Baking Day...

Today has been a fun baking day for me...but I still have lots left to do.  I've made a hors'deovoures for a wedding I'm going to tomorrow, baked bread for us, made homemade pizza for dinner and am waiting for two cakes to finish right now.  The last three are all gluten/wheat free too!

I really love making bread for us.  And as far as gluten/wheat free bread goes it tastes great(so much better than anything you can buy at the store and costs less too).  I've been trying to get into a routine of baking it about every 2-3 days but keep running out of ingredients.  I have to start planning ahead better.

The pizza turned out much better than my last batch of GF/WF pizza dough so I was happy about that, but will definitely keep working at making it better.  The crust of pizza is my favorite part so I definitely want to work on making a great pizza crust.

The cakes smell delicious!  I found a recipe for GF/WF cake on allrecipes.com and I think it turned out great.  I modified it a bit...added some cocoa powder and a bit more sugar and changed up the flours a bit.  Tomorrow I'll frost them...one for each birthday(the pilot and the princess both have birthdays this week).  If I can do it I'll be doing one with a Cars theme and one with a Princess theme:-)

Well, I need to go to bed...have to be at church earlier than usual and am so thankful that my mother-in-law will be watching my older kids for me in the morning.  It's so much easier to make it places on time when I only have 1 child:-)

Anticipation

It's mounting.  We finally finished decorating our Christmas tree tonight and I only have 2 more gifts to finish before all my Christmas shopping is done.  I'm looking forward to next week, as our my kids.  It will be busy as we celebrate 2 birthdays plus Christmas.  I can't believe my kids are going to be 5 and 3 next week.  Time is flying by it seems.  I'm learning to love it since I know we will never get this time back. 

Snow!

We've been getting lots of snow this week...it's wonderful!  This morning the pilot was watching the plow truck in our driveway and as the guy is plowing he says "It is amazing!"  So cute!
Since it's been snowing we've been trying to get out and play in it.  Monday we went hunting for our Christmas tree.  We borrowed a friends snow machine(snow mobile for you non-Alaskans:-) and took it out and hunted in the woods for our tree.  We had a blast, all 5 of us, out in the snow.  Dh and one kid rode the machine while the other 3 of us rode in the sled behind it.  And we found a fabulous tree!  We will be decorating it tomorrow evening and I'll take pictures of it after that and post them.  But here are some pictures from our Monday adventures!

 

 

 

 

Amazingly Beautiful

I just wanted to share the amazing beauty that I get to view out of my front window.  It's amazingly breathtaking and I have learned over the years that I've lived here(almost 9 now) to be thankful for the grandness, majesty and beauty of the mountains(even when the thermometer reads 0*F).
This is today...about 30 minutes ago...(just imagine it without the houses or power lines:-)...

We've been having amazing sunrises and sunsets this past week...pink, red, and orange blazing across the sky and behind the mountains...but I haven't taken a picture of it yet...I will try today(if it happens of course).  It's incredible.


And I wanted to link you to a great blog...where I won a new Cuisinart Rice Cooker!!!  Plus she's just hilarious and I think you might enjoy reading and watching(her VLOG) what she did for Chick-Fil-A sweet tea(which I freely admit is THE best sweet tea ever...and I'm sad there is no Chick-Fil-A in Alaska).

Results...

Well not really results but a quick overview of how the day went...

First off...I did not get up early.  I slept until the kids woke up but woke up in a good mood since I went to bed at a decent hour.  We stayed home thru guy smiley's morning nap(which was way too short, but that's another story).  Then we headed to the grocery store(instead of the gym).  During nap we did get the kid's room a bit picked up and I did the dishes and cleaned off the stove.  So I was happy with how the morning went. 
The rest of the day went fine...I put groceries away right after I got home(which sadly is good for me).  Then it was naptime and I relaxed a bit.  Then when the princess and guy smiley got up I popped a chicken in the oven for dinner and the princess and I made a paper chain for decoration.  Once all 3 were up we went and folded and put away some laundry. 
I'm realizing that I do best when I just start my day off moving...when I sit for a lot in the morning I just keep on sitting...it really is sad I know.  Now tomorrow to just add in reading time...which should be easy to do since we are planning on the library after the gym:-)

Routines/Schedules...

I've really been struggling with laziness lately (it didn't help that I had a cold this past week...but really that was just a good excuse).  I have a really hard time having a routine/schedule to my day.  I don't know what it is about a routine/schedule that makes it so hard for me...I think deep down I just don't want to have one and I don't like them (only because I think I have freedom NOT having one).  But I also know how freeing and relaxing and really good for my kids it would be to have a set, yet flexible, routine to our days.  I find that I do pretty good, when I set my mind to it, at establishing a routine during my husband's work week, but as soon as he is home it just gets lost(he has 3 days off in a row and not typical weekend days). 

What makes developing a routine so difficult?  Why can't I just do it?  I'm not really sure.  Maybe I'm just not controlled enough with my time...and if that is the case, then I need to work on it.  I want to have time to get "chores" done, plus spend time with the kids and have time to myself(whether to blog, read, knit or go to the gym).  Maybe I'm just against them...and if this is the case then I just need to get over it and get on with it all ready.

I think I'm going to start blogging about setting our family up on a routine...and day to day what that looks like...or maybe week to week how it pans out.  

Some things I think (or know) would be good for me(and the family):
-going to the gym in the morning...but working this around guy smiley's morning nap.
-doing "chores" first thing...maybe during said morning nap(having daily and weekly chores)
-reading time...the princess has a reading bear that needs filling in daily for preschool...so we need to start having a set reading time(more can be added if we want, of course)
-going to the library once a week
-shower at the gym
-grocery store once a week
-meal planning once a week
-craft/art time daily
-getting up before the kids...having breakfast, reading my Bible and praying, waking up:-)
-going to bed before 11pm every night
-making dinner throughout the day or earlier in the day instead of winging it as dh is on his way home.

So I think I need to work on one or two things at a time because I know if I try and do it all I will burn out and then just give up...so I think for tomorrow I want to be up before the kids which for me will mean being up and at 'em by 7:15am.  I also want to be home during guy smiley's morning naptime because we need to work on his sleep schedule badly...so during that time I will do my "chores" and read to the kids.

What do you do?  Do you have a routine or not?  If so (or not) how does that work for your family?  If you have a weekly chore list...what do you do on what day?

Fun in the snow

Just a few pictures from our fun time playing in the snow a couple days ago!

Don't you like the snow whale???  That was Grammy's creation, we just helped her mend it after it rained.

Sleepovers with Daddy

I love listening to my husband and the kids interact...especially on sleepover nights. It's become tradition for him to sleep in their room during the work week(this is due to a baby that sleeps in our room and not through the night yet and a very early morning for my husband so a good nights rest is crucial). They've started having quiz time nightly. DH(Dear Husband) quizzes them on all sorts of things but typically movies that they've seen. And nightly I get involved by being the third party answer when they are either stumped or arguing over an answer.
Tonights involvement:(See below for the answers.)

What is the name of Cinderella's dog?

Previous questions that I have either answered or had to look up:

What is the name of the cat on Curious George(the PBS kids show)?
What is the name of the big red tractor on Cars?
What is the name of the Doorman on Curious George(PBS kids show)?

Can you answer any of these?

But back to the post...

I love that DH has these special things that he does with the kids. He is an amazing Dad and I love watching how he interacts with them.


Answers:
1. Bruno
2. Gnocchi
3. Frank
4. Doorman

Multitude Monday

I'm thankful for...

1. The sounds of the rain/snow on the windows.
2. Cuddles with my sweet baby.
3. The peace that bedtime brings.
4. That Jesus is loves me.
5. That we have more than enough...
6. Our apartment.
7. My husband's job
8. My great Yukon...I love it and it drives great in the snow.
9. The view from my window.
10. Wonderful in-laws who love my kids as much as me.

Give Thanks!

It's amazing the power in being thankful.  It can change your life.  So I find it only fitting on Thanksgiving Day to start a list of 1000 gifts.  I joined this Gratitude Community. This article is what started me thinking about a list of gifts...gifts that I have all ready received. 

I have been thinking about the subject of being thankful a lot lately.  I have found on days when I'm in a funk that just starting to name off things I'm thankful for helps to change my attitude.  The Bible tells us to give thanks.  Psalm 92.1 says "It is good to give thanks to the LORD" and 1 Thess. 5.18 says "in everything give thanks".

And so my list begins...
1. The peace that softly falling snow brings.
2. Snow falling.
3. The voices of my kids as they play together in their room, letting their creativity and imaginations run free.
4. The sound of water boiling in my kettle.
5. The smell of cinnamon and cloves.
6. Christmas music
7. My husband-for all he does and is.
8. My sweetly sleeping baby.
9. The amazing view I have from my window as I type
10. Amazing parents and in-laws who are always willing to help out however they can and who love us no matter what.

What are you thankful for?

Time in the Kitchen

So I've been baking/cooking quite a bit recently and wanted to share. 

First off I've now made 3 batches of apple, pear and apple/pear sauce in my crockpot.  SO easy and nothing to watch as it cooks.  I "followed" this recipe loosely.  And the 2nd and 3rd times I skipped the sugar entirely.  It's so good and so easy to make.   The kids eat it up and I've frozen some for baby food for guy smiley.

I've also been baking a wheat/gluten free bread.  It is delicious.  I really like it.  Tastes so good freshly baked or toasted.  The kids also love it.  And it's a bazillion times better than any wheat/gluten free bread you can buy at the store.  I followed this recipe.

Lastly, I made pumpkin pie...and I decided to try a new recipe branching off from the Libby's label recipe(though I actually made one of each and will be doing a taste testing of both tomorrow.)  A friend recommended this recipe.  It was easy to make and just for the record I did not use that pie crust recipe.  I used half butter and half shortening and followed the recipe in the Betty Crocker cookbook making sure to refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.  I'll give a review later this week.

What have you been baking or cooking lately?

Swine Flu

I just had to post a link about the Swine Flu.  I personally believe that it has been completely blown out of proportion by the CDC and the government.  My family will not be getting the vaccine.  I don't want myself or my children to be experiments personally.  But here is the link I wanted to share: Dr. Mercola and CBS reporter, Sharyl Attkisson, interview and information on the Swine Flu.
His website has great information about the Swine Flu and the hype surrounding it.  It also has great information on what you can do to help keep your immune system strong so that your body can fight off illnesses.

Joy of Nursing

Earlier this evening I was sitting nursing Caedmon, I looked down and he was gazing up at me. As soon as we made eye contact he smiled with that sweet little smile of his.  It is amazing and always so sweet and tender when we have those moments and it is a bond that's unlike any other. 

I have nursed three children now.  I enjoy it more with each child.  With my daughter I did it because I knew it was best for her and it saved us money. After a while I began to enjoy it as I realized the bond that resulted.  Then with my boys I have pretty much enjoyed it from the start.  It is a comfort to my babies and makes me stop, sit and take time to enjoy them.  Not to mention all the health benefits to both mom and baby.

Here and here are two great sites that have a lot of helpful information on breastfeeding.  Here is a great article on how breastfeeding benefits babies and here's one on how it benefits moms. 

Simple Mom Giveaway

There is a great giveaway going on right now at Simple Mom.  It's for a gift certificate to Lisa Leonard Designs.  I don't own any of her gorgeous jewelry...yet.  I'd love to own quite a few pieces as I love it all.  This bracelet and this necklace are some of my favorites.  Check it out.

At 8 months...

Today is guy smiley's 8 month birthday...so in honor of that...
I'm stealing from a friend...Thank you Simone for this idea!  I hope you don't mind my copying...

At 8 months...

You are sitting, crawling, and pulling yourself up to standing.

You have no teeth, though it looks like you may get your two bottom teeth in the next few weeks.

You are still working on sleeping through the night...we'll get it soon.  But you are taking great naps...mostly 2 of them sometimes 3.

You just got over the chicken pox.  Hopefully you won't have to get them again.

You love your tongue.  You bite it, chew on it and sometimes suck on it.

You are learning to wave and you love watching your hands.

You love "chasing" your brother and sister, while they laugh hysterically at you and often call you a bear or lion since you are "chasing" them.

You are wearing size 12 months clothes...yes you are my biggest baby yet and I love it!

We've decided to nickname you "Hoover" since you like to find whatever you can on the ground to pick up and put in your mouth.  I can't remember how many things I had to fish out of your mouth just today.

You love to eat...you especially love bananas, refried beans, and carrots and peas out my chicken soup.

You are the happiest baby and I love cuddling with you before naps and bedtime!

Random thoughts...

I just have a bunch of different things running around in my brain. 

1.  I'm still trying to "get my legs under me" with this blog.   I'm not sure the direction I want it to take...if there is one specific one or if it will cover a gamut of topics and subjects based on what I'm thinking about, reading, doing, etc in life.  In reference to the blog I'm also wondering if I should have 1 or 2 days a week that have a theme...as in Thankful Thursday or Healthy Weekends or something...I'm not sure yet...

2. I love listening to my husband interact with my kids.  He is having a sleepover with them tonight and is currently in there discussing Curious George with them.  He is asking all sorts of questions about the episodes and they are calling out the answers.  It's really sweet.  He is amazing with them!  *In fact I was just called in for questioning...the question was "What is the name of the cat on Curious George(the tv show)?"  The answer is Gnocchi for all those curious.*

3. Thankfulness...this topic has been on my mind a lot lately.  There is a lot of power in being thankful.  It can change things...my attitude, the atmosphere in my house, and more.  Lately when I've started feeling down I've started to list off things I'm thankful for.  It doesn't take too long for me to feel much more grateful and content with what I do have.  There is so much more to this...and it doesn't only apply to this time of year.  We need to remember to be thankful at ALL times.  Try it...and let me know how it changes you.

4. How do you overcome a bad case of the "blahs"?  I'm still trying to figure this one out and what works best for me.  I typically turn to food...(great choice huh?) and am needing a new response and something new to do to turn the tide.  I try to remember to try #3  and that usually helps.  I also have been trying to take a few minutes to myself...with no kids around even if it's just going to the bathroom.

5. My destiny...I want to discover this.  I want to discover what it is that I am made to do...and yes, I know it can be more than one thing.  But I want to figure out what it is that I am called to do...what I love to do and what is destined for me to do.  I have a few things here and there that I like, but still haven't found that "love", that passion for something.  A few of the things that I "could" do...chiropractor, nutritionist, midwife, travel journalist, travel tv host(family show would be GREAT!), naturopath...basically things having to do with wellness, family or travel...all 3 combined would be awesome.  So I'm still pursuing finding my passion.

That is a just a few things for now...hopefully this week I will be more focused.

Mistakes...

Mistakes.  We all make them.  It's a part of life.  It's how we learn.  And if it's how we learn then how come it's wrong to make mistakes?  I guess I should define what I mean by mistakes.  I'm not talking about when we deliberately do something we know is wrong.  I'm talking about when we are trying to do new things or even old thing. When we are learning, which is all the time. 

For example, learning to read.  When a child is learning to read they have to practice, practice, practice.  And in their practicing they make mistakes, but that is how they learn.  What if after making one mistake, they gave up?  That only makes them illiterate. I know, personally, I learn a lot better from a mistake I've made then when I just breeze on through. 

But yet, most of the time, when we make a mistake, we continually beat ourselves up about it.  We may feel guilty or stupid about whatever it was that we did.  But really, we should take the time to look at what happened...what went wrong...and what we can learn from it and move on. When it comes to others we need not only grace but patience.  In our kids, especially, we need to allow the mistakes and then we need to gently and lovingly correct them so that they learn.  We still need to convey our love for them.  They are after all learning. 



But I'm not saying that all mistakes are small and easy to get over.  Some take more time and healing to get through then others.   I just want to convey that we need to be a little easier on ourselves and those around us.  We need to have grace and extend it to ourselves and others. 

And I hope that you will extend grace to me while I'm practicing my writing and communication skills.  I hope this message comes across in the way it's intended.

Choices..

I'm selfish.  There I said.  It's the truth though.  I am totally selfish with my time.  It doesn't make me happy.  It usually makes me feel guilty.  I miss out on life by being selfish.   I miss out on spending time with my kids, who will never be this age again.  I miss out on the things I can learn from them, from how they live life so simply and fully.  I miss out on time with my husband and on how much better our relationship could be if I took the time.  I miss out on a closeness to God who just wants me to spend time with Him.

How do I change this?  How do I make new habits? 

I have to choose daily.  I have to choose to step away from the computer and play with my kids.  I have to choose not to be upset when I'm woken up at 3am because someone needs to go potty or needs their paci.  I have to choose to talk with my husband and not read a book.  I have to choose to get up early so that I can spend time with God, reading his word and praying. 

Choices.

We have them all the time and they shape our lives, our attitudes, our destinies.  Now to choose each day, throughout the day, that which has the greatest value.   

What do you choose each day?

helpless

More and more as a mom, I'm realizing that I am helpless in many situations in regards to my children.  Pilot reached his chicken pox peak last night and today...he was so itchy and there wasn't a thing I could do to help him except let him cry and hold him.  It broke my heart to see him in pain like that.  And I'm sure this is only the beginning of feeling this way.  Standing by, watching, but unable to do anything but love and pray for them.  Honestly, it feels terrible and I'm not looking forward to it.  But life isnt always easy, is it?  So for now, I need to enjoy this time in their life when hugs and snuggles usually make things better.

And next time I will remember to wash his blankie at a better time...not when he is in extreme need of comfort.  (poor mommy decision this morning)

 Here he is with his 2 favorite things...blankie and bobby(pacifier).

Gluten/Wheat Free

I'm currently reading Gluten-Free Girl by Shauna James Ahern.  I am thoroughly enjoying it.  It is a refreshing perspective on eating gluten free.  The way food opened up to her when she was diagnosed with celiac's is opening my mind up to a new idea.  I've always looked at the restriction, at the negative, at the fact that I am not able to eat wheat/gluten products anymore...which means no bagels, english muffins, toast, cookies, pies, and the list goes on.  The only thing is, that's not true.  Yes, I can't eat those things that have wheat flour and gluten in them, but there are alternatives and I can learn to cook food that is naturally wheat/gluten free or learn to bake using different ingredients.  I just need to change my perspective.

I guess I should give a bit of history for me as to why I would be reading and learning about living gluten free.  Last year the kids and I had sensitivity testing done and found that we were all sensitive to wheat and gluten(and I'm pretty sure my husband is as well, as is my father-in-law).  I was 3 months pregnant at the time and just getting out of the morning sickness stage so I didn't devote much effort to keeping us wheat and gluten free.  Once I felt better I was able to keep the kids off of it for a month or so but then the holidays came and we went completely back to our old way of eating.  The only problem was that I noticed how differently the kids behaved(they were much calmer) and how much better their skin was when they were off of wheat/gluten.

So now I'm back, a year later, at square one trying to make a plan to keep us all off of wheat/gluten.  When it comes to the kids my motivation is strong and I am fairly easily able to follow through with it.  But when it comes to myself I fail miserably.  But I want to know what I feel like without it.  I want to be able to go completely off of wheat/gluten for an extended period of time and see how my body feels.  So I'm gearing up.  I'm reading as much as I can on the subject.  I'm trying to figure out how to cook differently and I'm wanting to learn to like cooking.

For now, I'll just read...as to when I, myself, will take the plunge into the world of wheat/gluten free...that is still unknown.

Unsure

I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to be posting on this blog. I haven't decided whether it will be on just one or two things or a plethora of things. I may just post whatever is the dominating thought for the day...whether that's on parenting, relationships, health, food, etc...we'll see. Today...

I've been thinking about health mostly. We have the chicken pox here again...it's Pilots's turn now. He's broken out badly...his case is looking like it will be worse than Princess's. And hopefully Guy Smiley stays well. Not only that but Pilot has a fracture in his lower forearm. We'll have to take him to see an Orthopaedist to get it checked and see whether a cast is needed or not.
I also took Guy Smiley to a well baby check..a late 6 month check. He's a tank of a boy...with his height and head circumference being over the 95 percentile. He's a great eater and such a sweet boy. But while there (he sees a naturopath) I was able to borrow a few books from their lending library on gluten free eating and such. We are really needing to be wheat/gluten free all the time here. We don't do too badly when it comes to keeping the kids off of it but I'm horrible at keeping myself off of it. We'd all do even better if we limited our dairy intake as well. So I'm hopeful I'll get some more recipes and more motivation to go off wheat and gluten completely all the time. I'm sure I would feel better if I did and I know the kids do better without it.

Okay...

Here I go. Inspired by my husband this evening I am starting this blog. A place to record my thoughts on life...the beautiful mess we are in.

I have been thinking about starting this blog for a while now but do not feel like a competent enough writer to do it. But I will try. And I hope everyone will bare with me.