper change. What a sweetheart. I love these days.

With all the breastfeeding he requires, I feel like I am eating us out of house and home (amazingly, I am still losing weight!). This week's menu plan is very frugal and comprised mostly of ingredients we already have on hand. It's the end of the month, and my grocery cash envelope was looking scarce! With rising food prices and my incredible appetite, it has been a stretch to stay within budget these days. Since I last shared our Less Project family budget, we have increased the grocery budget to $60/week. Even with that adjustment, staying within budget has been barely accomplished some months. Time for more beans and rice, folks!

Here's the menu plan for this week...

Dinners for This Week:

Monday--Fettucine Veggie Alfredo
Tuesday--Lasagna (from the freezer) with salad

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Alicia's on Pinterest

Wednesday--Beans and Cornbread

Source: ourbestbites.com via Alicia's on Pinterest

Thursday-Creamy Corn Chowder and Biscuits --I have been making my biscuits with 1/2 white whole wheat and almost ALL butter (instead of half butter, half shortening) and they have been scrumptious...this week I'm going to leave out all the shortening.

Friday--Pizza Night (going to try a buffalo chicken variation) with salad
Saturday--Pesto Baked Chicken Breasts and veggies
Sunday--Leftovers.

And now on to goals...

How I did with last week's goals:

Memorize Deut. 8:11-13. Not quite. I half-way memorized the 1st verse.
~~Finish Surrender and read 3 chapters from The Great Omission by Steve Saint.~~
~~Do something special for Andrew (need to brainstorm this)~~.
Have 2 learning/activity times with Squishy. Only did this once this week.
~~Exercise x 3~~. Yes!!!! I actually exercised 4 times, since I'm trying to exercise every other day. I'm starting to feel less sore now. :)
~~Walk with the boys x 1~~.
Edit 20 photos from February. I edited 10 photos only.
~~Make a triple batch of Taco Meat~~.

Goals for this week:

Memorize Deut. 8:11-12 (breaking it down into smaller pieces this week)
Read 2 chapters from The Great Omission
Have two learning sessions with Squishy (think I can pull it off this week?)
Pack Andrew's lunch 3 days this week (and add notes!)
Exercise x 3
Make a quadruple batch of pizza dough.
Clean out the basket on my desk.
Edit 15 photos.

So tell me, has your grocery budget been taking a hit lately? How do you compensate for the rise in food prices?

What's one goal you have for this week?

Linked to Menu Plan Monday and Money Saving Mom.

5 Keeper Recipes {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:10:00 +0000

Pinterest is my new google. In the past, I used google to search for recipes or tutorials by typing in "blog tutorial for _________." Because who doesn't want pictures and step-by-step instructions? But now I just skip that step and go straight to Pinterest.

(If you haven't gotten on the Pinterest bandwagon and need an invite, let me know! I'll send you one).

My favorite way to use Pinterest is to keep track of recipes that I want to try or already love. Here are 5 recent recipes that I've tried...5 recipes that are real keepers!

The "Best" Sugar Cookies

Source: ourbestbites.com via Alicia's on Pinterest

These sugar cookies are awesome for decorating. I tried them for the 1st time right before Christmas and then made them again on Valentine's Day. They hold their shape very well, so they are perfect for cookie cutters. Squishy loves to help me cut out shapes and put sprinkles on them. (So far, all of the recipes I've tried from OurBestBites.com have been fabulous. I just got their cookbook...it's so beautiful.)

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

Source: merrywithchildren.com via Alicia's on Pinterest

I've mentioned this recipe to you before! Chicken and Dumplings are such a comfort food, and I appreciate the fact that I can make this recipe easily in the slow cooker. I recently whipped up 3 batches for the freezer. This requires an extra step (blanching the carrots and potatoes) when you are doing the freezer prep, but the finished product was AWESOME and so easy to just plop in the crockpot.

Crusty Baguettes in 30 Minutes

Source: blogs.babble.com via Alicia's on Pinterest

Fresh bread is lovely touch to any meal, but can be time consuming. These baguettes, however, are a cinch to whip up! I up the amount of flour to about 4 1/2-5 cups of flour to keep the dough from being too sticky (1/2 a cup of that flour was wheat flour...to add some depth of flavor!).

Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata

Source: plainchicken.com via Alicia's on Pinterest

This is one of those meals that makes people fight for the leftovers. If there are any. I made it last week for the 1st time and WOW. It did not disappoint.

Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta

Source: chaosinthekitchen.com via Alicia's on Pinterest

Apparently I'm drawn to recipes that start with the word "creamy." This one definitely fit the bill...please don't look at how much butter goes into it! It's restaurant-level fattening...but better-than-resaurant good. And very easy to put together. Just don't eat it every night. So soooooooooo good.

Next on my "to-try list?" This delicacy...

Source: bettycrocker.com via Alicia's on Pinterest

Have you tried any Pinterest projects lately?
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Ok--your turn! Link up your adventurous blog post below, link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and then click around and leave some sweet comments on other participant's posts. It's a fun time. Our twitter hashtag is #TryNewAdventures.

10 Tips for Transitioning from One to Two Children

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:33:00 +0000

We're almost at the two month mark. Two months of having a second sweet little boy. Two months of never sleeping more than 5 hours at a time (on a good night). Two months of "Sorry I'm crying honey. I'm not mad...just hormonal!" Two months of "Is that seriously the last diaper? We just bought diapers!"

To date, they've been the best, fastest-flying, most sleep deprived months of my life. The best.

I don't think there's any way to make a seamless adjustment from one to two children. The shift in your family dynamic + limited sleep + hormones + healing time + more little ones with needs...it all equals a stretching, challenging time. It's healthy and good and knocks the wind out of prideful perfectionism.

With that said, there are a few things that have made the transition smoother for us.

10 Tips For The One to Two Child Transition:

Pre-Birth:

1) Get organized. This is an obvious one. Put that nesting urge to use! Things get twice as messy (or is it really more exponential?) when you add another kid to the mix, so it's helpful if you know where to find stuff. For me, this included organizing my toddler's room, purging toys, washing and organizing baby clothes, organizing the bathroom cabinets, organizing the kitchen cabinets. I put a basket with wipes/diapers/burp cloths in our room (where the baby would sleep) and the living room. We live in a very small home and babies typically involve more stuff, so I made room where I could.

2) Make a hospital packing list. People always ask, "Is your bag packed?" The question strikes me as funny, since half the stuff you need to pack in your hospital bag can't be packed until the last minute (camera, toiletries, etc). This time around I made 4 packing lists for my hospital birth. One for:
     - Labor
     - Post-Labor
     - My husband
     - Our toddler, for when he would be with a babysitter/grandparent

The hospital packing lists ended up being invaluable when I had to have an unexpected C-section! We had a very short time to go home, pack our bags, drop Squishy off with friends, and get back to the hospital so that they could try to turn our baby. We were rushed and in a very new-to-us situation (i.e. I couldn't think straight) and the packing list was so helpful.

3) Stock the freezer with meals. It's hard to do a ton of cooking when you're 8-9 months pregnant, but WOW, it pays off. Between meals brought to us from church family and the meals I had prepped in the freezer, we were able to go three weeks without having to cook. It was awesome.

4) Prepare some fun activities/toys to have on hand for your older child. Pinterest is a wealth of ideas for busy bags. Some parents will buy a special toy or two for their toddler/older child to play with after the baby was born. For us, this was super easy since Baby E.'s birth fell right after Squishy's birthday and Christmas.

After the baby's birth:

5) Sleep. Sleep when both kids are sleeping. If someone offers to watch your toddler so you can sleep, take them up on it. Sleeping when you can (especially in those first 6 weeks) is so important! I always get these bursts of adrenaline in the first couple weeks after I have a baby and I am so tempted to "get stuff done" when the baby is asleep. But I have found that life is saner for everyone if I get as much rest as possible.

6) Think about a schedule that will work for you. With a newborn, no schedule is set in stone. But so far I've found that my babies fall pretty easily into a routine, and that routine can be tweaked to work around the rest of the family. I set the baby's morning wake-up time based on what will work best with the family's schedule. This is what our routine roughly looks like now.

7) Be intentional about spending 1:1 time with your firstborn.

8) Memorize Scripture. This has been so wonderful to me! I've been trying to memorize one verse/passage per week. When I've missed having set-aside time with God, I can roll these verses around in my head as I was dishes or change diapers or play outside with Squishy. It's been refreshing and grounding when I've been tired, hurting, or hormonal (or all three).

9) Invest in a few convenience items. We bought paper plates for the 1st couple of weeks!

10) Adjust expectations and accept help. You can prepare for everything thoroughly and do all the "right" things, but if you're banking on your own know-how then your heart's in the wrong place. Have an attitude of dependence on God. Live that out practically by accepting help from other people.

And remember to adjust your expectations. There's a new "normal" now! It doesn't mean your house has to be a permanent pig-sty. It does mean that there will be more work and less unoccupied moments.

(but don't worry...there will also be more FUN!)

At 2 months in, these are a few actions that have helped us along the way. I'm still brand new to mothering two little ones! Tell me, mamas, what has helped your family when adjusting to a new baby?

P.S. Tip #11: Have your mother quit her job and come live next door. (Haha, just kidding. But it would be nice.)

Linked to Top Ten Tuesday and Works For Me Wednesday.

Dear Monday: Weekend Recap, Menu, and Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:35:00 +0000

We've decided that kite-flying is the perfect weekend activity. After so much busyness filling our recent weekends, this past Sunday afternoon we cancelled some plans and headed to the park. Just the four of us and the kite (and a picnic dinner).

Having a newborn has kept me indoors more than usual, and it was glorious to get outside and enjoy the cool, the wind, my boys. This week we're going to try to get outside more!

And now, a little groundwork for the coming week, starting with our menu plan:

Dinners for This Week:

Monday--Taco Night.
Tuesday--Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta (my weekly recipe-from-Pinterest-experiment) with Broccoli

Wednesday--Quick Crustless Quiche
Thursday--Spaghetti with Salad and Olive Cheese Bread

Friday--Cheddar Cheese Soup with Broccoli, Zucchini, and Carrots and Biscuits

Saturday--Pizza Night with salad
Sunday--Leftovers.

How I did with last week's goals:

~~Memorize Mark 2:17~~.
Finish Surrender: Your Key to Spiritual Success. I have two more pages left, I think. Almost there!
~~Double the Quick Crustless Quiche so I have one for the freezer~~.
~~Wash our sheets and bathroom rugs.~~
Exercise x 3. Nope! I started to feel a scratchy throat coming on, and so I headed Amelie's pleas of "please take care of yourself" and opted for naps instead of exercise. Sore throat successfully avoided!
Walk with the boys x 1. Like I said, I've had a hard time getting outside lately. It's all the breastfeeding sessions, I think! We're going to try again this week.
~~Update my recipe binder~~.
Get up to date on editing February's photos. Again, made some progress, but still not completed.
Have 2 learning/activity times with Squishy. Only did this once.
~~Think of something special to do for Andrew~~.

Goals for this week are:

Memorize Deut. 8:11-13.
Finish Surrender and read 3 chapters from The Great Omission by Steve Saint.
Do something special for Andrew (need to brainstorm this).
Have 2 learning/activity times with Squishy.
Exercise x 3.
Walk with the boys x 1.
Edit 20 photos from February.
Make a triple batch of Taco Meat.

Our morning is in full gear over here, so I'm signing off.

What's your favorite outdoor activity to do when you get inside-itis?

Linked to Money Saving Mom and Menu Plan Monday.

Daily Life With a Toddler and A Newborn {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

noreply@blogger.com (Alicia) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:19:00 +0000

"No, you can't put Kix in the baby's mouth, buddy." {Me to Squishy}

"What's dat cawd, mommy? What's dat cawd?" {Squishy to me 20x/day. He wants to know what EVERYTHING is called.}

"Ac-toolly..." {Squishy's new favorite word. I guess I say "actually" quite a bit}
________________________________

Always on a mission, this boy

My best adventure these days is adjusting to life with my two boys. I'm yearning to savor this time...which is sometimes challenging since each day goes by at warp speed in a blur of changing diapers and filling tummies.

The general flow of our weekday goes something like this....

General Weekday Schedule

7 or 7:30 am: Wake up, feed baby, quiet time.

7:30-8:30: Toddler wakes, toddler and Alicia’s breakfast. Both boys dressed.

8:30ish: Baby’s early morning nap. Try to clean the kitchen. End up reading to Squishy.

9: Alicia’s shower, toddler’s room-time (during "room time" I put the gate up in Squishy's open doorway and he plays in his room with his toys and books. His room is kid-proof and I can hear him from the bathroom. This is a really nice break for both of us!)

9:30-10:15: Minimum maintenance, fix hair/make-up.

10:15 or 10:30: Feed baby, Sesame Street for toddler.

11 ish: Prepare and eat lunch

11:30: Baby’s late morning nap. Clean kitchen. Mommy time with toddler.

12:30 pm: Clean up toddler’s room, put him down to nap.

1 or 1:30: Feed baby. Daily chores.

2 or 2:30: Baby’s early afternoon nap, Alicia’s personal time/dinner prep/nap or exercise.

Between 3:30 and 4:30: Everyone up from naps, snack time, feed baby, keep working on dinner.

5 or 5:30: Baby’s evening nap.

5:30-6: Dinnertime.

7-7:30: Baby’s pre-bedtime feeding, afterwards get toddler ready for bed.

8: Toddler’s bedtime.

8-8:30: Baby’s bedtime. Alicia gets ready for bed (ideally, haha)

9:30-10: Baby’s dreamfeed.

10:30: Alicia’s Bedtime. (it's been more like 11 pm lately)

1 am ish: Feed baby.

4 am ish: Feed baby. {sometimes he drops one feeding and only wakes up around 3 am!}

7 am: Start over.

Of course, this is just the basic idea. If the baby is having a growth spurt, there are more frequent feedings (mind boggling, I know). Sometimes we'll go for a walk and the baby will just cat nap. Then there are days when we have to run errands or we get out of the house to visit friends...on those days precious little housework gets accomplished. But that's just how it is right now.

Honestly, getting a quiet time has been rare because I fall asleep so easily during the baby's 1st morning feeding. And minimum maintenance has even been a stretch. I mostly go from the most urgent cleaning task to the next...and many times that does not include a 5 minute pick-up of the bathroom!

With that said, our days really are pleasant. I've been turning music on in the morning and singing with Squishy. We read books. Kiss the baby. I don't really mind it when a cute little outfit gets baby fluids on it, because then we can admire his cuddly-ness in the next soft number.

Each day is a reminder of my dependence on God...and a tangible lesson in putting others before myself (and having a good attitude about it!).

What's your latest everyday sort of adventure?

(Link up any kind of adventure below! The idea is simple: Link up your blog post, link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and then leave a couple of fun comments on the other participant's posts! Our twitter hashtag {'cause we're cool like that...} is #TryNewAdventures.)