Egg in a Hat

     Sometimes it's nice to find a new way to fancy up standard breakfast foods. We discovered this recipe while camping with extended family. Gabe is my pickiest eater, but he LOVES this for breakfast. The ingredients listed are for one serving (we usually need 12) but you can adjust it to your families needs. It's also flexible for individual preferences - I'll explain below.

Egg in a Hat

• Slice of Whole Wheat Bread
• Egg
• Thin Slice of Cheddar Cheese
• Slice of Extra Lean Ham
• Cooking Spray

1. Use the lid of the cooking spray to cut a hole in the center of each slice of bread. (*If you're feeling really festive you can use a small cookie cutter.) Set bread circles aside.
2. Heat the pan or griddle to medium,  and spray it with cooking spray.  You need the griddle hot to start so the eggs won't run away from the bread in the next step.
3. Lay out the slices of bread on the griddle. Crack an egg and drop it in the center of each slice of bread. Let the egg cook to desired consistency. *For instance, the kids and I like to use a fork to scramble the upper part of the egg and spread it across the bread. Matt likes his eggs untouched and over easy.
4. Flip the egg and bread to cook on the other side.
5. Add a slice of cheese and a then a slice of ham.
6. You can flip it back over to brown the ham and melt the cheese quickly. Serve hot off the griddle.
7. Toast the bread circles and serve as desired. 

*My kids like their egg in a hat cut like a pizza so they get a little of everything in each bite. Enjoy!

Grandparenting from afar...

I know that one day my little ones will be grown and gone. Even though that time seems far away, I still like collecting ideas about grandparenting.

Sometimes families are lucky enough to have grandparents close by, but that isn't always possible. My kids are fortunate enough to have wonderful grandparents who use a variety of tools and methods to stay in touch. One set of grandparents does lives close and arranges for visits, and attends soccer games and school productions. One of the kids grandma's meets us for great mini-trips. Both of which are a LOT of fun - My kids love it! Thank you!


However, this post is about something that another set of grandparents does....

Care Packages!

About every month, the kids get a package in the mail with something fun to say "We Love You!" and "We were thinking about you!" 

• A package of gum and a note that reads something like ...  "We're stuck on you."
• Personalized magnets shaped like giant pencils (sent at the beginning of the school year) that read, "Look what Gabe did at School!"
• A kit to make candy airplanes with smarties, a stick of gum, a rubber band, and lifesavers. The gum is re-wrapped to say, "It's plane to see my Grandma & Grandpa love me!"
• A kit to make cupcakes and secretly give them to a neighbor (A great teaching opportunity even from afar.)
• A calendar sent in January filled with pictures of family members and family activities.

This month the kids got candy necklaces and a note saying, 

"We're so 'LUCKY' to have such wonderful grandchildren!"

These packages have been so much fun. 

Some simple. Some elaborate. 

Some fun. Some meaningful. 

Always saying, "We love you!"

I want to make sure to do things like this for my grandkids one day.

Thank you, Grandma & Grandpa!


***Hot off the press: I prepared this post last week, but guess what came last night?
An Easter care package! 
It included toy magnets, decorations, games, and cookies.
SO FUN - THANKS AGAIN!!!

Making Great Compost

Last year, our church did something called a "Garden Tour." They arranged a walking tour of the best gardens in the neighborhood and pointed out things that each gardener did well. One woman focused on great soil, and emphasized the use of compost. She said, "No garden is complete without a compost pile!" 

Matt and I have been putting all of our yard waste into the city's "Yard-Waste Recycling Program," which uses the waste to make and sell compost. We also find ourselves buying bags of gardening or potting soil each year. It occurred to us that we could stop spending a fair amount of money on both the recycling can & and the bags of soil if we put our yard waste to better use in our own compost bin.

Compost is a soil conditioner, mulch and fertilizer all wrapped into one. It feeds the soil microorganisms that help plants stay healthy, adds nutrients to the soil, and helps clay soil drain better and sandy soil retain water. Plus, composting reduces your contribution to the local landfill.

We found this large 80 gallon, rotating, composting bin at Costco for about $100. We picked up a composting agent at the IFA, and we also bought some worms to through in the composter too.

I'm new to this whole process, so I've been reading up on how composting is done. These are the tips I've found...

7 Steps to Great Compost
*Breaks down fast and never smells bad.

1. Buy or create your compost bin, and choose a site that's handy to your garden and kitchen, yet out of plain sight. *Because my garden and kitchen are at opposite ends of our property, we put the composter on the edge of the garden.

2. Add the right ingredients: The two basic elements that make up compost are green garden debris (grass clippings or old annuals) and brown garden derbis (dry leaves). Green ingredients are high in nitrogen and brown materials are high in carbon. Adding too many greens can make the pile smell bad. You can also add vegetable and fruit waste such as banana and orange peels, potato peels, scraps, etc. DO NOT add animal waste, meats, oils, dairy, diseased plants, weeds that have gone to seed, or plants treated with pesticides or herbicides to your compost.

3. Have the right balance of ingredients: Compost piles with a balance of one part green to two part brown materials break down fastest. Continue adding greens and browns until the pile is about 3 cubic feet (3 ft. x 3 ft. x 3 ft.). Piles of this size heat up quickly and break down faster. You can also speed up the process by breaking down materials before adding them to the pile. For example, if you run over that pile of dead leaves with lawn mower before composting, it will break down to compost more quickly.

4. Add in a shovelful of finished compost or garden soil to help kick start the microbial activity in your pile. *This is where we also added the worms and the composting agent.

5. Add the right amount of moisture: Compost also needs the correct amount of moisture to breakdown. Compost with the right moisture level should feel like a damp, wrung-out sponge. Too much moisture can cause temperatures to fall within the pile (and make it smell). Too little moisture slows down the decomposition rate and keeps the pile from heating up. Check your compost pile's moisture level once a week and adjust it if necessary by adding water to increase moisture or more browns to help dry the pile out.

6. Turn the pile once a week to move material from the outside of the pile in. Turning also keeps the pile from compacting, which reduces airflow and slows down decomposition.

7. Use it when ready! You should have finished compost in about two months (60-70 days.) You'll know your compost is finished when it no longer heats up, and you can't identify any of the original materials. The compost should be dark brown, moist and earthy smelling. Compost at the bottom and middle of the pile typically "finishes" first. Dig finished compost into your garden's soil. You can use partially composted material as mulch.


*Final Note: Right now, our composter is largely filled with dead leaves (brown waste) and very little green material because the weather isn't suited to mowing the lawn. I added water, worms and composting agent today, but I'm hopeful that spring will get under way so we can add grass clippings soon. However, in the future I'm anticipating a shortage of brown waste. Maybe we can become the "nicest" neighbors by offering to rake up the neighborhood leaves and take them off everyone's hands. ;D

Healthy Habits: Conquering Sugar Addiction

  VS.

"Hello, my name is Candace, and I am a Sugar-aholic."

I'm not making fun. I'm quite serious, and like all "-alohics," I'm always recovering. 

Sugar IS addictive. 

Sugar IS destructive in our bodies. 

Adult Diabetes runs in my family. As a kid, I actually remember learning about family health histories and saying to myself, "Oh.... well then, I'll have heart attacks, arthritis and diabetes when I'm old." It was simple. I believed that's what was going to happen to me, and I was very matter-of-fact about it. I finally woke up to the fact that I have a lot more control over these problems. They don't HAVE to happen. I can choose to live differently to prevent them - especially diabetes.

This is my 6 step program to conquering sugar addiction.

1) Avoid Your Trigger Foods
I think Zingers are the most appropriately named food on the planet. I swear I can actually feel the sugar-high "zinging" to my brain if I eat them. I didn't even discover these cream-filled, fudge-frosted, devil's food cakes until I was an adult. I would buy a box of 10 to put in the kids lunch boxes. Three would go in the lunches, and I would find myself snarfing down the other seven over the course of a single day. I once joked to some friends that Zingers are "chocolate crack," and I'm a junky if they're in my house. My friends thought that was hilarious, and showed up on my doorstep with a box of Zingers that night. I ate the entire box! This is what you call a TRIGGER FOOD.

Everyone has different trigger foods - these are foods that you feel helpless against. Eat one and you'll eat 12 before you know it. You need to take a serious look at foods like this in your life. Once you identify your trigger foods you need to recognize them for what they are to you - an addiction. To tell myself I can eat just one Zinger in the presence of a box is like an alcoholic saying "I can have just one drink in the bar." It won't happen. I don't buy Zingers anymore because I KNOW they are a trigger food for me.  I'm not saying you can never have that food again, but save it for a special occasion, a birthday, anniversary, or specific holiday. On those occasions, buy or prepare enough for a single serving, so you don't find yourself going on a bender.

2) Identify the Sugar

Did you know that every 4 grams of sugar you see on a label is equal to 1 teaspoon of sugar. Understanding "grams of sugar" also helps you evaluate all kinds of foods including breakfast cereals. You can identify which foods have a lot of sugar and which ones don't. For instance, 1 cup of Lucky Charms has 12 grams of sugar - that's 3 teaspoons of sugar. If my boys ate lucky charms for breakfast they would easily consume 6-8 teaspoons of sugar before school. I hope you'll look at your food labels, and see how much sugar you're really eating. Next, find ways to cut it back.

3) Dial Down Your Sweet Acuity
It IS possible for you to change your taste for sweetness. For instance if you like to pour a 1/2 cup of syrup on your pancakes, you can gradually reduce this amount along with your appetite for sweet. Soon, you can be topping pancakes with only fruit. Likewise, if you like 3 teaspoons of sugar on cereal or oatmeal, you can slowly cut it back to 1. I've always loved honey-nut cheerios, but I wondered what would happen if I mixed a box of plain cheerios with a box of honey-nut cheerios. I'd cut the sugar in half, but would I still enjoy it? Guess what... I did! It tasted sweet enough to me and made regular honey-nut cheerios seem too sweet. Sprinkling cinnamon, raisins and other fruits on your cereal sweetens it while adding nutritional value. These are great strategies for both yourself and your kids. Leave the box of cookies off the grocery list, and put the money toward some strawberries for your healthy cereal!

4) Tame Your Sweet Cravings with Fruit:
How much fruit have you been eating? If you have a lot of sweet cravings, then chances are you've been missing the mark. Your brain really does require some simple carbohydrates to function. Fruit is high in simple carbohydrates. When you don't get enough your brain sends you a fruit craving. The problem is we misinterpret that signal as "sweets" or "chocolate" cravings. This is nutritionist Zonya Foco's "guaranteed" SWEET CRAVING CURE: eat a piece of fruit every 4 hours with a glass of water and NO more sweet cravings!

5) Create the Right Environment

This principle work for all weight loss, not just sugar addiction. Stock the fridge and pantry with healthy foods and snacks, especially fruit, and DON'T BUY TRIGGER FOODS at all. If your family wants a treat on hand then choose something that isn't remotely tempting to you. For instance, my entire family loves "gummies" of every shape and size, but I can't stand them. I could be in a room filled with gummies and not want a single one. So if I'm looking to treat the kids without tempting myself, then gummies are a great way to go. And you don't HAVE to keep supplies of sugary treats for the family. You're doing them a service by lowering their sugar intake too.

6) Find New Ways to Treat Yourself
I realized that I liked to reward myself with sweets. After a long hard day, or accomplishing a monumental task, I'd think, "I deserve a treat!"  The problem is that "treating" myself to sugar all the time wasn't treating myself well. I needed to find new rewards that made me feel good about my work without hurting me in the process. I now try a variety of rewards. Sometimes I'll treat myself to a magazine (and I enjoy it a lot longer than a candy bar.) Sometimes I'll treat myself to a new cosmetic, accessory, a movie or tv show, a good book, time out with my husband, family or friends. There are a thousand ways to reward yourself without sugar! Give yourself a reward that helps you KEEP feeling good about what you've done and about yourself!!!

Family Friday: March 25th, 2011

The Barn Raising! 

Our family spent a considerable amount of time this week preparing for the
shed installation, but "The Barn" is finally here ~ YAY!!!

Barn Platform

Wall Assembly: Part 1

Wall Assembly: Part 2

Roof Assembly

These stalwart workmen are doing a great job in spite of the cold and snow.
They're still building the barn as I type. One coat of paint was applied at the factory, but the workmen will have to come back under drier conditions to apply the second coat of paint.

Color Swatches I used to choose the barn colors.

We went with "English Pinewood" for the exterior;
I liked the gray-green as a compliment to our brick and siding colors
instead of trying for an exact match.

Then there'll be white trim and "Aspen Gray" shingles.

I'll have to post pictures of the finished product later.
We're so excited! ;D

Lauren

Lauren's play was a big hit. The seats were mostly filled for each performance 

and Matt and I were able to attend Saturday's show.

The Technical Director gave special acknowledgment to people like Lauren who worked so hard behind the scenes. We've kept a play book the identifies Lauren as the Assistant Stage Manager, but we also wanted to do something special for her.

You know how the actors will often get flowers... 

Well, we bought her a beautiful bouquet and took her out for ice cream.  

The play was the Jr. version of "Once on this Island," so the set mostly consisted of palm trees. As we were leaving, the technical director told us, "Lauren's trees were the best!"
Pretty cute. Way to go, Lauren!

Her next major undertaking is the final draft of the country report she's been working on for two months, and the Country Fair that goes with it. Due next week!

Jared

Jared is creating a new language that I like to call, Reformed Yoda. 

Instead of saying, "I'll hold the apple," it's ...  "Apple hold"

or

"book get."

"coat put on."
"ketchups more?"
"jump bed not!"

Jared had his first bee sting on Wednesday. Max was with him when it happened and told me that Jared just PICKED UP the BEE! OOPS!

Serious tears! Jared didn't know the name of the creature that hurt him,
so he kept saying / asking, "Ant hurt!?" or "Sfider hurt!?" until we set him straight.

Now he walks around the house pointing to his finger and
giving all of us words of warning 

"Bee Hurt!," "Bee bite... Don't Like!" or "Bee No Touch!"

Zach, Gabe & Max

SOCCER SEASON is HERE!!!

3 boys... 3 different soccer teams... 3 practices and 6 games a week!

Need I say more.

Good luck guys - It's going to be a great season!

*Final Note: If my posting becomes really erratic for the next 5 weeks, it's because 

I'm far away from computers and camped out on soccer fields across town. 

Just know that I'll resurface when the soccer chaos subsides. ;D

Dreaming of Spring Break

Jared picked this picture for me.
He's convinced there's a shark in there somewhere ;D

The truth is that my head is not contemplating deep and meaningful things today.

It's full of "To-Do's"

I was up late working on plans for our new garden, and I still have work to do on it. I'm heading outside to empty my old shed and tear it apart so the new "barn" can be installed tomorrow. I'm worried about the weather forecast ...
NOT GOOD!
Next, I'll be putting the finishing touches on the Webelos Den Meeting I'm conducting this afternoon. But with all of this work and dreary weather ahead, my thoughts have turned to Spring Break. I'm filled with high hopes for distant places, sunny weather, fun and relaxation.

So the Thoughtful Thursday Question of the day is:

What was the best Spring Break you ever had 

OR what are your fun plans for the coming Spring Break?

Hamburger & Vegetable Soup

Some of the best recipes I have from my Mom are the ones she never wrote down.

"Oh, you just throw it together," she would say.

This colorful soup is one of those "throw it together" kind, and I LOVE IT!

It's a simple, flavorful, and perfectly balanced meal. I love how the shredded cabbage takes the place of pasta so well. There's lean protein, whole grain, and loads of vegetables. They make a medley of deliciousness that doesn't require any fancy spices. I hope you enjoy it too!

Hamburger & Vegetable Soup

• 1 lb. extra lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 3-4 cups cabbage, shredded
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced
• 1 can corn kernels
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups potatoes, cubed (optional)
• 12 cups beef broth (low-sodium if preferred)
• pepper, to taste

1. In a large soup pot, brown the ground beef with the diced onion until completely cooked.
2. Add chopped vegetables and beef broth.
3. Open cans of corn and tomatoes and pour into the soup undrained.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5. Add pepper to desired taste.
6. Serve hot. *It keeps well in the fridge for a week. 

Kid Currency

Our church held a series of parenting classes in January, and one of the questions I asked the instructor dealt with a challenge I have with one of my kids.

I struggle to motivate one of my kids. It seems that no matter what incentive I offer or consequence we administer, this child is largely unresponsive.  I'm able to motivate my other kids with a lot of success, but this particular child has me stumped.

I was relieved when the instructor acknowledged that she had one child who's like this too. It can be a real challenge to find a child's "currency."  What kind of payoffs do they look for in life?  If you can identify their currency, they are much easier to inspire. You can you use tools like contracts or charts and give the child the opportunity to earn their payoff based on reaching a goal or exhibiting appropriate behavior.

The class instructor said sometimes you have to get VERY CREATIVE with a difficult child. Perhaps an older child really values their privacy, so removing their bedroom door would be a serious motivator. You really have to think outside the box with kids like this.

Well, my friend Judy, who is a school teacher, was listening to my difficulty and came up to me after the class.  She said she had information about kid currencies and that she would get me a copy of it.

I'm passing along some of it here. I don't have the full source, but I believe it was written by an "educator of the year," Gene Bedley.

"There is a high correlation between motivation and discipline. In searching for the motivators that move kids to action you might want to consider the following Kid Currency (things that kids value.) Contrary to what many believe, kid currency is not just stuff, but a number of different things that are really valuable to children. Here are a few we've discovered..."

1. Adult Approval - Many kids love to perform for an adult - especially the adults they like. It's critical to establish relationships prior to asking kids for various responsibilities. Just because a child is not motivated by you does not mean that adults like a grandparent, or other family member could be the currency they're looking for. Kids love praise or recognition from this adult.
2. Peer Time - some kids are motivated by having the opportunity to hang out with a buddy. If they can play with a friend, they'll do anything to earn that time.
3. Independence - Some kids like to do things on their own. They may be motivated by having the opportunity to do something of their choice.
4. Competition - Many children love competition. One class had a "Race Across Orange County" in which they posted a large map of Orange County on the wall along with a picture of each child on a string of yarn. The kids who were motivated by competition couldn't wait to see how they're doing in relationship to other class members as their pictures moved across the yarn on the map.
5. Prizes - Some kids ARE motivated by stuff - stickers, toys, books, games, objects in a "mystery bag," etc.
6. Food - There's no doubt that kids are motivated by fish crackers, M&Ms, kettle-corn, etc. But because of dependency and health issues it's important to be careful about using food as a kid currency.

I'm sure their are more kid currencies than are listed here. This list was geared to educators and their options are limited. At home, PRIVILEGES are an important kid currency. For instance, some of my kids are highly motivated by extra Wii/media time. My sister said her son hates it if they take away the privilege of riding the bus to school.  Privileges are powerful motivators.

Judy's Kid Currency info also included the following quiz:

"This survey is designed to help determine which of the following five categories of motivators or reinforcers are most appropriate for a student: Adult Approval, Competition, Food, Peer Approval, Independence. Administer the survey by asking the student to make a choice between pairs of alternatives. Ask: Which would you like most?"   

1	To be the only one in class who can answer a question (competition)	OR	To have M&Ms or fish crackers (food)
2	To be free to work on the computer (independence)	OR	To have your paper shown to the class. (competition)
3	To be free to select a game of your choice. (independence)	OR	To have a Snickers candy bar. (food)
4	To have Pez candy (food)	OR	To have the teacher say you’re doing excellent work. (adult approval)
5	To have friends ask you to play with them (peer approval)	OR	To be the first to finish with your assignment. (competition)
6	To be free to go outside. (independence)	OR	To have friends ask you to build something with them. (peer approval)
7	To have an “outstanding” written on your paper. (adult approval)	OR	To have your paper put up on the bulletin board. (competition)
8	To have a teacher say he/she thinks you’re special (adult approval)	OR	To have friends ask you to be on their team. (peer approval)
9	To be free to go to the reading corner (independence)	OR	To have a teacher write “Great job” on your paper. (adult approval)
10	To have a soft drink or chocolate milk. (food)	OR	To have your friends ask you to be the leader of the group. (peer approval)
11	To be able to select and watch a TV program of your choice. (independence)	OR	To go on a bike ride with a friend. (peer approval)
12	To choose a bag of chips in the store. (food)	OR	To have your mom or dad proud of your good behavior. (adult approval)

Total the number of times the child chose each category and rank their currency in order of preference.

Final Note: I wondered about children's "Love Languages" in connection to these kid currency ideas, and quickly came to the conclusion that love languages are about showing unconditional love. Kid Currency is something different. Love isn't something that should be withheld from a child or given only for good behavior.

I'm still trying to understand my child's currency, but this quiz and information have been a good place to start talking and experimenting. If you have any other suggestions for kid currency,  I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR THEM. Thanks!

Keeping Track of Medication

I don't know about you, but when my kids go on prescription medication, I have a devil of a time keeping track of it.

Three days into the prescription, the doses start blending together in my mind and I'm left wondering,
"Did I already give you your meds this morning?"
or "Did we forget the meds last night?"

Then I'm stressing about missed doses or overdosing.
And if multiple children are taking multiple meds, there's just no way I can keep track of it in my head. I cannot remember!  

So, I usually make a simple chart and tape it to a cupboard door or above the sink. I like to note the number of days for the prescription, the time of day for the doses, and the day of the week.

I put a pen on the bread box for easy access, and every time I administer a dose, I just cross it off on the chart.

Seven days to go for Zach's ear infection, and no more mystery - Whew!

Healthy Habits: Ending Portion Distortion

Bad habit: Feast or Famine

There seem to be so many "reasons" to over-eat...

• Maybe you were praised for cleaning your plate & being a "good eater" as a kid...
• Maybe you'd offend the "chef" if you didn't have a huge serving and then seconds to boot... 
• Maybe it's a holiday or the weekend or a nice restaurant and that's "just how you eat on these occasions..."
• Maybe the food is simply delicious and you're listening to your taste buds instead of your stomach... and on and on...

I developed some terrible habits in my teenage years. I'd stay up too late reading or watching TV and then sleep late the next morning. In the mad rush to get dressed and ready for the carpool, guess what got skipped for about 6 years .... Breakfast!

And guess what was forgotten many of those mornings .... lunch money!

On a good day, I'd scrape together a couple quarters from the bottom of my backpack or locker and buy a few morsels of fat or sugar from the vending machine. By the time I got home at the end of the school day, I was famished!

This was a vicious cycle of starving all day and then binge eating that afternoon or evening. I would go without food until my stomach ached and then eat until my stomach ached. What a mess!

What I regret the most was the way I distorted my idea of what a decent portion of food should be. I warped my ability to tell when normal hunger was satisfied and swapped it for a determination to eat until I was stuffed. If I didn't eat 'til I was stuffed then a little voice in the back of my mind seemed to say, "You're gonna be SO hungry later."

Nutritionist Zonya Foco helped me the most in addressing my feast or famine mentality. She has a program called D.I.E.T. F.R.E.E. that teaches eight life changing habits that will improve your health and help you lose weight. Four of the eight habits dealt with the problems I just described.

See if you can guess which healthy habits made the difference...

Drink Water
Include Breakfast
Eat Often
Tame Your Sweet Tooth
Find the Fat
Replace Processed Food with Wholesome
Eat Until No Longer Hungry
Every Day Exercise

I knew it was important to include breakfast. Since I have children who are hungry first thing in the morning, I had already remedied this problem as an adult. It really works wonders. People who eat breakfast will typically consume 100 fewer calories a day than those who don't. That's 36,500 fewer calories per year. It adds up - or should I say - It sheds pounds!

My bad habits had me thinking that I was always starving, but I began to realize that I was seriously neglecting my bodies needs for fluids. I ate and ate, but drank very little. So I started drinking more water. I couldn't believe how much that helped. I also started using it as a tool to help me control my appetite during a meals. If I was feeling especially hungry before a meal, I tried to drink a large glass of water (about two cups) before sitting down to eat. It took the edge off my feelings of starvation and helped me focus on more reasonable portions. Water is SO important for our bodies! Zonya has said that some people actually don't EAT very much but the drink a ton of calories. She estimates that some people could lose up to 50 pounds in a year if they simple switched from soda, coffee, juice, & alcohol to good old water. It would also cut out masses of sugar and harmful chemicals from their diets and clean their body systems instead.

Breakfast and water helped, but two of Zonya's other habits were TOTALLY new to me.

Eat often? Really?

How was I supposed to lose weight if I was eating often? And then I stopped to think about the times of day that I was actually hungry. I feel hungry around 7 am, 11am, 3pm and 6 pm.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner seemed to work their way into 3 of those times, but what was I doing at 3 o'clock? That's right, I was hunting through the house for chocolate, cookies or some other pick-me-up junk that made feel guilty right after I ate it.

What would happen if I gave myself PERMISSION to eat at 3 o'clock? What if I PLANNED to eat something then, if needed? Permission and planning opened up all kinds of possibilities for that time of day. I wasn't going to try to force myself to stay hungry until dinner, and then breakdown and eat anything I could get my hands on. I was going to acknowledge my hunger and plan a healthy snack.

Part of Zonya's "eat often" habit is to include a fruit or vegetable at every meal or snack. In fact at that time of day, she recommends a serving of fruit and a large glass of water to satisfy the hunger, tame the sweet tooth, and keep you going until dinner. She says it will work about 80% of the time, and I've found that to be true. Sometimes I need a little something more, but by giving myself permission to "eat often" I look for something healthy instead of scrounging up junk.

The other new concept for me was "eat until no longer hungry." Well what does that mean? When I ate a meal, I usually asked myself, "Am I FULL? Am I FULL yet?" I was looking for that stuffed to the gills feeling when my body would scream, "Stop already!" But now I started asking myself a new question, "Am I still hungry?" It took me a while to tune out my taste buds and the endorphins I liked from food and tune into my stomach. However, I finally recognized that I was no longer HUNGRY after eating a significantly smaller amount of food than what I usually ate. It's such a simple but powerful question... "Am I STILL HUNGRY?"

These habits compliment each other so well! I'm no longer terrified of being SO HUNGRY later, because I've given myself permission to eat often but EAT BETTER. Whether you're counting calories, or weight watchers "points," or whatever, these habits are incredibly helpful.

I started looking at labels to see what the recommended serving size was and realized that I was almost always eating more than 1 portion. So, I focused on eating the recommended serving size and seeing how I felt. "Was I still hungry?" If the answer was no, then it was time to stop eating and move on with life, but if the answer was yes, then I turned to fruit or vegetables to fill the gap.

I've also incorporated other tools to help me get my portions right. I asked for the EZ Weight Plate for my birthday a few years ago. It's a plastic plate with 4 compartments with built in measurement lines. It's helpful for a number meals, but it doesn't work for everything, and it's pricey.

So, I also bought several sets of measuring cups from the dollar store - cheap and simple. When I set pans and serving bowls on the table for a meal, I just use a measuring cup as the serving utensil. It removes the guess work. I don't have to look at the mystery-sized scoop and wonder, "Is this a 1/2 a cup?" And I've taken the the time to determine the dimensions of other serving utensils like my soup ladle. I now know it holds 3/4 of a cup. No more guessing - or kidding myself - about portions.

And the nice thing is that certain portions are pretty repetitive. For example, when losing weight I knew that a 1/2 cup serving of whole grains was all I NEEDED for a meal ... 1/2 cup of brown rice, or 1/2 cup of whole wheat pasta, etc. Those measuring cups sure came in handy! I still use them as serving spoons.

You know that phrase, "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach." I think the key is to PLAN the portions you know you should eat, so you're not letting your eyes and your emotions determine your portion sizes without rational thought. If you know that the restaurant serves twice as much food as you need, then order the to-go box with the meal, so you can pack up half of the food and put it out of site before you begin. You don't need to feel deprived because you didn't eat the second half right now... NO... you just got a fabulous lunch for tomorrow! With a little forethought and planning I can save myself from my worst self.

So let's see if I can sum up this lengthy post...

• Plan your portions.
• Use simple ways to measure them.
• Eat Breakfast.
• Eat Often (and always include a fruit or vegetable.)
• Eat until NO LONGER HUNGRY.

The scriptures say, "all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature and use of man - all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving." (Doctrine & Covenants 89:10-11)"be diligent and temperate," (Alma 38:10) and "every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things" (1 Cor. 9:25.)  However, prudence, thanksgiving, diligence and temperance seem to take a long time to learn, so let's be patient with ourselves. These good new habits have been the most difficult for me to learn, but the good news is, I AM still learning.

Family Friday: March 18th, 2011

Zach

has an ear infection so we went to the doctor this afternoon for an antibiotic. He's also sporting his first black eye. Max and Zach were cleaning the living room and neither one of them wanted to put away a hardbound book. So Zach had a brilliant plan. "Let's throw the book at each other, and the person who gets hit with it, has to put it away..."
Where do little boys come up with this stuff?!?!?
Zach never imagined that his five-year-old brother would have such a deadly aim. Anyway, Zach tried to dodge the book, but it nicked his left cheek bone and gave him quite a shiner.
Next time guys... just put the book on the shelf. :S

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Max

had a relapse of separation anxiety when I dropped him off at school on Monday and Tuesday. It was pretty rough, but he somehow managed to snap out of it. By Wednesday, he happily ran into school without a problem. Whew!

He's also been working so hard to earn money this week. He helped me stain both of the raised garden beds along with the bench in the yard. We had such a great time working together. Max was just a chatter box. He talked to me about friends, school, girls who were trying to kiss him in class and some of his wild dreams - I loved every minute with him!

Quote of the Week 

max: "Mom, can sheep drain the energy out of cars?"

me: (laughing) "What?!"

max:  "Never mind... it's probably something only Dad would know."

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Jared

is getting opinionated about everything. I used a black table cloth for our St. Patrick's Day breakfast and he found it deeply offensive. He was screaming, "No Mom, NO!!!" and trying to push it off the table. He insists on washing his hands by standing on a stool - NO ONE is supposed to hold him up to the sink. And he insists on throwing all dirty diapers into the garbage by himself - which normally I wouldn't mind - but he wants the poopy ones to go into his bedroom trash instead of outside. Sigh.
Sorry buddy, but I can't accommodate you on that one.
It's a good thing he's so cute and snuggly to make me forget when he's been a stinker.

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Lauren
We've hardly seen her this week because she's put in so many long hours at the

school to prepare for the play. Tonight is opening night...

Best of luck, Lauren!

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Gabe
completely melted my heart this week! 

In one of his prayers he said so sweetly, 

"I'm grateful I have such a happy, hardworking Mom... I REALLY love her." 

Afterward he told me, 

"I almost cried happy tears, 'cause I love you SO much."

Oh, Angel Babe, I love you too!!!

Sometimes I feel like the luckiest Mom in the world.

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Matt
When arriving back in town, Matt realized he'd lost his car key somewhere in his travels.
He needed me to make an emergency run to the airport to give him the
spare set so he could make it home.
He's worth the trip. ;D 

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Candace

I got a couple of real treats this week. My sister and her son were in town for spring break, and she arranged a sisters & cousin's night out - so fun. Thanks Kel.  

And my college roommate Suzette, who I haven't seen in 8 years, was here to watch March Madness with her father and brother. It's kind of amazing to sit and talk with someone I knew "back in the day" and see where life has taken us - so many twists and surprises! We've learned so much and yet in many ways we're still the same. She's just one of those people I'll always love, even if we only get to see her once in a decade.

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The Chicks
They're in their awkward teen phase. They seem to grow an inch every night and their getting pretty crowded in the brooder. I'll be so glad when the barn gets here so we can move the brooder to a shelter outside. Though they aren't old enough to move to the yard, when the weather was nice, we let them have some time outside.

The Blogging Conundrum

After dropping the kids at school on Tuesday morning, I came home to a few alarming things that suggested we had an intruder while I was out of the house.  I was so rattled that I enlisted the help of my neighbors to walk through the house with me checking closets and potential hiding places for danger. (Thank you Laura & Duane.)

I'm growing convinced that a mentally handicapped boy in our neighborhood must have wandered through the place and then left - He's been known to do this kind of thing. But the experience has left me thinking about the security of my house, my life and even this blog.

I've been thinking a lot about why I write this blog, and how to do it wisely.

I started it as a way to communicate with family members across the United States. Two of my distant sisters-in-law keep blogs, and I love the way THEIR blogs let me know what's going on in their lives. Then, THIS blog shares our life with them.

I ramped up my blogging after learning that blogs could be turned into books. I thought blogging would be a wonderful way to keep a family history. I can record not only the day-to-day events, but also the work and ideas that go into parenting, homemaking, faith building and other valuable things in our family life.

What I didn't anticipate was how this blog has become my connection to the adult world. With Matt gone so often, It's become my place step away from kids & taxi driving, and talk about adult things when there's no adult here to talk to. That desire for adult connection has made me enthralled with reader comments. "Comments" are addictive.

Conversely, sharing my thoughts this way has some strange drawbacks. If no one comments on a post, then it feels as though I've stood up in front of an audience, shared my ideas or feelings, and everyone just gave me a blank stare. I think, "Say SOMEthing... please!"

My sister Kelli read about us getting the chickens, and in a phone call much later, she mentioned it. "I'm just gonna tell you outright that I think you're crazy," she said. I laughed of course. That's what sister are for - they tell you these things. ;D But I also wished she'd written a comment when she read the post, because it wasn't until that phone conversation that I had any clue she reads this blog. I can handle being told I'm crazy or being challenged on the things I write or do. It would just be nice to know that she was HERE, and that she read it.

The stats feature on blogger.com tells me that the pageviews for this blog are really growing, but I keep being surprised when I learn that a neighbor, church member, or even non-acquaintance has been reading here. My reaction is always, "I had NO idea!" On the one hand... It's very flattering and exciting. On the other hand... should I be worried?

I love sharing ideas here. Some people collect objects - I like to collect ideas. And then I like talking about my experience with those ideas and passing them on. It's invigorating.

I don't believe I have any reason to worry about any of the readers I have right now, but then I start wonder if I'm saying things that would endanger my family in the future. Boy, I hope not!

I wonder, "Should I make the blog private?"

I don't really want to. Private blogs are difficult to follow. Their updates don't show up google reader or blogger dashboard, so you never know when they have a new post. They're so out of sight and out of mind, that I have to remind myself to hunt them down on occasion.  I don't want to go through the tedium of "inviting" each and every reader to obtain access to this blog. Like I said, I don't know exactly who's among the growing number of readers, but I'd most likely be delighted to have them read here. I think most of them are facebook friends or friends of my other blogger buddies. Reader anonymity means there's no way of "inviting" unknown but welcomed readers to a private blog OR no way of identifying potential threats.

So, here I sit puzzling...
Wishing that I knew more about the people who read here...
Thrilled that people care to read what I write...
Wanting readers to say more in reply...
And trying NOT to become paranoid about sharing this blog with the world...

Now, what are YOUR thoughts on the subject?

Why do some people comment or not comment?
Do you have any ideas about precautions for a public blog?
Should I go private?
How do I encourage blog readers to be "public followers," so I know who they are?


BTW: Comments are HIGHLY encouraged for this post. Thanks!

St. Patrick's Day Breakfast

We love St. Patrick's Day!

All the world gets to be Irish on St. Patty's, and so do I.

I start spouting Blarney in an irish brogue, and telling the kids how I chased a leprechaun through the house the night before. I usually catch him, but his gold coins always turn into chocolate ones, and he leaves something green for the kids to wear that day. ;D

This is our typically St. Patrick's Day breakfast. It's our favorite buttermilk pancake recipe died green and then cookie-cut into shamrock shapes. We eat it with "Gold Coin Topping."

Buttermilk Pancakes

• 3 cups buttermilk
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda 
• 2 cup flour
• *Green food coloring (used only for St. Patrick's Day)

Mix the wet ingredients and then add the dry ones. Whisk well to remove any lumps. The batter is more runny than most pancake recipes, but that's what makes these pancakes so light and magically delicious.

I usually cook them on our giant griddle set to 300 degrees, but if you're using a pan on the stove, you probably want to use a medium-high heat. Flip them when they bubble. The should be golden brown in color (well, unless of course their green. ;D)

We have half-a-dozen shamrock cookie-cutters because the kids like to cut out their own shamrock pancakes - so fun!

Gold Coin Topping

• 3-4 bananas, cut into coins size circles
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• syrup, 

Mix the bananas and nuts with just enough syrup to wet the topping and hold it together. However, the bananas shouldn't be swimming in syrup. This topping is great for everyday use because it cut's down on the refined sugars and replaces it with the healthy sweet of the bananas. It's a family favorite.

Spoon the "gold coins" over hot pancakes and enjoy.

And a Happy St. Patty's to you, me darlin's!!