Everything Elizabeth

Menu Plan Monday

2012-02-06T14:18:00.000-08:00

Visit Organizing Junkie for more menus!

This last week's menu plan was a little delayed thanks to a nasty stomach bug hitting everyone. One by one, we fell... thankfully just for 12-24 hours each! No complaints from me though. I managed to lose 4 pounds because of it! ;)

The au jus roast I made last week was phenomenal. Nothing special, just a seasoning packet I discovered at the store. It was very, very good though. It was a little light on the flavoring for us so I had to pepper it but still, yummy. We did agree that we prefer my onion roast with gravy better but it was a nice change from our typical comfort food.

Since we weren't feeling well on Sunday, we didn't have our usual party. I still made food for us to eat while watching M.I.A flip everyone off during the half time show... pizza, chips with queso dip, and a meat and cheese tray. Nothing special but a little something to munch on in front of the TV.

This week...

Monday: steak stroganoff
Tuesday: turkey, stuffing, green beans
Wednesday: *green chicken enchiladas
Thursday: spaghetti, texas toast
Friday: lemon chicken, rice-a-roni, corn, applesauce
Saturday: *barbecue pork sliders, baked fries, sliced oranges
Sunday: pancakes, *apple crisp (finally going to make this)

*recipe coming

My Favorite Homeschool Sites

2012-02-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

Resources

HSLDA: Become a member and join a network full of advocates willing to fight for our right to homeschool. The latest battle? President Obama. Tsk, tsk, Mr. President.
The Home School Mom: An all around homeschooling resource. From useful tips and curriculum reviews all the way to a page of unit studies, this site is a must.

Curriculum

Time4Learning: A web based curriculum for PreK-8. With the help of fun, educational games, my son is comprehending like a rockstar. This site costs $20 a month for the first child and $15 a month for each additional child. Believe me when I say it's worth every penny.

Worksheets & Printables

Education.com: Free worksheets and printables for any subject.
School Sparks: Free early childhood worksheets.

Educational Games

Go Go Kabongo: Online games to boost reading comprehension.
Funschool: My children work hard to earn time on these games.
Nick Jr Games: Fun educational games starring your child's favorite celebrities.
Sesame Street: I don't care how you feel about the show... these games are so amazing and have taught my kids many awesome skills.
Sheppard Software: Free educational games, activities, and quizzes.

Homeschool Journal

2012-02-04T17:53:00.000-08:00

Linked to The Homeschool Chick

Linked to Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

In my life this week.
One by one, we have fought and conquered a 24 hour stomach bug. Mommy's exhausted!

In our homeschool this week.
What a wonderful week! Time4Learning has this terrific Story Creator game that changes based on what story we are reading in school. He is given the same characters, objects, and backgrounds from the story he read and he is asked to remake a scene. This show just how awesome his comprehension is! What a change from earlier this year. I'm so very proud of this little dude :)

Places we're going and people we're seeing.
We bought a new truck this week. The four hour road trip to Minneapolis (and then four hours back) was a preview of how our family can handle traveling during our RV trip. They were wonderful!!

Questions/thoughts I have.
None this week :)

Things I'm working on.
I just finished working on my Homeschool Binder! I'm quite proud of the outcome.

Next, I'm working on some traveling binders for the kids! Social studies, geography, science, survival...

I'm reading: I just discovered The Warriors of Ankh series by Samantha Young. I love this series. Within 24 hours, I finished the first two books and I'm saving book three for when I'm being held hostage in the living room while my husband is watching the Super Bowl. At least he doesn't mind if I read... he just wants company :)

I'm cooking: We are sticking to pizza with chips and queso dip for the game tomorrow. Well, they are sticking to it... Mommy's too close to goal to screw up!

I'm excited about: Our 10th wedding anniversary is very soon. We discovered a casino that has a seafood buffet complete with king crab legs, lobster, and everything else a girl like me wants to enjoy on such a big day! We cannot wait to have an adult dinner by ourselves.

My Homeschool Binder

2012-02-02T13:20:00.000-08:00

Record keeping is one of the biggest headaches about homeschooling. And, since we'll be homeschooling in an RV next year, being organized ahead of time will save me from multiple headaches later on. Here's my new system...

I started with a 2 inch binder from Target. I also stocked up on pretty file folders.

On the inside cover, I keep some Field Trip Planning sheets for future trips to the zoo, museum, and other places we discover on our RV trip.

I cut all of the pretty file folders in half and popped holes in them. I thought they'd make pretty binder dividers. Inside, I have Schedules, Grades, Attendance, Journal, Zackary, and Zander. The Schedules tab is for my calendar.

The grades are where I keep track of quizzes only. Worksheets and online educational games are for learning, not evaluating. I recently discovered that grading isn't the law in Minnesota... I haven't decided if I'm going to quit doing it though.

I was also just told that tracking attendance is unnecessary in Minnesota as well. But, here it is anyway.

The journal section is a new idea for me. I want to keep track of progress and concerns. I think it'll be interesting to reflect back on this someday. Excuse the handwriting... it hasn't changed much in the last 15 years or so :)

Then, we have our detailed curriculum / lesson plans where I am dating when complete. I don't know why I'm doing that. I just am. I guess it's the OCD in me.

Subjects are separated with paperclips.

And, that's how I make sure we are not only legal in our homeschool, but that if public school ever seems necessary again, I have the paperwork to show what he's been learning at home. I don't want to put my kids back in public school because we enjoy this so much, but just in case :)

All of my forms will be available for print very soon!

Another New Baby

2012-01-31T21:26:00.000-08:00

Look at our new baby! Isn't she cute? Sure, she's a beast and so big, I don't see me ever feeling comfortable driving her... but she's sure going to run pretty nice towing our RV through the mountains. Unlike the Tahoe we traded in for her. That Tahoe would have certainly died. But not this diesel engine F350 that seats 6, has better mileage than the Tahoe, and can tow an extra 10,000 pounds.

Yeah, this baby is pretty sweet!!

Training for tighter quarters... and a menu plan too!

2012-01-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

Visit Organizing Junkie for more menus!

Soon, we will be in a much smaller space with a much smaller kitchen. It's almost scary thinking about the logistics here---feeding a family of 6 from such a small kitchen. Here, we have a huge fridge, 2 basement freezers, and a giant walk-in cold room to store food. I shop sales. I stockpile.

Well, with a smaller fridge, a mini beverage fridge, a few cupboards, and just a tiny top freezer... I'm not going to be able to stockpile anymore. So, I'm practicing now. I moved my entire cold room stockpile upstairs and stuffed it into about the same amount of cupboard space I'll have in the RV...

Yeah, I'm impressed I fit it all too. Though in all honesty, we are done buying so many carbs so we won't have all of those boxes to stuff in later.

And most of our stuff will be in plastic containers soon anyway. This is about 1/3 of the containers we will be using. We also have cereal containers and I need a couple more sets of these for other things like pistachios and coffee. The last thing I need to worry about during our travels are pests getting into our food. Plus, plastic just looks better and will slide around less during road trips.

Anyway, onto this week's menu plan :)

Monday: au jus roast, loaded potatoes, carrots, applesauce
Tuesday: *green chile enchiladas
Wednesday: spaghetti, texas toast
Thursday: pancakes, scrambled eggs, *apple crisp
Friday: barbecue chicken breasts, garlic potatoes, beans
Saturday: *taco soup, texas toast
Sunday: super bowl... not sure yet!!

*recipe coming

The Road Less Traveled

2012-01-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

A couple of weekends ago, we abandoned our Minneapolis trip idea because of teething. Zailey just wasn't feeling well enough to go anywhere. Last weekend, we abandoned our trip because of the NFL championship game. I may not understand the sport but I support my husband's interests ~~with minimal pouting~~ so we stayed home. This weekend, it was abandoned to celebrate family birthdays, which is obviously much more important so we stayed home.

And, we've reached that point where it doesn't make any sense to go now. Sometime in February, my mother-in-law is flying in from California and she and my mom have promised to give us a childless night for our anniversary. I'd hate to spend the money on two trips back-to-back so we'll stay home next weekend too.

Knowing I was a little sad about giving up on a family trip right now, my husband decided to treat us all to Red Lobster instead. It was a last minute decision---the kind I like because I didn't have to plan any of it. And, it was just wonderful. We had lobster dip, seafood stuffed mushrooms, scallops, lobster tails, grilled shrimp... It was all so yummy. The boys ordered chicken strips but did learn that they do like seafood---Zack's a lobster fan and Zander really enjoyed the clam strips that came with one of the appetizers. I loved watching the boys try new foods. I can't wait to introduce them to new things during our RV trip!

I told Zack we'll be eating frog legs down south ;)

This is what my family is meant to do---go places, see things, try new foods. Our happiest moments together are in the Tahoe... me kicked back with my feet on the dashboard as we dream out loud. When we're not stuck at home, we're happy. I truly miss the carefree adventures we had in Vegas and I cannot wait to get them back during our RV trip. National parks, museums, canyons, waterfalls, festivals, tourist traps... wherever the road takes us!!

Realizing this fact---that we're just not happy in our current life stuck at home 99% of the time---we discussed the possibility of taking off earlier this year. I just don't know that we have the patience to wait until September. We even discussed taking off now and heading south until the snow melts and then coming back to work for the summer.

...until I remembered that I'm on call for jury duty until March 31. Sigh. And, if I get called in, I will be chosen to serve. I read online that young moms are chocolate for lawyers because they can play off of our emotions. I just hope I get a decent case! One where the news will question me later: "Why did you decide Casey Anthony was innocent?"

Because those breaking news cases happen in bodunk Minnesota all the time.

I don't resent jury duty. Things lined up like this intentionally---we're just not meant to go right now. But soon. Sooner than we originally planned because I just don't think I want to wait until fall. But I do want to take advantage of the high paying summer! And figure out what we want to do with the house. Keep it and pay every month even though we'll be in the RV from May until next summer for sure? Or, sell it and put some money aside for when we're done with our trip and can find something better? Because we honestly don't care much for this town.

And life isn't about settling. I've learned a lot about life these last few weeks. I have discovered what I want to do with it; who I want to be. What kind of person I want to be---and I've definitely seen what kind of person I don't want to be. These revelations had terrific timing. It's a comfort knowing the direction I'm meant to go and knowing that even in the ugliest of situations, I can forgive and move onto what really matters---my family.

A Peek at the Kids

2012-01-28T21:33:00.000-08:00

A video of personality. Zailey is a giggle monster. We are so blessed with how happy she is. Zack is such a nut while Zander copies everything he does. And, Zaden... is off in his own little world as he walks back and forth. Oh, how I wish I knew what was going on in his mind.

A lot of people ask me why I had 4 kids. This... this right here is why.

Why I Homeschool

2012-01-28T09:21:00.000-08:00

I am not one of those homeschooling moms that's going to go on and on about how I hate the public school system. I don't. I don't particularly like everything about it but I understand why it's there. And, I truly admire the teachers that put in more time and energy than you can imagine for paychecks that I'm sorry, just aren't up to par with what they deserve ~~but we have rich senators to pay so tough it out, Teach~~!

I don't homeschool because of the public school system. I homeschool because it's what's best for my family. We are a weird bunch. I would love to tell you that all of the quirks you see in our home are because of autism but truthfully, we're just weird. We are the family everyone watches at the restaurant. Not because my children are being unruly---they're actually incredibly well behaved in public---but because we are the ones that are laughing. And, my oldest is probably grooving to whatever song is playing over the speaker. I'm not kidding... grooving...

Or. They wait until Mommy leaves the room and...

Yeah. It's probably for the greater good of society that we stay home ;)

But really, homeschooling works for us. Public school was a stressful experience. My first grader came home in tears almost every day. It took me awhile to find out why but after I promised him that "no matter what it is, I will fix it!"... it came out. He was being bullied. On the bus. On the playground. By more than one kid. He even received drawings from a second grader that showed a little blonde boy surrounded by bigger kids with red blood and words like die.

I have no idea why my son was targeted like that. He is so fun-loving and adorable---I just don't get it. I worked with the school on solving this problem. They really did a great job helping us by giving him a full-time paraprofessional (which he needed with his autism diagnosis anyway) and responding to my many, many phone calls. The bus garage got to know my voice well and the actual bus driver asked me later if I still thought he was an incompetent fool---I do. It was exhausting having to be so vigilant. But, I had a great support system cheering me on all year. One that included teachers that had problems with the same kids.

By the end of first grade, Zack was okay at school. I was feeling better about us facing second grade. Until his IEP meeting in the spring.

Team: We feel that Zack no longer needs the full-time para.
Me: ....huh?
Team: He's doing great independently.
Me: And about the bullies?
Team: Oh, there are no bullies in this school.
Me: Do you forget how awful the start of the year was?
Team: There are no bullies here.

*Sigh* How was I supposed to send my child back to school knowing that not only is he a target for bullies... but that the school chooses to not recognize it? I found myself terrified of second grade as it approached throughout the summer. And, I saw the same fears in my child. Eventually, I approached the topic with him...

Me: Do you want to go to school next month?
Zack: No.
Me: We could homeschool.
Zack: I can stay home?
Me: Yeah, we could learn at home instead.
Zack: Woohoo! (with a Mario Brothers hand pump)

Yeah. And so far, 2nd grade has been amazing. We have stumbled along the way. We started with an online public school (Connections Academy) and wound up hating it. We bought text books and workbooks that we wound up not using. We started unit studies the kids had zero interest in and wound up abandoning them for something more interesting. It's been a learning process but we're finally at the point where we've figured out our groove.

Because, you know how we like to groove :)

You'll probably see me post a lot of things about why I feel homeschool is better than public school. This doesn't mean I feel that way for everyone---but I feel it strongly for us. Homeschool is exhausting. I don't get to wake up in the morning and send my kids off somewhere until 3pm. I don't get the quiet time during the day. I don't have a perfect house with perfect from scratch meals. I don't have time to write or craft like I want. I have to face judgement from other people like you wouldn't imagine. Homeschooling comes with so many sacrifices that I can't even think of them all to list here.

But the amazing things that come out of homeschooling are irreplaceable and worth every single sacrifice. My children are safe. They have a ton of one-on-one time. I have the ability to mold our lesson plans around their interests and way of learning. My kids get more out of a topic because if the interest is there, we stay on it until we're ready to move on. We have fun!

Plus, there's nothing like letting children sleep until they're ready to wake up naturally and face the day in great moods. They have their entire adult life to set alarm clocks and run around like headless chickens in the morning.

Homeschool Journal

2012-01-27T09:06:00.000-08:00

Linked to The Homeschool Chick

In my life this week.
This has been an awesome week! Zaden called me mommy :) I will never be able to fully describe the joy in my heart.

In our homeschool this week.
Reading: We are starting a new book soon but this last week has just been reading comprehension lessons on Time4Learning.
Language Arts: Making words plural.
Math: Working with 100s and 1000s.
Social Studies: Needs vs. Wants
Science: Animal habitats still. Zack is really into this unit.
Fine Art: Painting habitats.

Last week's butterfly life cycle.
---> egg, caterpillar, pupa, butterfly.

Zack really enjoyed this project!!

Places we're going and people we're seeing.
We celebrated Chinese New Year by eating out at our favorite Chinese restaurant. Where at a table full of guys, I was the one that got this fortune:

Which brings up the question.... How much glitter do they expect a girl to wear? Consider my feminine side enhanced.

Questions/thoughts I have.
Is anyone else using Time4Learning? I really love it!

Things I'm working on.
We spent way too much at Target this month to buy new things for the RV. But, we now have a complete organization system for clothes, kitchen, etc. We really just need some big rubbermaid containers for organizing inside the bed/dinette (winter clothes, rarely used but necessary items). Once spring hits, we are buying solar panels and searching for an awesome generator for cloudy days. We'd like to not need hookups every day throughout our trip!

I'm reading: Lover Avenged because I didn't really give it my full attention last time I tried to read it (I'm not the biggest Rhev fan. But, I'm beginning to think while reading the next books that I'm missing something that went on with Tohr. So, re-read I must!)

I'm cooking: Teriyaki chicken and rice bowls. This is a major family favorite :)

I'm excited about: My husband is upgrading my iPhone 3GS to a 4S next Wednesday!! I am so excited! He really loves to spoil me :)

What an Awesome Day!!

2012-01-26T22:15:00.000-08:00

You know those days when you wish they would never end? Yeah, that was today. What a perfect day :) It started with Zaden greeting me with "Mommy" this morning. MOMMY.

ZADEN SAID MOMMY!!

Do you know what that means? He knows who I am!!! Take that, autism!!

And then, my baby girl grabbed the spoon from my hand to feed herself bananas after another wonderful, 10 hour sleeping through the night session. I am so happy the teething is done for now!

And, the big boys did great today too! They earned their PS3 privileges back and decided not to fight today and lose them again. It was nice seeing them in such a great mood all day.

And, my husband---being the sweet, giving husband that he is---decided to celebrate my awesome mood with a trip to a local restaurant where kids eat free on Thursdays. We had a great time! I love that man. I am so looking forward to our 10th wedding anniversary---and our kidless getaway---next month.

What a great day! I'm off now to go snuggle with my sweety and watch White Collar. (*Sigh* Why must Matthew Bomer be gay? What a loss for women everywhere!)

Our New Typical School Day

2012-01-24T07:37:00.000-08:00

After we left the public school system last year, it has been one crazy ride. We tried Connections Academy and realized within 2 months that it was not meant for us. We tried just using the Connections Academy material without the school breathing down our necks ~~because that's totally what they do~~ and realized that the material just wasn't cutting it. So, I went shopping on Amazon. For days. And spent more than I care to admit on workbooks we hated.

Then, I stumbled across Time4Learning. This is awesome!! And, it's only $20 a month for one child. $35 a month when I add Zander in the fall.

I know, I know, you're thinking... $35 a month for a website, is she nuts??? Well, after jumping around between homeschool styles and fighting with a 7-year-old that just didn't care as much as I thought he should, I am. But, $35 a month really isn't that much when you break it down as... That's 1/6 of my husband's and my iPhone bill. Or a trip to McDonald's for a family my size. And, this is education we're talking about.

Time4Learning is a totally different approach to school than what I've come across so far. It isn't a unit study, a textbook study, or a workbook study. It is a hands on study---well, as hands on as you can get on the computer.

We started by playing the demos. We played a game about habitats. I shuddered as soon as I saw the word habitat because that vocabulary word and chapter has been a nightmare for us.

Me: What's a habitat?
Zack: I don't know.
Me: It's where an animal lives. Where they find their food and shelter.
Zack: Oh. Okay.
Me: So what's a habitat?
Zack: I don't know. I forgot.

Yeah. So, I allowed Zack to sit down at the computer and play this little game demo. First, some animated characters started discussing habitats and what they're about. Then, a game popped up that told Zack to put the animals back in their habitats: shark in ocean, snake in desert, etc.

Me: What's a habitat, Zack?
Zack: It's where they live.

Well, then. That's really all the convincing I needed. $20 later and we now had a fun 2nd grade curriculum online. I went through the process of figuring out how many lessons there were in each subject, dividing them by how many weeks we had left, and then dividing that by days in a week to see what he needed to accomplish each day. It came down to 2 language arts, 2 math, 1 social studies, and 1 science.

I sat Zack down and told him what he needed to accomplish for the day and that'd I'd be right here if he had any questions. I got up and started putting dishes away as he clicked around and chattered at me the whole time.

Zack: Mom! They said a tent is a shelter. Our RV must be a shelter too. We need it. We don't need video games... that's just a want. We really just need shelter to keep us safe, clothes to keep us warm, food to keep us fed...

And, that was just one of the 5 science assignments he wound up completing. Along with 2 in social studies, 4 in language arts, and 3 in math. I watched him in awe as he discussed everything he was learning. And, when my 4-year-old joined him and watched the animations and tried to answer the quiz questions with him, I can't even describe the overjoy in my heart.

Time4Learning is not a complete curriculum, but it is a huge part of it. They have printable lesson plans and weekly reports you can print for record keeping (which is essential in the state of Minnesota). But it's not everything. Children still need handwriting, literature, and I personally feel it's important to learn how to do math on paper as well. But other than that, I'm impressed. Second grade just touches on all of the topics and I'm told that the third-eighth grades go deeper into them.

I really cannot wait to see what kindergarten will be like in the fall!

After finding this little gem online, our school day routine has changed a bit...

Mom reads a chapter of the novel we're reading to everyone (even babies) during breakfast. We are starting The Hatchet soon.
Zack answers a question in his journal while Zander works on letter skills.
Both boys work on their math workbooks.
Zack gets on Time4Learning (Zander will too next year) and Zander plays educational games on the iPad while Mommy is available for questions.
When I can finally convince Zack to get off T4L, we do an art project together.
The boys go run around and shake off their energy.

Things will change a little once we're on the road and exploring national parks, visiting museums, and all of that. There will be a lot more science and social studies... and the new subject of survival I'm adding. But, we are keeping it fun. I am currently working on putting grade appropriate "explorer" binders together to fit those subjects. And, we are mimicking Our Traveling Tribe and having the boys earn junior ranger badges at all of the parks!

This... is cool. If you decide to join Time4Learning.com PLEASE use me as a referral. I get a little compensation for it but even if I didn't, I would still be telling you about this awesome site because for once, I'm not feeling stressed about homeschool this year.

Referral information:
Elizabeth Allred
elizabeth55750@gmail.com

Thanks! :)

As a member of Time4Learning, I have been asked to review their online education program and share my experiences. While I was compensated, this review was not written or edited by Time4Learning and my opinion is entirely my own. Write your own curriculum review or learn how to use their curriculum for homeschool, after school study or summer learning.

Time Flies in Pink!

2012-01-22T17:07:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it's been over 7 months since Zailey joined our family. This last year has just flown by in a pink blur. This sweet baby girl is starting to sleep through the night, eat solid foods, and wave hello and goodbye. I swear I just found out I was pregnant, just learned we were having a girl, just delivered her without meds... and now she's a big girl that really just wants to chase her brothers around the house.

Thanks for filling our home with pink sunshine, baby girl!

Home Management Binder WINNER!!

2012-01-22T15:27:00.000-08:00

And according to Random.org, the winner of the Home Management Binder is...

Catie said...

I follow CTGDF via RSS. :)

Congratulations, Catie!! I will be contacting you about your win!!

Sun Dogs

2012-01-21T12:10:00.000-08:00

Man, it's cold. My husband took this picture of the sun dogs the other day. Sun dogs (or halos around the sun) happen when it is so cold, the clouds are full of ice crystals. That morning, we were at -25F with winchills as low as -45F.

Not the coldest I've experienced but close enough! My furnace is having a really hard time keeping up with the temps this week. If not for the electric fireplace and 2 space heaters running, it would never shut off.

Let me tell you, I am not sad about missing next winter in Minnesota.

Homeschool Journal

2012-01-21T11:55:00.000-08:00

Linked to The Homeschool Chick

In my life this week.
Oh. My. Gosh. My boys were really easy teethers but my baby girl? Wow. What a nightmare. This has been my hardest week as a mother of four. Most of the time, my kids are pretty quiet and content but this week? Well, let's just say that if I hadn't already decided we were done in the kid department...

In our homeschool this week.
Reading: The Stinky Cheese Man ..what?
Language Arts: The difference between nouns and subjects.
Math: We are still working on money. I'm testing on Monday.
Social Studies: Jobs of citizens.
Science: We are finishing up our habitat study this week.
Fine Art: We are creating a butterfly lifecycle project with pipe cleaners, pom poms, and other crafty things.

Relating to math. Counting out our coin bucket.

Places we're going and people we're seeing.
The windchill has reached as low as -45 this week. We aren't going or seeing a whole lot of anything right now!

Questions/thoughts I have.
Is The Hatchet an appropriate book to read together in 3rd grade? I'm looking for something "survival" since we're adding a survival lesson to our curriculum while RVing.

Things I'm working on.
Sorting through, organizing, and adding to next year's school stuff for our RV trip. I have our curriculum for 3rd grade and Kindergarten pretty much done being pieced together. Just waiting on Amazon now so I can page through everything and see if we want to do it or send it back for something else.

An entire basement of school supplies knocked down to a couple of RV-size drawer units. Perfect!!

I'm reading Lover Avenged because I didn't really give it my full attention last time I tried to read it (I'm not the biggest Rhev fan. But, I'm beginning to think while reading the next books that I'm missing something that went on with Tohr. So, re-read I must!

I'm cooking nothing tonight! We are doing our weekly town trip to get formula, milk, and all that. Oh, and fixings for finger food while my husband watches the championship game tomorrow.

I'm excited about planning a getaway to the cities soon! We NEED to get out of this part of Minnesota for a night before I slip into insanity from cabin fever.

Rodeo Burgers

2012-01-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

Of course, I don't realize I forgot to pick buns up until it's time to eat. Ah, well.

1 pound lean beef
1/2 medium onion; chopped
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 onion soup packet
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 egg
buns
cheese (pepperjack is best but I didn't have any)
barbecue sauce
onion tanglers
bacon (I didn't have any of this either, whups)

Mix meat, onion, ketchup, soup packet, bread crumbs, worcestershire sauce, and egg together. Separate into patties and cook on grill until well done.
Put on bun and top with cheese, barbecue sauce, onion tanglers, and bacon.

Dear International iPhone 4 Seller on eBay,

2012-01-18T04:52:00.000-08:00

You. Suck. Is there really anything else I need to say?

You list your iPhone 4 as in perfect condition, AT&T, and "recently used" until you upgraded to the new iPhone 4S. Your username says you're from Pennsylvania. You woo us in with your lower price, fast shipping, and quick response to any of our questions. I squealed with excitement when it arrived yesterday and I could finally say goodbye to my terrible camera 3GS. This was my gift for our 10th wedding anniversary---a gift my sweet husband told me I very much deserve.

So, it arrived, we made sure it was charged (it was, thank you for being so considerate... wait... I'm not thanking you, you scheming punk), we ignored the fact that the charger you sent with it looked like your dog digested it, and headed to the AT&T store to activate my new toy.

After half an hour of standing there while they pushed buttons, called managers, and all of that other neat stuff that makes you feel like an idiot who shops on eBay... I hear the dreaded words: "This is an international phone."

Come again?

Them: We can't activate the SIM card because it's not American.
Me: My phone's an immigrant?
Them: 'Fraid so.
Me: From where?
Them: Can't tell. Canada maybe?
Me: So, give me a Canadian SIM card.
Them: It doesn't work like that.
Me: Why doesn't it?
Them: You need an American phone.
Me: But, iPhones aren't made in America.
Them: Huh?
Me: iPhones are made in China by child laborers.
Them: I didn't know that.
Me: Most people choose not to. Like me. I want this phone.
Them: You could NOT jailbreak it and NOT unlock it.
Me: Jailbreaking is against the rules.
Them: That's why we're NOT suggesting it.
Me: *eyebrow raised* With ra1n or snOw?
Them: Looks like winter. SIM card will activate as soon as it's NOT unlocked.

Gotcha. Okay, so I went home and cried to my husband about my non-American phone and how they wouldn't offer it citizenship unless we brainwashed it into believing that it is an American. He let me cry to him and listened with a ~~totally for my benefit~~ sad face before plugging it into his computer to do ye olde jailbreak. It snOwed and all that other fancy stuff I can pretend I know what I'm talking about thanks to an almost photographic memory but really having zero clue what it means.

And, it still wouldn't unlock. My phone doesn't want to be an American! Probably because of this whole SOPA thing the government is trying to ~~steal our rights away with~~ pass. It's just not a good day to be an American. I cried again because I'm pretty spoiled and I really want that phone (okay, not really... I do get nice gifts from my husband but he says it's only because I don't waste money on clothes, handbags, shoes, hair salons, and Starbucks).

((okay, I do get Starbucks like twice a month)).

(((maybe four))).

Why won't it unlock? Because of the baseboard number being 4.11.08 and that means that my firmware is unlockable ~~until a hacker figures it out~~ and there is no way to downgrade your firmware. <---- See? More photographic memory fancy talk that I don't really know anything about.

And, that's where I'm at today. My husband sent a not-so-happy message to our eBayer and will be emailing eBay about the buyer protection program and a full refund and all of that stuff. So, we will get it figured out and I know that I will have a working iPhone 4 in the near future. But, I'm irritated. I am so giving that seller a red star!

Because that totally matters in life o_O

And to add salt to this wound, the iPhone 4 SIM card is on my account, not the 3GS, so I have to wait until my husband brings my old phone back to the AT&T store and then back home after work to have a phone again. No texting today. No automatic facebook updates. I feel like I'm living in the stone age rubbing sticks together to make fire.

Menu Plan Monday

2012-01-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

Visit Organizing Junkie for more menus!

As we're decluttering our home in preparation for our big RV trip, we really need to declutter our cold room and freezers too. To do this, I am using some of the awesome printables from Phoebe's home management binder. Enter my giveaway to win one of your own or just jump in and buy your own copy! It is totally worth it and if you use the coupon code "zfamily" by the end of the month, you will only have to pay $5!

With the help of those printables and some serious mind-numbing organization in the basement, I have designed a menu plan around what we already have. You might notice that we aren't as low carb as we were trying to be recently. We just felt really guilty not eating up the food we spent so much money on first!

Monday: pizza night!
Tuesday: *mac & cheese
Wednesday: mashed potato soup
Thursday: *rodeo burgers, baked fries
Friday: *perogies with mushroom sauce
Saturday: french toast, scrambled eggs, *apple crisp
Sunday: *taco soup

*recipe coming

"Me Caveman. You Woman."

2012-01-16T03:21:00.000-08:00

Man Woman Wild

Imagine this... You're paddling on a raft with your husband out in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, he grabs his machete and slices a hole in the raft, flipping you over into the ice cold ocean. "Now, let's survive for 4 days until someone that's only a phone call away rescues us."

You spend the first day freezing on a deserted island as your husband rubs sticks together to make fire like caveman and build you a little bed to sleep in as you're listening to giant coconut crabs and island rats scurry around you throughout the night. You wake in the morning to cook said crabs and learn everything there is to know about survival.

Just in case your husband dies. Cuz, he's said that to the camera many times now. "If something happens to me, she needs to know how to hunt."

Because if he goes, the grocery stores go with him.

Does that not interest you? Would you rather watch them in the desert or maybe the safari surrounded by a lion pride in the middle of the night? How about Alaska living in an igloo?

This show has become my... well, as my Canadian friends call their reality shows... smut TV. I can't get enough of it. Every time Ruthie screams like ~~I would~~ a girl, you want to reach through the TV and shake her. "Come ON, Girl! So what if you HAVEN'T had food or water in 48 hours and your husband wants you to cut the opossum's head off? Do it!"

Yeah.

If you've given up the expense of satellite every month and resorted to Netflix and Hulu like me, you should totally check this show out!!

Giveaway!! Home Management Binder Printable

2012-01-16T02:47:00.000-08:00

It's January 16... how are your new years resolutions going? You know how you told everyone you didn't believe in resolutions and then made one anyway? A simple one you can keep to yourself like... getting organized. Well, how's that going for you??

My friend Phoebe at Getting Freedom would like to help! She is giving away one copy of her Home Management Binder printable set to one lucky winner. What's a home management binder?

It is a binder you put together with all of your home management information so you can keep on top of things like meal plans, cleaning lists, schedules, etc. Here's a freebie page if you'd like to see what I'm talking about...

Or visit here to get a more in depth look!!

In all honesty, home management binders rock! And, most of the happiest, successful homemakers out there talk about their binders. The plus of a printable is that you can print off as many of each page as you need!

Here's how to enter...
:: Comment below and tell me the one area of your house that just keeps getting away from you.
:: Earn a 2nd entry by visiting Getting Freedom from Debt and subscribing to Phoebe's blog by one of the links at the top right... RSS, email, twitter, or facebook. And then come back and let me know!

Giveaway CLOSED!

The Winner Is...

2012-01-15T14:26:00.000-08:00

Random.org chose the winner of my Scentsy giveaway as comment #5:

Chell Pierce said...

I have never used Scentsy stuff but I like clean smells like lemon , lime, clean linen , vanilla but I do like gardenia or lavender too ~

Congrats, Chell!!! Ashley will be in contact with you about your winnings shortly. For those of you still looking for something Scentsy, visit her store!!

OMG, Becky, Look at Her Butt...

2012-01-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

Despite popular belief in the female community, not all husbands actually like it when their wives are losing weight. Unless mine is one of a kind, it's kind of annoying to them. No, this isn't one of those macho "no man can look at my wife" personality traits... this is one of those "feed me more beef and less chicken" things.

You know, because the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Or, so they say. But after 4 kids, I think it's further s...

Nevermind. We won't go there ~~in fear of losing a handful of "I can't believe she just SAID that" followers~~. Let's just go with stomach.

So, one of the best gifts I could give my husband for our 10th wedding anniversary next month would be for me to stop ~~pinching and jiggling my stretched out mommy stomach in front of the mirror~~ counting calories. I'm not overweight. Well, according to the BMI scale, I am but that scale doesn't take into account that ~~in my head,~~ my body is more Jessica Rabbit than Jennifer Grey...

The BMI scale doesn't acknowledge the difference between good and bad badunkadunk. Just badunkadunk. So no, I don't feel I'm overweight. Baby's just got back. Well, not ^ that Baby.

So, there it is. I am officially done dieting and ready for maintenance in about 6 weeks. And, since I don't plan on being pregnant again, we're talking done. I will miss you, Lean Cuisine.

Homeschool Journal

2012-01-13T07:32:00.000-08:00

Linked to The Homeschool Chick

In my life this week.
A few days ago, we were shocked to climb up into the beautiful 40s. In January. In Minnesota. We rushed out to get some RV renovation supplies before hibernating because the temperature dropped almost 40 degrees and then learning the hard way that setting a mouse trap takes skill that I don't have.

In our homeschool this week.
Reading: Riki Tiki Tavi
Language Arts: Writing a story about a super hero Zack created.
Math: Money skills. We are loving "new math" and figuring out problems!
Social Studies: Government. We are reading about the president's job.
Science: Habitats. We're learning what each kind offers.
Fine Art: We are creating wooden snowflakes we can bring in the RV with us next winter to hang up when we miss having a "white Christmas" next year.
Gym: Hide and seek. Oh, that's not gym? Well, it is when we have 3 stories full of stairs and only 20 seconds to hide!

I am inspired by.
The Charlotte Mason book my good friend Alisha lent me. Even though our homeschool is secular and Charlotte Mason is not, I am learning to view this whole learning thing in a different way.

Places we're going and people we're seeing.
I know this little section of my journal will got a lot more interesting once we're RVing and visiting all of the national parks and museums. For now, we're just avoiding frostbite and Zack is learning how to "Face Time" on his iPod 4. If he calls you for a chat, go with it. He'll probably dance.

Questions/thoughts I have.
I can't believe we're almost halfway done with the year. In some ways, I think Zack is learning more than he would outside of the home. In other ways, I wonder if he's learning less. I mean, we go slower than the normal chapter a week pace because if he doesn't understand it, we don't move forward until he does.

Things I'm working on.
If this whole RV travel thing really is happening, I better start planning next year. I need a curriculum for 3rd grade and kindergarten that we can travel with. I have 1 cupboard (2 max) for space and also a kindle, iPad 2, and a laptop to work with. We will have internet. Any ideas?

I'm reading Dead Until Dark.
I'm cooking steak tips for my awesome husband.
I'm excited about my husband upgrading my iPhone for an anniversary gift!

Come Here My Pretty... and your little mouse too!

2012-01-13T00:05:00.000-08:00

It's the middle of the night and I'm up again just waiting for Princess Zailey to finish counting sheep. I like to sigh and tell her "you'll be the death of me, girl," which is right up there on the list of things you're supposed to tell your kids along with "I'm not Mommy anymore. I changed my name and I'm not telling you what it is." and "Now I know why some animals eat their young."

The one you should never say when you live in a house with a literal autie? "I quit! I'm running away."

That... didn't go over so well. No, Zack, I'm not REALLY running away. No, you don't have to live with another family. Sheesh. Good thing he never overheard me tell our old dog that I was dropping him off at the food factory. He'd have a lot of questions now that we're dogless.

Today was a rough day. It rated high on the WTH? scale. I started my day around 2am when (like today), Zailey wouldn't go to sleep. The house felt cooler to me than normal. I'm always cold but it didn't feel like grabbing the throw blanket cold---it was more like stick your feet against your husband to shock him into wakefulness so he'd check the thermostat cold.

He didn't check the thermostat.

So, there I was in my husband's bathrobe fuhreeeezing my butt off when I discovered my usually toasty 71 degree house had dropped well into the 60s. I whimpered thinking about the dark, haunted basement and contemplated going back to bed and hoping we weren't looking at 40s by morning. But, the whole having young babies in the house thing... and then knowing that my 7-year-old chooses to sleep down there on the couch sometimes told me I needed to suck it up and make the trek into darkness.

All sorts of scary things filled my mind. No, I'm not afraid of spiders or anything like that. I don't envision that kind of stuff in my basement at all. Nope. It's more like... I'm pretty sure at some point in my life that there will be a person standing under the stairs waiting to grab my ankle. Or a monster just waiting for me to turn the light off when I go back upstairs so he can chase me.

What??? You've never seen a 28-year-old afraid of the dark before? Well, I am. I am deathly afraid of the dark. And moths but that's a whole other story.

I made it to the furnace with every light I passed turned on and stared at it. What. The. Hell? It's seriously just a metal box with holes in it. Where was the on/off switch I was hoping to find? I vaguely remembered something about my dad sliding something off to check inside so, I grabbed the only movable piece I could find and slid it up.

Smacking my fingers right into the scalding hot pipe above my head. HOL...IDAY COOKIES!! I screamed a few pretty words I'm glad my children didn't hear ~~for a change~~ and slid the thing back on before running back upstairs as quickly as I could to evade any stair monsters.

And, that's just how my day started.

No, this isn't one of those girl power stories about how I finally figured the furnace out. Nope. We froze our butts off until my husband got up and flipped the fuse that had popped. My burns were for nothing. And, I continued with my no-sleep, too-much-coffee, someone PLEASE knock me out like a 1970s frog dissection day. A day full of diaper explosions, apple juice on the carpet spills, and discovering another mouse in a garage...

Which leads me to why I'm typing with 9 fingers instead of 10 tonight.

I've seen cartoon cats set up mouse traps. I was pretty sure I retained enough knowledge from my childhood to know how to pull the spring and stick the little stick thingy in there... somehow. So, I felt all grown up and stuff as a smothered peanut butter on my new little mouse trap while I sang Disney songs about clubhouses (what???) and pulled the little spring back.

Only to discover that the ghost of Walt Disney must not have liked my little song because SNAAAP!

My kids heard the pretty words with that one.

I jumped up and down a few times because, you know, that totally helps when your pointer finger is crying and then screamed for my husband to come help me do this because it's man work. He came in, observed the end of my dance, looked at my finger, and comforted me with... "you're not supposed to do that."

REALLY? Cuz, that's what the directions say.

Long story shorter, we have a couple peanut butter smothered traps in the garage and I'm hoping to ~~have my husband so I don't have to see it~~ find Mickey by morning.

The Ugly Truth

2012-01-12T11:51:00.000-08:00

Looking back, we rarely sat at home when we lived somewhere warm. In Vegas, there was always something to do... discover a new restaurant, go on a hike, go see a new attraction, visit with friends, drive to California for the weekend. Here, I feel like we hibernate. I'm scratching at the door to get out but once that door opens, there's nowhere to go anyway! When I talk to others in the area, they feel the same way. Ugh.

I was looking at old family photos today and I tell you... I miss these days...

That was January in Las Vegas. What does January look like in Minnesota today??

Hibernation. From fun and cute to... hobo. As much as I love Minnesota in the spring and summer, I cannot wait to be traveling in warmer areas next winter!!

See? I'm Not the Only One!

2012-01-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

So, you think it's crazy that we want to pack all 4 kids into the RV and take off for a long trip later this year??? We're actually not alone at all. Many families take off for a set amount of time and wind up never wanting to go back to the daily cycle of sleep, work, sleep, work, sleep. Their stories of how their children thrive while traveling are so inspirational. And, autism has touched many of them. Here are just a FEW of my favorite blogs to read right now.

Our Traveling Tribe: Yep, traveling around the country in a 30 foot box with 4 kids sounds like a challenge, right? Try 11 kids. No, that's not a typo. This family travels the country with 11 kids from baby on up. They settle down in the summers to earn money for their winter travels. Currently, they're in my old neck of the woods exploring Red Rock Canyon and The Valley of Fire. Oh, how I miss hiking there! We haven't been on a real hike since... Well, since Red Rock Canyon.

Hair in the Air: A blog with a title inspired by the song "Dynamite" has to be good, right? But that's not what called me to their blog. They are another Minnesota family with a handful of kids on the road... also with a child on the autism spectrum. And, they are doing an inspirational RV art project on the way!

Fogg Blog: This is a family of 5 that is all about homeschooling on the road. See, you don't absorb a whole lot from a text book. Will a child learn more about Arlington National Cemetery from a textbook... or by standing there in awe of it? Exactly.

Newschool Nomads: A newer RV family with 2 boys and a handful of pets traveling the country and posting enough about it all to make someone like me (looking out the window, longing for my poor, cold RV sitting out in the driveway) insanely jealous.

Knock it Off, Brain!!

2012-01-11T05:14:00.000-08:00

I haven't had insomnia in ages. I don't know if it's because of the excitement about our upcoming road trip or the energy I suddenly find myself full of on this low carb diet that has mind on a constant go, go, go lately. Either way, it's almost 7am and I've been awake for 3 hours.

First, I read a little bit...

Then, I checked Facebook...

Then, I checked on all 4 of the kids...

Then, I planned the rest of our homeschool week...

And now, I finally hear my husband in the shower and I'm getting ready to throw his breakfast on. Eggs and bacon... breakfast of low carb champs! Man, how is the scale moving like this when I'm eating bacon everyday? You know... pork fat. Strange concept this whole "fat doesn't make you fat" thing but I like it!

Anyway.

We went shopping yesterday. Our excitement over our big RV trip is eating away at us so we decided to take advantage of the unheard of 40 degrees in January day and get a head start on our RV renovation. Yeah, it's a brand new RV and doesn't need any of the major renovations but it does need to feel more like a home if we're going to be in there for so long. We decided to take it one step at a time and decorate the master bedroom in there first.

Because, you know, in our 11 years living together, we have yet to ever decorate our bedroom. The rest of the house, yes... Our bedroom always looks like a dorm room.

We decided to stick with our "earth tone" obsession. The rest of it is already in dark earth tones, so why not? First, we chose a memory foam to go over the less-than-comfortable mattress. We would have bought a whole new mattress if they were so dark heavy and weight limit wasn't an issue. But, this memory foam cover looks very comfortable.

Next, we decided on this bedding set to match our love of brown and green...

We picked up brown sheets and the matching throw pillows, some new queen size Beautyrest pillows because our king sized from home were just too big last summer, and called it a day. The only thing we have left in there is to work on our cabinets so our clothes can be more organized and to buy some big Rubbermaid containers to store things in the bed. Easy-peasy.

We still have the main room, the bathroom, and the kids' bedroom to decorate. And, we'll need to find a good storage system for under the RV and some new camping chairs because the ones we used last summer were quite uncomfortable by the fire.

We are so excited for this adventure. I just wish it would hurry up and get here! We just might wind up leaving a little earlier than September!

Elizabeth's Daybook, Week 2

2012-01-09T17:05:00.000-08:00

This is linked with The Simple Woman's Daybook.

For Today:

Outside my window... The snow is melting. As cold as it was last week, it is that nice out there right now.

I am thinking... About my new design business. I'm getting some work in already and it's been fun! If you need a new header or something, let me know :)

I am thankful... For my amazing husband. He has spent the entire weekend doing paint touchups, cleaning, and folding clothes. I can even look passed that fact that he said he's going to start leaving me with a to-do list everyday because I'm *sigh* admittedly less productive than he is. You don't think he really will, do you? *lol*

In the kitchen... I finally found the cause of this awful smell near the fridge... broccoli! It looked fresh; smelled terrible.

In the homeschool room... We are studying animal groups and I am suddenly very aware of how much I've forgotten since elementary school. I had to look up whether a lizard was a reptile or amphibian. Yeah, it was that bad.

I am wearing... Bluejeans, a black tanktop, and a gray sweater. I'm comfy and I like it.

I am creating... The week's lesson plan. Our school week is Tuesday-Saturday.

I am going... Nowhere! I don't have the energy. My first week of extreme low carb and I'm tired.

I am wondering... About my mom's birthday this month. I need to get her gift!

I am reading... I am hoping to start up on the True Blood series. My close friends are talking about it and I'm so out of the loop!

I am looking forward to... RVing this year!! Oh, it can't come soon enough!!

Around the house... It's evening now and 2 out of 4 kids are in bed. My husband is watching a movie.

A picture I'm sharing...

My littlest 2 playing together. This is a rare moment for autism :)

A Scentacular Giveaway!!!

2012-01-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

My friend Ashley is giving away a Scentsy plug-in warmer and a bar of Love Story (which I hear smells awesome) to one lucky reader!! I haven't tried the plug-ins yet but I have a pretty warmer that is plugged in filling my house with awesome scents all day, every day. Scentsy is amazing!

To enter into my giveaway, all you have to do is visit Ashley's store and then leave a comment here telling me what your favorite scent is! That's it! And for an extra 3 entries, you can spend $25 or more in her store and let me know in another comment.

Giveaway is CLOSED!

*All repeat comments will be deleted. Extra entries will be verified by Ashley.

Yo. Let's Talk.

2012-01-07T09:48:00.000-08:00

Do you have a couple hours to kill? Watch this movie. It's call Fat Head, which is a rebuttal against the popular documentary Supersize Me. Which, fed us some lies to push a certain agenda. Like when Morgan's nutritionist told him he's eating over 5,000 calories a day. Do you know how much Morgan would have had to eat even at McDonald's to get even close to that? It's shown in this movie.

This movie is a documentary where a man does the same thing as Morgan... but shows you how he lost weight doing it. No, he's not pushing that we should all eat at fast food restaurants every day. He's proving that you can if you really want to because calories are not what makes us fat... carbs are. Which is not new science. This movie also proves that Americans really can have willpower and that McDonalds is not forcing us to get fat. We're choosing what we order all by ourselves.

Supersize Me made me feel like Americans were stupid. This documentary tells me that we aren't stupid... most of us just don't care.

Now, I know there's controversy with some of the things this movie has taught me. It's the same controversy that you read about in The South Beach Diet, Good Calories Bad Calories, and all of those other books. Fat does not make you fat. Calories do not make you fat. SUGAR MAKES YOU FAT.

This little reminder came at a good time for my husband and me. I'm nearing the end of my weight loss journey and he's already thin... so now, we're trying to evaluate how we're eating so we can be as healthy on the inside as we look on the outside. I know that my means of losing weight... eating Lean Cuisines for every meal... isn't healthy. Humans are not designed to eat low fat, vegetarian, or any of these other crazy diet fads. It's not healthy. It breaks down our muscles, makes us feel exhausted, and can push us into the ugly cycle of depression. Some of the things I've learned just make sense.

When Jay and I got done watching this documentary, we sat down and discussed how we're eating. Which is bad. He eats breakfast cereal every day, I have coffee... just coffee. He eats Doritos and candy and other things like crazy... I pick at food like a bird and eat as little fat as I possibly can. Neither of us have the energy we used to when we were eating South Beach. And truthfully, I mood swing worse now than I did when I was pregnant.

Or, I should say a few days ago, not now. Three days into eating high protein and low carb and the scale is moving again, my energy is back, and I feel amazing inside and out.

I think this is exactly what we needed. No, I'm not eating fast food every day... or ever right now. And no, I didn't throw the skim milk out in favor of whole... or start coating my frying pans with butter instead of Pam. But, I did abandon my 40+ Lean Cuisines in the freezer downstairs in favor of salads full of protein and healthy fats... and stirfries full of protein and yummy vegetables. So far, I don't even feel like I'm dieting and the scale keeps moving!

My Design Site is Open!

2012-01-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

I am super excited for this. Now, I'm not one of those awesome coders that can recreate an entire layout in 3 hours and charge you $200 for a new blog. In fact, coding kind of gives me a headache. But, I love playing with images and creating headers. Obviously. You all probably remember my "new layout every 3 days" stage, huh? It is that much fun!!

If you're thinking about a new look, please check out my design page and let me know what I can do for you. Anything I earn from this will be added to my savings account for our RV trip!

Elizabeth's Daybook, Week 1

2012-01-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

I haven't done one of these since my old blog! I'd like to do one every week in 2012 as we pack up the RV and travel around later this year. I hope I can stick with it! This is linked with The Simple Woman's Daybook.

For Today:

Outside my window... it is cold. I mean, really cold. The wind chill has been unforgiving and the children and I are hibernating inside. Poor Daddy working outside in this yucky weather.

I am thinking... about our future RV trip. We cannot wait for the snow to melt!

I am thankful... for caffeine. I don't know how I would have survived being awake with an overstimulated 2yo until 3:30 this morning without it.

In the kitchen... there's a mess! We are in the middle of a major decluttering. All cabinets, drawers, closets, etc are being emptied and gone through. We are donating a lot of stuff this month.

In the homeschool room... we celebrated a big deal today! Zack struggled badly with comprehension in public school last year. I graded his workbook thus far and discovered that he has a nice A- so far this year!

I am wearing... oooh, do I have to be honest with this one? After almost zero sleep last night, I stumbled out of bed and threw on whatever I could reach! I didn't even look at it first. I discovered after passing a mirror that... I look like a clown. Wow. Way to match, E.

I am creating... a sample snowflake art project for art on Friday. We are going to hang white snowflakes in the bay window on Friday.

I am going... nowhere! I'm hibernating.

I am wondering... when I should order the annual test for homeschool.

I am reading... a book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I'm finally catching up before the new one is released this spring.

I am looking forward to... my 10 year wedding anniversary next month.

Around the house... the 2 big kids are playing their 3DS games, the 2yo is ~~destroying~~ exploring the living room, and the baby girl is sleeping. I am in the kitchen ~~wasting time online~~ making lunch.

A few plans for the rest of the day... I am finishing the kitchen declutter and hopefully moving upstairs to the master bathroom declutter.

A picture I'm sharing...

My clown costume I found myself wearing today. Ugh!

Hurry Up, Spring!! We Want to Camp!!

2012-01-02T21:52:00.000-08:00

Man, this winter feels like it's taking forever. My RV is calling my name. Begging me to start the renovations in it this spring... real doors instead of accordion doors, some brighter decorations to liven it up, a REAL mattress in the master bedroom! We are so excited to personalize it this spring, camp this summer, and then take off this fall for a winter trip to spend time with Jay's family in California for Christmas.

Yup, we're leaving the state with it this year!! Woohoo!! We. Can't. Wait. The boys are asking for a whole year. *Lol* We'll see.

I wanted to share a little more about our RV. Here's our floorplan...

And here's a sweet video I found online of not only our exact model but our EXACT RV that is sitting in the same spot it was in when we signed the papers and hooked her up. I was so excited to find this video! Even with the ugly happy face pillow decor they had in it.

It's dark in there, huh? It totally needs a woman's touch. And, a touch I will give it when it's not in the negatives out there. No one should willingly live in the negatives. It feels like I'm being tortured for information.

Ugh, writing this post made it even worse. Hurry up, spring!!!

Menu Plan Monday

2012-01-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

It's the first Monday of the new year!! And, the beginning of my personal challenge to menu plan every week so we quit eating out. What a bad habit to have... it's ugly on the checkbook and the waist line! Both things I'm determined to fix in 2012. So, like I used to do before I ~~got lazy~~ gave up after months of extreme morning sickness, I am joining the Menu Plan Monday linky. These are the meals I am making my family, not always what I'm eating. Mama's on a diet. Yo.

Monday
L: ravioli, fresh pears
D: salsa chicken tacos

Tuesday
L: quesadillas, baby carrots with ranch
D: sweet pepper chicken skillet

Wednesday
L: grilled bologna and cheese, applesauce
D: mongolian beef and broccoli (recipe coming)

Thursday
L: ramen soup, crackers, string cheese
D: spaghetti, breadsticks

Friday
L: pancakes, scrambled eggs
D: ham, au gratin potatoes, stirfry veggies

Saturday
L: macaroni and cheese, hotdogs, applesauce
D: pizza (movie night!)

Sunday
L: popcorn chicken, baked fries, fresh pears
D: cheesy cauliflower soup (recipe coming)

Salsa Chicken

2012-01-01T22:32:00.000-08:00

My friend Allison gave me this recipe and I have made it so many times since! It is definitely one of our absolute favorites.

3 pounds (or 1 bag) chicken breasts
1 jar salsa
1 can green chiles

Dump all ingredients into crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5.
Shred and use in tacos, wraps, on salads, or just eat it with a fork right out of the crockpot because it is that awesome.

And the Winner Is........

2011-12-31T10:38:00.000-08:00

Using the generator on RANDOM.ORG, the winner is...

Tammy Royseth

Congratulations, Tammy! I have emailed My Memories announcing my winner and I am waiting on their code to send you for your free copy! I will message you with the code and how to get it as soon as they send it!

Thank you for entering, everyone! If you would still like to scrapbook with My Memories, you can purchase it here and use the promo code STMMMS13441 for $10 off!!

RIP, ZZHop

2011-12-30T16:24:00.000-08:00

Along with our hedgehog, we also adopted a baby Netherlands Dwarf Rabbit 2 weeks ago. We never officially named her though I continued to call her ZZHop because I thought it was cute. ZZ was the sweetest snuggly bunny in the world and I adored my husband for buying her for me. She really was just for me---which isn't something that happens very often around here. I held her constantly and took really good care of her fluffy butt.

Two nights ago, I was checking on Zailey in her crib and turned around to check on the animals too (they were all sharing the playroom for the time being). I peeked in on ZZ and sadly discovered her laying on her side moving all funny. We moved her cage to the living room where I reached in and pet her ears, asking her what could possibly be happening. I was afraid to pick her up in case I hurt her. I didn't know then that her breed of bunny was prone to seizures. I had no idea that was what was happening.

Very quickly, she stretched out and was gone. I feel silly admitting this but I cried hard for my little friend of 2 weeks and then went to my husband for comfort. I couldn't believe what had just happened. And, I wonder what compelled me to check on her at 2am when I've never peeked at her while checking on the baby before. And now, I'm naturally worried for Zonic. I have checked on the hedgehog constantly throughout the last 2 days thinking the same fate is going to befall on him. Nope, he's still a healthy little escape artist.

What on earth happened to cause that seizure?? It just doesn't make any sense. I am so thankful that I alone witnessed it and not my children, who aren't affected at all because they don't understand.

Mashed Potato Soup

2011-12-29T08:37:00.000-08:00

I'm not a food photographer. This is SO
much yummier than it looks :P

2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion; chopped
2 cups water
2 Tbsp chicken flavor (broth works but I like this better)
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 inch thick slice of Velveeta cheese
2 Tbsp sour cream
4 slices bacon; cooked and crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter in a sauce pan. Add onion and saute until cooked.
Mix water and chicken flavoring together. Add to pot.
Add salt and pepper.
Add in leftover mashed potatoes. After Christmas, I like adding leftover ham too! Mix well.
Rip Velveeta slice into small chunks and add to soup. Mix until melted.
Add sour cream and mix until blended.
Serve with crumbled bacon on top.

New Years Resolutions

2011-12-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

I love making resolutions. Mostly because I stick to them. I am very goal oriented and once I set a goal, I work hard to make it.

Weight Loss
I am making pretty good progress on this part already. After my 4th baby was born this year, I was in the 160's and could barely button a size 10. I'm ending the year in the 140's and back in a size 4/6. My goal is to be in the 120's in 2012 (I am only 5'2" so it's not an unreachable number). I keep track of everything on My Fitness Pal.

Health
Once upon a time, we were very healthy. We ate healthy, exercised all the time, and shared our healthy habits with anyone interested in learning them. But during my bad morning sickness, I gave up and became super lazy. Now, we drink more Diet Pepsi than I care to admit to and eat a lot of processed foods. We are slowly changing our eating habits again.

Simplicity
Like many Americans, our life is way too complicated. We have spent too many years wanting more. More what? It doesn't matter. Just more. And, we've now reached the point where we have so much stuff we don't even know what to do with it all. In 2012, we are simplifying. We are getting rid of the excess stuff. If we don't use it or absolutely love it, why do we have it?

Financial Bliss
I am not even going to admit to our spending habits but it has something to do with the whole wanting more mentality. I will confess that we spend more than $100 a week on eating out or ordering in. And, that seriously adds up! We have dreams of RVing for part of the year and that requires a nice savings account. So, we have dedicated 2012 to cutting back on our spending habits and building up our savings.

Greening Up
Here's another confession. We are wasters. We don't try to be, we just are. We use too much electricity, buy products that have too much packaging, and we own 4 vehicles. 4!! I don't even drive so that's 4 vehicles for a family with 1 driver. I feel guilty about our wastefulness and I'm determined to fix it.

Rediscovering Me
As a stay at home, homeschooling mother for 4 young children, I have lost me somewhere over the years. Everything I do is for someone else. I do very little for me. And, I go through moments of sadness because I don't even know who I am anymore. I've decided that I need to learn to be selfish for a little while here and there. It's okay to grab a glass of wine and read on my Kindle. It's okay to soak in the tub and paint my toenails. I'm more than just wife and mom... I'm Elizabeth too!

Looking Back on 2011

2011-12-26T20:56:00.000-08:00

JANUARY

I hit the 2nd trimester of my 4th pregnancy. Morning sickness was so awful, I spent time in the emergency room because of migraines due to dehydration. This is when I knew we were on our last baby.

FEBRUARY

It's a girl!! We discovered that after three boys, we actually are capable of creating something pink.

MARCH

Our suspicions of my youngest son having autism started getting stronger and stronger. I called the school and started the evaluations. We were so exhausted with all of it that we ran away to Minneapolis for several days and explored everything the city offered. All of us loved it and hated returning home. Our adventure seed was planted here.

APRIL

After years of trying to convince me that we're adventure seekers, I finally caved in and let my husband buy a 2 bedroom 2011 Prime Time Tracer RV trailer. This major, exciting purchase helped us recover from the official diagnosis: yes, Zaden is joining his biggest brother on the autism spectrum.

MAY

Our oldest turned 7 and we celebrated by taking our RV out for the first time. We quickly learned we thrive in this small, quiet space. It became our main focus. Must. Go. Camping.

JUNE

After 44 hours of labor and a med-free delivery, we welcomed our baby girl! The next day, our 21-month-old learned to walk and walked all the way from the hospital entrance to my hospital room. Take that, autism!

JULY

Minnesota made the list of states suffering from a severe heat wave. After a day of suffering in an old house without an air conditioner, I called my husband and told him to come home early, we're hitching up the RV and heading out! We spent the entire month camping.

AUGUST

Halfway through August, we headed home and back to our regularly scheduled life of Jay working at a new company, therapy, and reveling in the awesomeness of pink. I called the school and informed them that Zack wouldn't be returning. I officially became a homeschooler.

SEPTEMBER

Autism started becoming more and more noticeable in our home as Zaden turned 2. Zack and I dove head first into homeschooling 2nd grade and between that and Zaden's speech therapies, time flew by faster than I could blink.

OCTOBER

Autumn came out of nowhere and we started preparing for another winter of hibernation. We enjoyed as much time outdoors as we could before the weather would get chilly. We also attempted to buy a new home out in the country so we could have adventure everyday but the inspections fell through and we realized that being tied down to a bigger mortgage is the opposite direction we want to go!

NOVEMBER

Just because we're stuck indoors doesn't mean the adventure ends! We adopted a hedgehog and a Netherlands dwarf bunny from the exotic animal store and started studying their habitats and all that neat stuff in homeschool. Be careful. Calling our little babies "rodents" might result in a beat down :P

DECEMBER

And here we are... knee deep in pink. Zailey had her first Christmas and Zaden is starting to verbalize a little bit. We are busy working on some major changes around here (that's the next post) and hoping the rest of winter flies by quickly so we can pack the RV up again and GO!

Giveaway!! My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software

2011-12-22T15:28:00.000-08:00

I'm not one of those people that can open up some insanely in depth image design program and create... anything. I want to. When I see all of those cute scrapbook blog headers, from scratch holiday cards, and homemade baby books people post on their blogs, I want to do it too. I've just never known how.

And then, My Memories asked me to review their digital scrapbooking software. I was so excited when I got the email and went to work on it right away. I spent a good hour browsing their store downloading all of the free papers and kits (they also allow you use kits from other sites) and then got to work...

A cute family card... that looks much cuter than the one
I had printed at Target this year.

A page for my daughter's baby book!

The above pages were made only using the freebies from My Memories. I wanted to see what I could do with the program itself before adding in all of the things I've bought from other sites (while dreaming of having the ability to scrap). These pages were sooooo easy to make and the one time I did get stuck, I just read through their tutorials. I can't wait to turn the rest of my facebook uploaded family photos into masterpieces that I can order printed books of!

GIVEAWAY:
Want a copy of your own? My Memories has asked me to give a copy of their downloadable software to one lucky reader. To enter, all you have to do is visit My Memories and then leave a comment here telling me what your favorite kit is. Please make sure I have a way to contact you.

Extra Entries:

Like them on Facebook and then leave another comment telling me you did so.
Follow my blog and leave another comment telling me you did so.

Giveaway ends on New Years Eve at 12:00 noon central time. Good luck!

In addition to the giveaway, My Memories is offering a $10 discount off their software and a $10 coupon to use in their store: a $20 value! All you need to do is enter the coupon code: STMMMS13441.

Weekly Wrap-Up

2011-11-18T23:24:00.000-08:00

In my life this week…

We have snow! We left for therapy on Monday morning with green grass and blue skies... and came home Monday evening to this. No complaints here. At least not until Christmas is over.

In our homeschool this week…

Tuesday brought our official withdrawal from Connections Academy. I spent an hour at the local public school signing the necessary "intent to homeschool" documents for the district. And then, I walked out to my car with my heart racing... did I really just decide to take control of their education?

This week and next week are a little laid back as we transition and de-school from the public school system. We are working a little bit but mostly, I am planning our lesson plans for December, when we will begin unit studies. Here's a little bit of what we did this week...

We played Phonics Tic Tac Toe on my iPad 2, which Zack really enjoyed. Some of the questions are super easy but some required him to think. It was a lot of fun.

We also did a few worksheets leftover from our Connections Academy kit. Zack enjoys worksheets and I enjoy his independence.

We played a math game I threw together last minute. Zack rolled the dice, added them together, and then made the same amount with coins. He loved this game and has asked to play it again. (Please ignore the messy counter behind him. The dishes can wait... his education cannot).

Zander enjoyed working in his preschool workbook. In jammies. Because that's one of the biggest perks of homeschool.

We played reading comprehension games on Go Go Kabongo. Zack loves this website and I'm not even sure he realizes he's learning :)

And then, we talked about turkeys as I drew one out and Zack colored it in on puzzle board. We broke it apart and put it back together.

And, we spent an hour at the exotic pet store, which is more like a zoo... except Mommy always adopts something when we're visiting. This week, it was a deposit on a newborn hedgehog. We pick our new "classroom pet" up in 2 weeks.

Zaden mimicked bumblebee buzzing and monkey noises during therapy. A big improvement from no sounds at all :)

And, Zailey is practicing her rolling. She can now get from one side of the blanket to the other with several rolls. Rolls full of squealing laughter! I never realized what a joy baby girls are!

And, that was our week. It wasn't nearly as productive as I wish it was but like I said, we are de-schooling and preparing for unit studies in the very near future.

This post is linked to Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers and The Homeschool Chick!

Parenting with Respect

2011-11-17T22:44:00.000-08:00

We don't demand respect from our children. There are no "yes ma'am" or "yes sir" answers here. We aren't the military. We're not raising soldiers; we are raising people. So we treat them like people. People that will one day choose our nursing homes ;)

But, our children do respect us anyway. Why? Because we respect them. Respect equals respect. "Please clear the table" = "Please read me a story." "Thank you for picking up your toys" = "thank you for dinner."

My kids thank me for everything. Everything. When I get tired of the boy smell and grab the Febreeze, I hear "thank you for the good smell." When I let the dog out after a few hours in her kennel, I hear "thank you for letting Zoey pee." They are such sweet, appreciative boys. And I know that it's because I'm a sweet, appreciative mommy.

I am a very non demanding parent. I don't instruct them on how to behave as much as I demonstrate for them how I'd like them to behave. We don't have punishments in our house beyond losing a reward star if they are mean or hurtful... because we don't need them. They are good kids. Because we respect them and treat them like good kids.

Your children will become who they are meant to become. We are here to guide them, not force them. And I've learned that as I am teaching them to be good people by modeling good behavior, I am a better version of me. A version of me I'd be proud for them to mimic.

I'm told that I'm Supermom but really, I just have super kids!

Chicken Feta Wrap

2011-11-14T23:16:00.000-08:00

1 whole wheat tortilla
4oz cooked leftover chicken breast; cold
1 slice tomato; sliced in half
1 ring sweet pepper; sliced in half
1 wedge laughing cow light cheese
1/4 cup shredded lettuce
1 Tbsp Kraft light sesame toasted dressing
1 Tbsp fat free feta cheese

Spread laughing cow light cheese on tortilla.
Add tomato, sweet pepper, chicken, and lettuce.
Drizzle dressing on top and add feta cheese.

Sweet Pepper Skillet

2011-11-14T23:12:00.000-08:00

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts; chopped
1 red pepper; sliced
1 yellow pepper; sliced
1 orange pepper; sliced
1 medium onion; sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 can seasoned diced tomatoes

Heat oil over med-high heat. Add chicken and saute until almost cooked through. About 8 minutes.
Add sweet peppers and onion and continue to saute (add a little more oil if needed) until chicken is done and peppers are at the consistency you want.
Add worcestershire sauce and diced tomatoes (not drained).
Serve over rice or in tortillas.

Dear Binky,

2011-10-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

I never believed in you. Probably because my three boys were so easy, so quiet, so able to self soothe without you. I thought you were something parents forced their children to attach to for a quick mute button on noisy days.

But now, I see that I've totally misunderstood you. For after a week of (I don't know how else to put it so bear with me) HELL, I finally caved in and pulled you from your hiding spot in the kitchen drawer. I rinsed you off... not even taking the time to sanitize you because honestly, that whole germaphobe stuff makes me giggle... and then I stuck you in my 4-month-old baby girl's mouth mid scream.

...And silence. Really, it was that quick. She ~~shut up~~ stopped screaming, shut her eyes, and fell asleep. Within seconds. Miliseconds. And we had a repeat performance from you twice last night and both times, no changing or bottle was needed. Just you.

I am a very, very, very rested and happy mommy today because of you. I know that in a couple years, I will probably resent you. I will cut you into pieces and throw you in the trash claiming some magical binky fairy stole you for another little girl that really needed you. Because those are the stories I (as a Santa pushing, Easter Bunny pushing, and toothfairy mama) will tell my daughter to stop her tears. But for now, you stop her tears.

I owe you one.

Sincerely,
A Mama That Isn't Pulling Her Hair Out Anymore

Fall is Definitely Here!

2011-10-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

Northern Minnesota Fall - Taken by Jason, Oct 2011

As much as I whined all winter long about how badly I wanted summer to get here, it might surprise you to find out that I don't actually like summer. At all. I loved RVing with my family for a month but really, who likes mosquitoes, sunburns, and humidity? I'm more of an autumn girl. It's still beautiful out during the day but not sunburn beautiful. And the nights are way too cold for the skeetches to survive.

What does fall mean to me? It means warm bathrobes, fuzzy socks, pumpkin pie coffee creamer, hot apple crisp, cinnamon oatmeal, jackolanterns, glow in the dark bats in my bay window, Jack Skeleton marathons on TV, and a road trip to the Bayfield Apple Festival. Where I had this made...

They run namerings.com! Ignore the cleavage.

Cute, right? They laughed at the fact that all of my kids start with a Za. Yep. OCD hard at work. I was wanting a mother's ring but this is much cooler. And something I can wear with anything. I'm looking at the name rings for my husband... Maybe for father's day?

Wow, my 7-year-old is TALL!! Or, maybe I'm short... ;)

We had a lot of fun at the apple festival in Bayfield, Wisconsin. Sure, it was a long drive but that's half of our enjoyment as the boys play video games in the back seat and my husband and I get some time to chat. And once we got there, we treated ourselves to all of the fun fair foods... ice cream cones, big pretzels, mini donuts, cotton candy. I'm surprised we weren't sick by the time we went home! With my newest treat...

Uhm, yes. On hot biscuits please.

After our drive, there was one thing we knew for sure... Wisconsin people are WEIRD. Apparently, apples aren't the only reason to party there...

I guess I'm not invited to THAT one.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Zaden!!

2011-09-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

Oh, what a fun 2 years it's been!!

Pretty Girl

2011-08-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love baby smiles?? There is absolutely nothing in this world more genuine than a baby's smile. Well, once they get passed the smiling when they poop stage. But by 2 months, these smiles are definitely real. And beautiful. My gosh, this mama better get a tubal before we wind up with a whole bus load of kids!

I just love being a mom.

A Month of Camping

2011-08-20T22:29:00.000-07:00

Last month, the weatherman warned me about an extreme heat warning hitting Minnesota. I thought about my air conditioner -less house and started panicking. How is a mom of 4 little ones---one of them only a few weeks old---supposed to keep her children cool during the worst of the summer? I thought of our new (air conditioned) RV in the driveway and decided it was time to break it in. So, we packed up and headed out to a nearby RV park to avoid the heat.

And, fell in love! We wound up at a park where we could see the playground from our front window so my older children were safe to play while the babies kept me busy. The view of the lake was so beautiful and peaceful and I found myself sneaking passed my sleeping babies early in the mornings to sit outside with a cup of coffee and my Kindle.

We spent a lot of time hiding inside with the air conditioner running on full blast. Zaden loved being able to stand on the dining bench and watch out the window. He spent about half of his vacation right there just watching the world around us.

We also took advantage of camping just up the hill from the new beach. I have fish children that just love the water!

We had more campfires than I could keep track of! The boys waited impatiently for Daddy to get home from work in the evenings so he would light a fire and we'd break out the marshmallows.

We thoroughly celebrated national s'more day!

We took advantage of the cooler evenings and spent time on the picnic table working in our workbooks. Zack learned multiplication this month! My 7-year-old is so smart.

And escaped the campground now and then to meet new friends...

And discover new tricks!

And come face-to-face with Mommy's dinner ;)

We had a wonderful summer!!

But after a month living in an RV, we came home Friday night to a quiet house and an empty fridge. As much as we enjoyed our long camping trip, we're happy to be home beginning a "new" life. My husband has a new job with another satellite company that pays twice as much and gives him 2 days off every week. And after a year of thinking it through, I've decided to homeschool and I have so much I need to do before we can begin. It's definitely time to be home... but I already can't wait for next summer's camping trip!