Homegrown: Parenting & Having Fun As A Family

Home Cooking: Recipes & Kitchen Tips

• Allie, the Screwed Up Texan, posted easy thin mintz
• Jeanine at Like Mother, Like Daughter posted fast, easy, and cheesy macaroni and cheese (thanks Ann Kroeker for the link!)
• Sharon at Good, True, and Beautiful posted a nicely photographed tutorial for making homemade mozzarella cheese
• Jessie at The Vanderbilt Wife posted a recipe for beet salad that I can’t wait to try
• Trent at Simple Dollar posted 5 more Crockpot recipes

Homemaking: Keeping Your House Running

• Melissa at The Inspired Room posted decorating lessons from antropologie
• Jenn at Frugal Upstate posted ways to reuse empty water bottles
• Sierra at Get Rich Slowly posted the real cost of clutter
• Trent at Simple Dollar says that other people’s priorities don’t have to be your priorities

Homemade: Crafts & Other Projects

• Cindy at Skip to My Lou posted how to make homemade gummi candy (Is this a food tip or a craft? It’s a little of both, I think.)
• Pink and Green Mama helped her kids to remake their fairy garden with cat grass
• Heather at My Frugal Family posted a beautiful green wreath perfect for St. Patrick’s Day

Healthier Mom: Losing Weight & Finding Healthier Habits

• Katie from Frugal Femina posted her exercise routine on Mamavation

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Have you post something this week that was worth writing Home about? Send me the link, and maybe you’ll see it here next Sunday!

We talk about our bodies and their signals, and we allow Grace to be naked to encourage her to to recognize them and get to the potty in time.

That’s really just a nice way to try to tell you that we talk about peeing and pooping at my house all. day. long.

I know you’re jealous. It’s a glamorous life we lead over here.

This afternoon, Grace tucked me in (to her bed) and sang Hush little baby, don’t say a word. Now go-o-o-o-o to-o-o-o-o sleep!

I love the goofy juxtapositions she comes up with.

Anyway, she patted my back, turned off the light, and left the room. I was hoping she’d be gone long enough that I could really take a snooze.

No luck. About ninety seconds later, Grace was back.

Mommy! she exclaimed urgently.

“Yes, Dear?” I mumbled, eyes still shut.

Daddy is peeing in the potty!

“Yeah for Daddy!”

Daddy is peeing in the potty like this!

I didn’t want to miss the demonstration, so I opened my eyes. Grace reached down with both hands, grabbed body parts she doesn’t have, and hunched her shoulders over.

Just like Joe does.

There is no privacy here. She barges in on everyone.

I couldn’t help myself. I laughed a loud belly laugh. Grace grinned and then laughed, too.

“Is that right?” I asked her when we’d both calmed down.

Yes! Daddy pees just like this!

And then she did it again, and we laughed more.

“How’s that work, exactly?”

Grace looked perplexed for a second, but then said, Daddy pulls his bottom down and then squeezes out the pee.

“Oh yeah? He pulls and squeezes, huh?”

Yeah! She laughed. Daddy is so silly!

“Did you hear that, Daddy?” I called into the hallway.

“Hear what?” the poor man asked, walking in to Grace’s room.

“Show Daddy how he pees, Grace.”

She did, laughing the whole time. Daddy, you pull and squeeze your bottom!

“See there, Daddy? You pull and squeeze. Just like a cow.”

I wonder if we should get a lock for the bathroom door.

Grace likes projects, too.

She likes when I give her instructions; she likes to press-press the pieces down.

Predictable. Structured. Comfortable.

Grace learns valuable skills like cutting with scissors, color schemes, shapes, and has a lot of fun doing it.

But Grace doesn’t do anything creative. She follows the directions and makes a great finished product.

That’s not all there is to art.

But I’m not so good at art. Crafts, yes. Art, not so much.

I intended to do a project with Grace last week. It was to become a flowery tree with pink blossoms made from fingerprints.

It doesn’t look anything like a flowery tree with pink blossoms, does it?

It turned out that Grace had other plans. She wanted to make art, though she didn’t say as much.

I wasn’t delighted about it, but I gave Grace some plain old construction paper, and I filled the biggest well in her paint palette with 1/3 water and 2/3 Crayola washable paint.

She drew with her finger. She splashed. She smacked. She splattered. She learned.

She did art.

We laughed and laughed, Gracie and I.

I really, really wanted to say something when she painted her nose blue. I refrained.

It was fun and creative, even especially since it wasn’t predictable or structured.

My painting! Grace squealed.

When she ran out of one color, she asked for another, and she kept painting. At some point, Joe showed up with some markers, and they colored and painted together.

Do they look happy or what?

Happily submitted to You Capture, PhotoStory Friday, and  Give Me Your Best Shot

Two weeks ago, I attended a friend’s book party. She told me in advance that it was a home party, like The Pampered Chef, except that the company sold books and games for kids. When I arrived at the party, I perused books about Volcanoes and Princesses and Cooking. I’d never heard of Usborne Books before, but I liked the books that were on display.

By the end of the demonstration, I had a long wishlist.

A very, very long wishlist.

Joe and I agreed to order three combined volumes. We paid our bill and left.

I did a little research over the next couple of days, and then I popped the question.

“Joe, what would you say if I told you I wanted to sign up to sell those books we saw on Friday?”

He just looked at me, probably wondering if that would mean he’d have to do more cooking and cleaning than he does now.

“I’m serious. I really liked them; you really liked them. Grace loved them. I could totally do what that consultant did.”

It took a bit of convincing, but he relented. I bought a kit to become an Usborne Books Independent Education Consultant.

Grace and I have been reading our books every day. We have gotten sticker books and picture books and board books and all kinds of story books. Grace and I are both totally in love with our books.

After hearing how excited I was about Usborne Books, my friend Christi decided to become a consultant, too. She had heard about Usborne Books before from The Pioneer Woman’s homeschooling site.

There are very few consultants where I live, so there is a lot of room for my business to grow. I’m so excited to have a friend to learn with.

We’d love for you to join us, too!

The Business Building Kit is normally $199, but I can sponsor one more person to buy the kit at half price (because I’m a new consultant myself). There is also a $49 option, but I can’t help with the price on that one.

Prefer to buy your books?

I have an Usborne Books e-show going on right now if you want to buy a book or two to check out Usborne. Books will be shipped directly to you.

Want to get your books free?

Because I’m a new consultant, I can give you double the normal hostess benefits for a home show (if you’re local) or an e-show (as long as you have $300 in sales and one booking). That means at least $140 in free books.

Happily submitted to Things I Love Thursday, Beautiful Life Friday, and Finer Things Friday

All photos copyright The Pioneer Woman. Used with permission.

Grace likes projects, too.

Even Joe gets in on the project-making.

Sometimes, Grace’s projects turn out better than my own.

Think I scolded her for this?

Of course not.

Could I have a better looking family?

I don’t think so.

Stop by tomorrow for the rest of the story.

Happily submitted to 5 minutes for Mom, Wordful Wednesday, Go Graham Go, Newlyweds!, Jolly Mom, Run DMT, and The Frugal Kennedys

The only problem was that the meatballs fell apart.

Essentially, we ate spaghetti with a very meaty sauce. It was delicious but not at all what we were going for.

So I’m hoping you experienced meatballers will take a look at the recipe and tell me what we should do differently to make them stay solid, like meatballs.

Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs with Spaghetti

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 onions
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 jar marinara sauce
• 1 cup water

1. Coat 6-quart Crock Pot with cooking spray. Mix bread crumbs, eggs, half of the garlic, half of the onions, and basil in a large bowl. Add the turkey. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well. Cover and place in freezer for about 20 minutes to make handling easier.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute remaining garlic and onion until translucent and soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Shape meat into 20 2-inch meatballs. Add to Crock Pot in layers. Pour sauce mixture over top.
4. Cook for 5-7 hours on low. Our meatballs were cooked through and falling apart after 5 hours.

Recipe is based on one we found in the Prevention Slow Cooker Recipe Book

Happily submitted to Mouthwatering Mondays, Homemaking Monday, Real Life, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tuesday Toot, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tackle It Tuesday, Ultimate Recipe Swap, What’s Cooking Wednesday, Friday Feasts, Foodie Friday, Food on Friday, and Sound Off Saturday

Photo by jshj

This morning, I stepped on the scale and realized that I’ve gained 4 pounds. Blech.

I was pretty hard on myself this morning, especially since I had intended to get up to exercise this morning and didn’t.

It’s not that I didn’t want to get up this morning. I did want to.

I couldn’t. I’d been up too late working on my post about our trip to Washington, DC. I needed the sleep more than I needed the exercise.

There was a point over the weekend when I teetered on the edge. I was ready to go back to my old, comfortable habits.

Those habits may have kept me fat, but they weren’t all bad. They made me feel better emotionally, and they were my routine. I did what I wanted to do.

Today, two different colleagues stopped me, at two different times, to tell me that I look great. One apparently discussed it with her students.

People my size don’t often hear that they look great (except from doting husbands who would say it no matter what). So hearing it twice in one day was a nudge to get back to the right path.

I’m working on that.

When you know better, you do better.

You’ve heard me (and Oprah) say that before, and it’s true.

I know better now. I owe it to myself – and especially to Gracie – to do better. No more excuses or procrastinating.

Even though I faltered, I’m back. Tomorrow is going to be day one of my new exercise streak.

My New Plan is really my old plan.

1. Chart everything I put into my mouth, beginning tomorrow. No more excuses.
2. Exercise intensely every other day or more, as I’m able.

I’m back on the wagon. Expect a big weight loss next week.

No more excuses.

Submitted to Mamavation Monday

Photo by fabbio

All five of us had an amazing day. There’s definitely an art to creating a fun day for a two-year-old, a three-year-old, and three nerdy adults in a place as enriching as Washington, DC.

The only sour part of our day was driving home. Grace and I were sad that we won’t be seeing Allie and her son, the Philosopher, again tomorrow.

Such is life.

How We Spent Enjoyed the Day in Washington, DC with Our Kids

The last time Joe and I were tourists in Washington, DC, we took the metro all over town. That was fun, but with a pregnant woman and two small children, we decided that a car might be best this time.

The only downside of driving our car is that we drove around the block again and and again looking for a parking spot. If it had been a day other than Sunday, we would also have had to feed the parking meter.

And I had trouble parallel parking.

More than once.

My Precious Cargo - the Philosopher, Allie, and Gracie

In the interest of leaving our SUV parked in the spot I (finally!) got it into, we spent our day walking around the Smithsonian Museums and the National Mall.

Joe, Allie, and I knew that we wanted to take in some museums today, but that can be tricky with small children.

It would have been nice to see the museums as adults, reading the captions and taking some time to look at each exhibit, but that’s totally unrealistic when you’re toting two tots. Cognizant of their limitations, we chose museums with big, eye-catching exhibits.

Our First Stop – The Air and Space Museum

Both kids liked the lobby of the Air and Space Museum. They thought the rockets and spacesuits were really cool. I was in heaven; I teach astronomy in a high school.

There was a free guided tour of the museum available, but we thought it would be ill-advised for our group. Instead, we toured the building on our own, avoiding things that the kids found scary or boring.

We stumbled upon a museum employee who told us all kinds of cool facts about a cluster of the exhibits. He also directed us to a special section for children.

There was supposed to be an airplane for the kids to climb into, but it was all roped off. Not long after that, however, Grace and the Philosopher found something else to climb on. It’s one of the tracks from the super-sized transport vehicle that moves the space shuttle around at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

I could totally have said, “Hey! Get off of that! This is a museum!”

Obviously, I didn’t. This tread carries machines that weigh a gazillion tons, so seventy pounds worth of kid was not going to hurt it in any way.

Allie, Joe, and I sat down on the floor and regrouped, planning out the rest of our day.

When you’re traveling with small kids, you have to be flexible. You have to be content to see a small fraction of the museum. We saw maybe a third of the National Air and Space Museum before the Philosopher and Joe Grace got hungry and wanted to eat some lunch.

Our Second Stop – The National Mall

Do you know what I mean when I say the National Mall?

The National Mall is the grassy park in between the Capitol Building and Lincoln Memorial, right in the center of Washington, DC. The Washington Memorial is in the middle of the Mall, and most of the adjacent buildings are part of the Smithsonian Institute.

The Mall is made up of long, straight sidewalks and paths and long straight lawns. It’s perfect for walking or biking or walking a dog.

We intended to pass through the Mall, but it was a big attraction for the kids.

Or running.

We ran. A lot. Joe pushed the stroller while Allie and I ran with our tots.

People on the Mall today were flying kites, tossing footballs, and having picnics. It’s such an awesome space.

There is a big carousel in the National Mall, and Gracie thought it was awesome. She would’ve ridden it many times if we’d given her that option. (Look for pictures of the carousel on Wednesday.)

I do want to mention that every person who rides the carousel pays the $2.50 ride fee. A parent accompanying a small child pays just like any other rider.

Be ready with cash.

On one side of the National Mall is a sculpture garden. We would have liked to go in, but there were big signs that said “Please do not touch the art.”

Have you ever tried to keep two- and three-year-olds from touching something as tempting as a silver tree? We turned around and left the garden almost as soon as we arrived.

Our Third Stop – The Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum is my personal favorite among all of the Smithsonian museums. When I was in college, I had a tour of the “back rooms” of the Smithsonian’s gem and minerals department. Did you know that the displays contain a small fraction of all of the museum’s amazing pieces? Seeing the back rooms was a real eye opener.

Anyway, we weren’t looking at back rooms today. We were walking with preschoolers.

Grace and the Philosopher wanted to see the dinosaur bones (but then changed their minds because the dinosaurs were too big and too scary). They also wanted to see the fish and ocean exhibit, the diamonds, and the kids’ store.

There is a huge cafeteria in the basement of the Natural History Museum, and we had a nice lunch there. It cost Joe, Grace, and I $40 and change to eat (can you say ridiculously overpriced?), but it provided a lively diversion from the “let’s look at something that we can’t touch” routine.

Hypothetically, if there are tables abutting a wide stone ledge in the atrium of the cafeteria, parents and children are not supposed to use said ledge as a seat or a place to run, jump, or hop. If they do, security will come and scold.

Hypothetically.

Another awesome diversion from the look but don’t touch routine was the Discovery Room. It’s on the first floor of the museum, way in the back, and it is a closed room where kids can play – and touch everything in sight. The five of us could’ve spent the entire day in that little room.

The kids played with dress up clothes from around the world. They looked through binoculars, microscopes, and magnifying glasses at shells, teeth, bones, feathers, and I don’t know what else. There were sounds to investigate, puppets to animate, and books to read.

We learned that both Grace and the Philosopher are shorter than the leg of an elephant.

Good to know, isn’t it?

Some day, we’ll all go back to the Smithsonian museums in Washington, DC. We’ll linger at the exhibits and pore over all of the captions. We’ll learn a lot, but we’ll probably miss our kids.

For now, we’re definitely missing our friends.

Happily submitted to Makes My Monday and Works for Me Wednesday

Today is March 4. I’ve been working really hard on losing weight for two months. I lost 16.6 pounds in the first month and 2.2 pounds in the second month.

I am frustrated. Nothing is happening. I’ll lose 2 pounds; I’ll gain 3 pounds; I’ll lose 2 pounds again.

I’m not watching my food intake, and I need to. I need to write a food journal, and I know I need to.

What’s stopping me? I’ve been writing about my need to journal my food intake since I started in January, but I’ve never done.

I’m sick. I’ve been sick since mid-January, but it’s gotten worse. I’m on my second round of antibiotics. I have missed several days of work and a lot more workouts.

A sinus infection, sore throat, double ear infection, and many headaches have had me drinking some soda pop. I haven’t indulged every day, but enough to revive my taste for it. My sweet tooth has reared its ugly head, and I haven’t been eating enough fruits and vegetables.

The last time I exercised was February 23. I’m feeling stiff and sore. My heart is beating harder than normal, and I’m getting winded more easily.

I’m not feeling well, physically or mentally.

But I am hopeful. I am going to get better  and hopefully my current antibiotics will take care of my sickness.

I am hopeful that I’ll be feeling well enough tomorrow or maybe Saturday to start exercising again.

I am hopeful that my shirt won’t fit someday soon.

I didn’t write a Mamavation Monday post this week. I was frustrated and sick and just didn’t do it, but I wanted to keep you all updated about where I am. Just keep going, and leave a comment to tell me how you’re doing in your own weight loss efforts.

Submitted to You Capture, PhotoStory Friday, and Give Me Your Best Shot

If that’s not the case, my family has been misinformed.

I could not ask for more.

Happily submitted to 5 minutes for Mom, Wordful Wednesday, Go Graham Go, Newlyweds!, Jolly Mom, Run DMT, Super Jenn, The Frugal Kennedys, Things I Love Thursday, Finer Things Friday, and Beautiful Life Friday