Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Personal Responsibility


It seems like a lot of kids and teens today lack a strong work ethic and sense of personal responsibility. I noticed it before I had children, but it did not become so glaringly obvious until after I became responsible for molding my own young minds. I want something different for my sons, I want them to be hard-working, capable, helpful, thoughtful, responsible young men. I have thought about different ways to start instilling these values in them while they are young, and I have recently landed on household chores. Aiden has gotten to an age and mental capacity that he can start taking on more responsibilities around the house, but mostly in his own room.  I think that is important to make things fun, I try to take a "Mary Poppins" attitude toward cleaning when I'm cleaning with the boys. In trying to make things fun and organized for Aiden's new responsibilities, I made him an Avengers themed chore chart! I picked up a cookie sheet at the 99 cent store and some magnets on clearance at Walmart, so this didn't break the bank. The only spendy part was the paint, but I have multiple projects that I plan on using it for so it is not so bad. I still have a few more magnets to make, but I did not want to overwhelm him with too many tasks at once. The fun part is that he has started to think of new magnets for me to make, I am glad that it was so easy to get him on board! If he does all his chores in a day, he gets to put one of the small magnets onto the corresponding circle. If he completes all his chores for the week, he gets a special treat. I have not determined exactly what that is yet, but will probably vary from week to week. He just recently had a "Daddy Adventure Day" with David and absolutely loved it, so I am thinking about having another one of those in the rotation for rewards.

Aiden's current chores include:

  • Make his bed
  • Brush his teeth
  • Pick up his dirty clothes
  • Open & Close his curtains
  • Water the plants
  • Put on his pajamas
  • Pick up his toys
  • Help Set & Clear the table








Fun Times in the Hallway with Friends!




Aiden is a lover of animals, so he was pretty excited when we put a hummingbird feeder
on his window. This is one of the first hummingbirds we got! We were all pretty stoked
when it came!




Image result for daddy adventure day
Daddy Adventure day was inspired by this book
that Aiden chose to check out at the library. It is
a really cute book that I highly recommend for all
little boys.

"The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence."

Denis Waitley

Monday, April 11, 2016

Baking is Beautiful




There is something so magical about fresh baked bread, the smell alone can lift my mood in a moment.  It elevates a meal, turns an everyday burger into a culinary experience.  I love the time and care that homemade bread takes. Bread making is so therapeutic, it speaks to my soul. It requires patience and time, it cannot be rushed into being the best version of itself. I like how it mirrors life in that way. Who you want to be, the best version of yourself, takes time. It takes effort, trial and error, love and care, nourishing the good and eliminating the bad. I am always trying to make my bread recipes better, tweaking them until I get exactly what I am looking for. It helps me in making a delicious product but it also usually makes me reevaluate my life. I look for things that need more time and attention, things that are taking my time that should not be and things that make me truly happy. The past week Aiden and I have pumped out a lot of home baked products. Despite not posting a meal plan, we had one and ate at home every night except for Friday night when Dave treated us to Cracker Barrel. We had planned on going to a movie event on Friday at Dave's school, but it was canceled so we improvised. We had a lovely dinner at Cracker Barrel, hit the red box and picked up a couple kids movies and made our own movie night in the comfort of our living room. I put out blankets, popped popcorn and made cookies, we had an awesome family night! Sometimes things work out better than expected! :)



Last weeks meal plan (4/4-4/10):

Monday: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches on Homemade Buns

Tuesday: Tuna Casserole

Wednesday: Chicken Ceasar Salad with Homemade Croutons (Mac 'n' Cheese for the boys)

Thursday: TriColor Rotini with Bolognese 

Friday: Cracker Barrel :)

Saturday: Cheeseburgers on Homemade Buns

Sunday: Homemade Hawaiian Pizza


M'n'M Soft & Chewy Cookies

Soft Home Baked Sandwich Bread!

Meal Plan for this week:

Monday: BBQ Chicken Nachos & Salad

Tuesday: Homemade Fish Sticks & Hand Cut Sweet Potato Fries

Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie

Thursday: Baked Ziti with Ricotta

Friday: Beef Broccoli & Rice

Saturday: Salsa Verde Shredded Chicken Tacos

Sunday: Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."

Virginia Woolf