Saturday, August 31, 2013

My New Little Chef

So I have a new little chef in my kitchen! My seven year old~ Beauty made dinner with me tonight! Now I have let my girls stir, mix and measure, but cutting and adding seasonings, ummm not so much!

Well, after a really challenging day, I decided we needed a little extra time together... I decided to have a little more trust and got out one of the knives that was a little sharper than a butter knife and not quite the type of I knives I would use...so I taught her how to cut the veggies and meat. Then I let go..

She did great!!

She was so proud of herself!! She introduced the meal as her own...she stood there and watched as her daddy ate his first bite...oh how she beamed!
Red Beans & Cajun Vegetable Sauce
over Brown Rice  

I am so proud of my big girl...so very proud!!

Friday, August 30, 2013

Questions for Mama...about adoption.

I get some really thought provoking, and often times just plain funny questions!

I have one of those faces...at least that is what my husband tells me. I have had complete strangers tell me their life story in an airport. I also live a pretty open, simple life. Life is short, I want to learn and give knowledge while I'm here... So, as it seems I get a lot of questions, too!  I get questions that people start with "I've always wondered..." Yeah, I don't really know why, blame it on the face, I guess...

Anyway, today we went to a picnic/field day for homeschoolers... I was talking to our CT, whom my eldest proudly told all about being adopted when she came to visit a few weeks back..  She was telling me how proud she was of my girl and what a wonderful family we are...so sweet! Then she got the serious/hushed tone and asked if she could ask~ "something I have always wondered...*I brace myself* do your kids, kids that are adopted, *here it comes* do they celebrate their birthdays or the day you adopted them?"

"Both!" I excitedly reply.... *releasing that breath I had been holding in* You know this was the first question like this I have heard *surprisingly* and it got me thinking.
What is a birthday??
It is the day you came onto the world...you were sustained in the womb and now the world is your's to explore! It is a day that you join a family...which was the basis of her question. It is the day that we see how you have grown another year..

It also reminded me to be thankful! It reminded me to be thankful that my girls are here in my arms..so tight in my arms. That for whatever her reasons, their birth-mom carried them in her body and gave them life! Yes,.even though she lost them through her choices and they were placed in the system, they are alive. She and I don't have a relationship and honestly we probably never will, but a part of me will always be thankful to her...

You can see where this is going... I don't have a large reader base, I'm just a mom with a small blog, but if you are out there and you are facing a really hard choice, please consider adoption?
Please just pause~ I know you are scared, Google a bit, maybe even say a little prayer(we can say one for you), and consider giving that little life to a family that is lifeless...that is the truest definition of love. You can carry that baby, and that family will carry in their hearts forever. Just please give it a thought?

So back to the second part of her question; YES,  we celebrate Adoption Day as a family! Hubby takes the day off work all homeschool stuff is suspended and we just spend the day together!  We look at the courthouse pictures, talk about how we felt that day...how crazy our hair looked from the crazy tornado-like wind and the monsoon-type rain that hit that morning!!! We laugh, play games, and eat a lot of ice cream!!! We just have fun as a family...and give thanks because that is what we are~ a family


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A Chili Kind Of Week

So yeah, I am so ready for colder weather!!! We are also in full swing of homeschooling!!! So we are having a "Chili" kind of week! I started off by making a huge pot of veggie chili!!!

Chili is so super easy and cheap! There are so many recipes out there... I'm not really a "recipe girl" so I keep it super simple:
 I just grab a bag of dry pinto beans from the cupboard, check (for rocks & bad/broken beans), soak over night, rinse in the AM, add water to cover 2 inches, add seasonings (Chili Powder, Stevia or a little sugar, and some Tony's or Hot Sauce~I just add it till it feels right; yeah I am sure you are googling recipes, right?), and set to low...cook all day! I also can add my other veggies here of saute them gently at the end...then add to the crock-pot just depends if I have more time in the AM or PM...

Veggies I like in my Chili:
Onions (diced really small)
Bell Pepper (favorite is yellow, orange, & red!)
Butternut Squash (diced really small)
Tomatoes (canned)
Corn (I used corn & black bean salsa that I had laying around)
Carrots (diced really small)

So now that I have my chili...I figure out what to do with it! Here is what I did:

Meal #1 Chili!!!  Invited the family over to eat! I grabbed some turkey from the freezer to beef it up a portion of the chili and served like eight people!

Meal #2 Chili Dogs Made a little healthier on whole grain buns with organic turkey dogs.

Meal #3 Chili Mac Super yummy made with brown rice pasta!!

Meal #4 Tamale Pie! Lot's of recipes on this too! I just bake a thin layer of cornbread, add a think layer of lean/cooked/crumbled meat, veggie chili, and some cheese~ pop back into the oven till the cheese is melted!

Meal #5 Just kidding!! I could come up with something, but I am just going to freeze the rest! On to another week!!


Friday, August 23, 2013

Homeschooling~ Our First Week!

We have had a wonderful first week of homeschooling!! I am so proud of them...and I'm really enjoying our time together!!!
Also, I am VERY tired!! *See pic below!
 I am having a challenging time adjusting to getting everything organized, learning the new curriculum, and doing lesson plans at night along my other housework and laundry!  I am hoping to be in the swing of things soon~hope?!?

My big girl is doing a lot of review this week. She is  loving learning patriotic songs as well as learning maps and geography! She is also learning to write a friendly letter and working toward her book report!

My widdle-middle is loving Bible before she goes to her program for deaf preschoolers for the morning... When she arrives home we have lunch then have PE. and Art!!

My baby girl is working on numbers, colors, shapes, and letters & sounds! She loves learning!

Then there is me...at like 2AM. Still smiling, but then again how can you not smile at the gorgeous photographer?!?

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Getting Ready for Homeschool!

The girls are getting excited and I'm getting nervous!!! I am waiting to the curriculum to arrive, and getting our new Homeroom set up! Here is a little of what it looks like:
 From the back corner of the room.. 

 My teaching aides at the front of the room.. 

 My view~ with a little Inspiration & Organization

 Our Entryway~ready to head out the door to go to pre-K, Co-op, or the Library!