Pantry Challenge

Has anyone ever done a pantry/freezer challenge before? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Didn't think so. Me either! So, why not try with me! Come on-It'll be fun!!!

A pantry/freezer challenge can have many different rules and lots of reasons behind it. Here are my rules and my reasons!!

Rules:

I will not shop for any groceries for 32 days! I will use whatever is in my pantry, sitting on my shelves right now or in my freezer to feed us for breakfast, lunch, and dinner from July 22 until August 24th. I may take leftovers from anyone and everyone! This also means I will have to supply the first week of school lunches from my pantry/freezer.

Reasons:

My reasons are pretty simple. I basically want to try and save money. I am one of those people that loves to grocery shop and I love to cook even more, so I like to spend a lot of money on food! I think I can be a better steward with my money if I use up some of the things I have rather than running to store on a whim for one or two ingredients (because you never walk out with the one thing you came in for, right?)

What does this mean?

This means we will probably be eating a lot more meatless meals. I didn't "prep" for this challenge, meaning I didn't just go to the grocery store yesterday and spend a ton of money to get us through the next few weeks. I did go to the store, but I spent about 30 bucks and purchased food for the twinkies' birthday party, so there isn't any of that food left over!

I have some meat in my freezer from my last big shopping trip, so I'm just going to have to make do with that! We have two dozen eggs in the fridge, so those might be a source of our protein when we run out of meat.

This also means that I'm going to have to get creative and really think outside the box towards the end of the challenge.

Exceptions:

I am allowing myself the following exceptions to the grocery store rule:

-We have a family reunion coming up and I do not have the goods necessary to make what I am planning on bringing
-TOILET PAPER!!! I noticed that our supply is getting low, so I will need to get that item!

Here's This week's menu

Monday:
B-cinnamon toast from homemade bread (kids were with their dad)
L-pizza (kid's choice birthday lunch)
D-leftover pizza from lunch, homemade pickles, mangoes

Tuesday:
B-Leftover hash browns and blueberry muffins, mangoes
L-homemade refried beans and cheese, tortilla chips, peaches
D-lasagna, homemade garlic bread, salad, blackberry crumble

Wednesday:
B-homemade yogurt with peaches and toast from homemade bread
L-lasagna leftovers
D-dinner with Dad

Thursday:
B-eggs with sausage and hash brown casserole (freezer)
L-corn dog muffins (freezer), pirate popcorn, strawberries
D-dinner with Poppa and Nona

Weekend-Friday through Sunday Breakfast-Family Reunion weekend

Sunday dinner-
Pintos, Cornbread, Mashed Potatoes

Can't wait to report back to tell you how it's going!

Birthdays and Blessings

What a wonderful week we've had! We have really absorbed all things birthday and it isn't over yet! This week looks to be just as busy (and hopefully fruitful) as the last.

Brother and Sister celebrated their fifth birthday on Saturday with a great pool party. It was pirate mermaid themed and we all had a great time dressing up in pirate and mermaid garb and taking a dip when we got too hot. I am so grateful to all that came to celebrate with us. Brother and Sister received so many wonderful gifts. There were many books, games, and puzzles to be had. As our Aunt Granny Betty said, "We'll have things to keep us busy all winter!" They also received some homeschool/art supplies, including some alphabet stamps and science experiment cards for which I have great plans.

As we celebrate another (healthy and happy) year and birthday, I am thoughtfully pondering all the blessing we have. Are things always easy? No, definitely not. Do bad things happen? Yes, of course they do, but we know that "All things work together for the good of those that love Him" (Romans 8:28). That means ALL things; good, bad, or indifferent. This week has been emotional (for me-my babies are getting ready to start kindergarten. That's a big step!)not only because of this big birthday, but for other reasons as well. I learned of some yucky news this week (not necessarily bad or good, just yucky)and I really wanted to respond to things differently and really just "Let go and Let God," which is something with which I struggle. In the Deuteronomy study that I just completed, Beth Moore made an excellent observation. She stated that God's grace is only present for this very moment. When I worry, I am projecting myself into my future, with the absence of God's grace. So why worry, right? I know, it isn't always that easy, but if I am a true believer, I just have to have peace and faith that my God has bigger things planned for the yuckiness I heard.

Once I got to this realization, a weight was lifted and a blessing was earned! The very next morning, I received some absolutely wonderful news about something I had been praying about for months now!!!


On to the weekly goals!

So here are the goals from last week:

Food Goals-I'm working on beefing up (no pun intended) my freezer and pantry stock so that freezer meals will ready once we all return to school and a more chaotic schedule.

-make peach popsicles from peach puree
-make homemade yogurt
-make slider rolls
-prepare corn for freezing
-make pizza dough for freezer

I managed to get all of these things done! I even made mango and cherry popsicles as well. I also had an enormous amount of cucumbers from the garden, so I made about five jars of refrigerator pickles.



Birthday Goals- We have a big FIVE year old party this weekend, so this category will be eliminated once the weekend is over!)

-finish mermaid tails
-make sister's cupcakes
-shop for and prepare all the perishable food
-make starfish cookies and mermaid tail cookies
-get game for birthday present
-pull cucumbers from the garden for veggie tray

I also managed to get all these things accomplished! In addition, I made the twinkies a five year old birthday shirt to wear to church on Sunday.



Around the House Goals-

-mow
-go through the hatbox near the door
-weed the garden and spray the perimeter
-take stock of the freezer and pantry (for pantry challenge-More on this later)

Mommy School Goals-The kids will start a Pre-K/K co-op this fall, which means they will be there only half time. The other half time, they will still be homeschooling with me. We still have a bit of summer left and I'm not really in any rush to starting Mommy Schooling on a strict schedule again (we've been playing it fast and loose during the summer) HOWEVER, if I am not prepared, the date will be upon me before I know it and I will not feel prepared, hence the goals!

-Print off CC Standards for K

I also managed to make a "morning work" binder of sorts. I tore out some workbook pages that I found at the dollar tree and put them in plastic sleeves and a binder to use with dry erase crayons. They idea being that they can work on this while I'm getting breakfast ready in the mornings.

Overall, a very productive week and it really helps to see these things in list form. I feel very productive.

This week's goals are:

Food Goals-
-Make a menu for the week
-Make homemade yogurt
-Make peach applesauce
-Make Baked Beans for reunion
-Make banana pudding for Poppa
-Make homemade bread


Birthday Goals-
-Write thank you notes
-Respond to some emails about bday
-Sew Corn hole bean bags
-Cut out Monogram for corn hole boards
-Complete birthday interviews!

Around the House Goals-
-Continue to weed/spray garden
-mow
-go through the hatbox
-start entering items for the consignment sale
-Doctor Visits
-Register for K (Eekk)

Mommy School Goals
-Make 10 Frames out of popsicle sticks
-Make a daily checklist

Mommy Work Goals
-Finish up Course Syllabus

July 22nd, 2013-The twinkies are five! (and a Royal baby was born across the pond!)

Long Time, No See

Woah it has been a very long time since I have blogged anything! One of my resolutions was to be better about blogging. I guess I have failed that one miserably, even though I have been quite successful in others. I suppose that's how it is with resolutions; some just will never happen, but others will easily happen. It's important to focus on the ones that have been accomplished, for even if we only accomplish one goal to better ourselves, then growth has taken place!



I have recently become familiar with a new blog, which I love. The Prudent Homemaker is fast becoming one of my favorites. I was originally drawn to her site because of her pantry. If you are working on food storage or building up your food supply, you should definitely check this site out. She offers great recipes for pennies and shows off her beautiful, edible garden. I'm quite envious of that. Another thing she does on her site is explain how she was frugal for the week. I love this! Don't we all need to work on being more frugal? I'm not talking miserly here, but watching the pennies a little more closely. I opted to stay home with the twins this summer instead of working because they will be starting Kindergarten soon (sniff) and I felt that it was very important to just have a fun summer. My parents were extremely helpful in this endeavor. I have recently learned that a few opportunities fell through and there is a possibility that another might, so the money frugality may continue!




The Prudent Homemaker also is fabulous to share her weekly goals with us. This lady is quite impressive. Check out her weekly goals to see what I mean! In an effort to be more organized and frugal, I thought I would post my weekly goals here as well (Plus, I'm a sucker for a list!).



Weekly Goals:

Food Goals-I'm working on beefing up (no pun intended) my freezer and pantry stock so that freezer meals will ready once we all return to school and a more chaotic schedule.

-make peach popsicles from peach puree
-make homemade yogurt
-make slider rolls
-prepare corn for freezing
-make pizza dough for freezer



Birthday Goals- We have a big FIVE year old party this weekend, so this category will be eliminated once the weekend is over!)

-finish mermaid tails
-make sister's cupcakes
-shop for and prepare all the perishable food
-make starfish cookies and mermaid tail cookies
-get game for birthday present
-pull cucumbers from the garden for veggie tray



Around the House Goals-

-mow
-go through the hatbox near the door
-weed the garden and spray the perimeter
-take stock of the freezer and pantry (for pantry challenge-More on this later)

Mommy School Goals-The kids will start a Pre-K/K co-op this fall, which means they will be there only half time. The other half time, they will still be homeschooling with me. We still have a bit of summer left and I'm not really in any rush to starting Mommy Schooling on a strict schedule again (we've been playing it fast and loose during the summer) HOWEVER, if I am not prepared, the date will be upon me before I know it and I will not feel prepared, hence the goals!

-Print off CC Standards for K



All of this is on top of the regular things everyone does on a normal basis (cooking all the meals, vacuuming, mopping, etc.)

Memory Verse for the Week: Trust the Lord with all your heart Proverbs 3:5

Hope you week is awesome and you accomplish much!

Busy Summer!

We've been REALLY busy! So, I realize it has been a really long time since I have posted a blog and I apologize to the two of you that look at this. I taught a summer fast track session and it was cra-zy! (Seriously, some of the best students I've ever taught!) After, that was finished at the end of July, we had a FOURTH birthday party! I can't believe my babies are four. When did it go so quickly? I'm sure every mother feels that way. I have loved every stage of their sweet, little lives. I am grateful to God that he allowed me to be their mother. We had a Mickey and Minnie theme pool party (in honor of their first trip to Disney, which is coming up faster than I can possibly be prepared for!) and boy did we have a blast! TONS of people came and we just had a great time visiting and playing.

That was a little sneak peek of some pictures. I hope to post some others soon. Soon after that we had the 42nd annual McCoy family reunion. We had a great turn out and it is always fun to get to see distant relatives. This year we started a facebook family page to share photos and stories, which I thought was very cool. Sort of a neat way to stay connected this day and age. I'm extremely blessed to be part of such a close knit family. Then it was time for the OLYMPICS!!! I love the Olympics. Summer, winter-It doesn't matter to me. It is such a neat time where countries come together and (usually) display great character, determiniation, and sportsmanship. During the Bejing Olympics, the babies were literally days old and I remember thinking, "The next time the Olympics are on they will be four!" Which, of course, felt like a lifetime away! Now it is here. I structured all our Mommy School lessons around the Olympics and brother and sister have really loved them. I have lessons and pictures to post and share. We have had such a great time with the Olympics and we're sad to see the Closing ceremonies in a few days. Finally, my little brother found out that he and his girlfriend are having a BOY! We are so excited. I can't wait to be an Auntie. Little Baby Ryder will be here in January. They had a cake reveal for the family (the parents knew the gender, but the rest of us didn't). We were definitely kept in suspense!

I'm supposed to do what??

I go to a small group class during the week at my church and we have been discussing forgiveness. What has been the most difficult for those of us broken people in this small group is learning to forgive those that have hurt us or damaged us in some way. And that is a really big issue for believers. How do you forgive the unforgivable? Let's face it, we all have something that is unforgivable (in our opinions). How do we forgive that? While I can't pretend to know the answer to this question, I can share what insight I've learned in our group.

-Forgiveness is a process-Sometimes it takes a long time for forgiveness to take place. Forgiveness is like an onion. There are layers upon layers of hurt and that requires layers upon layers of forgiveness, which takes time. I feel like there are some things I can forgive, but others I cannot (not yet anyway). As I work through each layer of hurt, perhaps there is a layer of forgiveness in there too. It just takes a while.

-Forgiveness does NOT mean trust-Just because we forgive someone does not mean that we have to trust the person that we have forgiven. A person who is truly repentant will turn away from the action that hurt you and will not continue the said action. When those we trust the most continue the actions that hurt us the most, then they have not truly repented. They haven't turned away from that behavior, which means they haven't been worthy enough to receive your trust. However, they should receive your forgiveness. Why you ask?

-Forgive others because Christ forgave us-Christ's blood was spilled to cover all of our sins (did ya get that? ALL of them!). If He can forgive me of ALL of my sins, I am supposed to forgive my brothers and sisters of theirs (not always easy though).

-Forgiveness is for you, not them-When I forgive someone who has wronged me, it is between me and the Lord, not me and that person. UNforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. It just isn't going to happen. When I forgive, I don't even have to tell that person. It really has little to do with them. What it does do is strengthen the relationship I have with the Lord and helps my walk grow stronger. It doesn't let that person "off the hook" or imply that you think the behavior is "acceptable," it is a release for you.

Luke 6:37 says, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." I certainly want God's favor and forgiveness on me.

I believe forgiveness might be the most difficult God has asked His children to do.

I'm still learning...

Well, this isn't the usual Mommy School post, but it is about teaching the twinkies. I want them to learn to forgive others, but more importantly, I want them to realize how much Christ has forgiven them.

Press Here Activities

I am extremely thrilled that I have two littles that LOVE to read. We can literally take a stack of books and sit and read them together from beginning to end, which is no easy feat when you have two squirmy three year olds! I firmly believe the saying that says, "Readers are made on the laps of their parents." It's a lot of fun to now hear Brother and Sister "read" books themselves. They can recall and picture walk with the best of them. They can also read some phonics readers with basic sight words and word families!

We recently discovered the book Press Here by Herve Tullet. Let me implore you to run and get this book. I promise, even if you have a child who is hesitant to sit on your lap and read, he will once you pull this book out! It is a series of dots (pretty basic) but the neat thing about this book is that it is interactive. The kiddos do fun things to the dots (rub, blow, tilt) and the subsequent picture illustrates that! It is so much fun! It also introduces color mixing, which is quite fun for littles. Here are a few activites we did with the book (some I have pictures for, some not).

1. Contact Paper Circles-This was a lot of fun! I just cut a bunch of circles out of tissue paper and brother and sister put them on the contact paper. After the large circle was completely covered, we hung it on the window and you can see the colors blending to make the secondary colors!


2. Tilting and Turning-I have toilet paper tubes with magent backing on them that we use for our marble run on our fridge. We made a hand-held marble run on a baking sheet and tried to get the marble to run through the tubes by tilting the pan (just like in the book).

3. Q-tip Dot Painting-I put circles on white copy paper and only gave the littles the primary colors. They used those to fill the circles with dots only using the q-tip (I am planning to revist this sometime in the future when we study Monet).


4. Venn Diagram Color Mixing-I drew a Venn Diagram on white copy paper and the kiddos took two primary colors and colored in the circles, which allowed them to see what colors they created in the overlapping sections (I forgot a pic, which is sad because these were neat).

5. Kool-Aid Playdough- We made colorful Kool-Aid playdough, which didn't really have anything to do with the book, except that we got to mix it and then press the dough!


8. Patterns-We made patterns using circles made out of the primary colors. We love making patterns of any kind!

7. The last thing we did was create our own Press Here book. We made ours about a balloon that we can blow up and it floats up. Then we pull it down. Eventually it pops! It was pretty cute and the kiddos were really good about coming up with ideas for what to make the balloon do.

If you are looking for some other ideas for Press Here, you can try downloading this mini-book for starters!

Herve Tullet also has some great coloring books that we will be looking out for as well.

10 Super Easy Easter Crafts and Activities

It's been a whole month since I've made a post-Ekkk! That's pretty bad. I'll try to do better (try).

So here are some super easy and cute Easter crafts that we did for Mommy School this past week. Most of these are from pinterest, but some I have just made up. If you need something for the littles to create on Easter Sunday, this is your one-stop shop! My kiddos are three but these can be adapted for any age.

1. Montessori Egg Trace-This was an idea I read about in a Montessori activity book. It was great! My kiddos have had limited opportunity to trace items, so this was a new experience and they also worked on fine motor skills to draw the lines from one side of the egg to the other.











2. Egg Wreath-I cut eggs shapes out of construction paper and let the kiddos decorate them (much less mess that the real decorating kind. We'll save that one for later). Then we taped them around a paper form. You could use this to illustrate the Easter story to tell a sequence or make specific patterns on each egg. The possibilities are endless!

3. Crayon Resist Eggs (Or Tape Resist)-I wrote a message on a white paper egg with white crayon. The kiddos painted water colors all over the egg. We've done this type of project before and the kiddos call it magic painting! If you do the tape resist, put the blue painter's tape down and water color on top. Let dry and remove painter's tape. Make sure to use water colors. If you use regular finger paints, you may tear the paper while removing the paint.



4. Egg Match Up-Here is one of the great projects I found on pinterest. I wrote on plastic eggs (top is capital letter and bottom is lowercase) and the kiddos had to match. We also made a number set which had dots on the top and the numbers on the bottom. I went all the way to 20, which got a bit difficult with the dots.

5. Egg Pattern Match Up-This one was super easy for my kiddos, but they had fun racing to see who could get the most (and it was a completely independent activity, so I could work on something else)! I made an egg shape out of lots of different scrapbook papers and glued them to white paper (index cards might work too). Then I cut the card in the middle and then scattered them all over the table. Then the kiddos just had to race to see who could make the most matches!

6. Styrofoam Egg Print-I learned this process from my Art for Elementary School teachers class. It is very easy and fun to do. Before the activity I cut an egg shape out of styrofoam and drew a pattern on it with a pen. Then the twinkies each painted their egg and then pressed it down on paper to make a print. Then we wiped off the paint and made another print with a different color. Fun and Easy!


7. Peep Patterns!-Who doesn't love a peep at Easter (actually I don't). The kiddos got to try their first peep this year, so they were thrilled. Then we made patterns with some peeps I had printed on paper. I got the image from Petit Design Co (she made a cute peep shirt, so check that out!). Anyway, we made various patterns, which my kiddos are AWESOME at (if I may brag for just a minute). I think at this point they are only "supposed" to know AB patterns, but mine come up with some crazy ones. Sister said what if I did, "purple pink pink green, purple pink pink, green"-Crazy, right? That's ABBC for those of you wondering! This activity was really fun, especially since we got to eat a peep afterward!


8. Peep Counting- While working with the peeps, we just decided to keep right on working. I printed a basket for each kiddo and then some number cards. They picked a number card and had to put that many peeps in their basket! Fun, easy, and good practice!


9. Name Egg Hunt-Unfortunately, I have no pictures of this, but hopefully this description will be enough. I used colorful scrapbook paper and wrote one letter on each egg. Then I gave each kiddo a basket that had a simple sight word on it. They had to find ONLY the eggs that spelled that word (Brother just wanted to find ALL the eggs- "All of 'em, Mommy"). Then we glued them on the basket.

10. Bunny Handprint-Since you know I'm such a sucker for a handprint art, you knew there had to be at least one, right? Here's a cute litte bunny (or kitten-did you know baby rabbits are called kittens? I didn't until we read Rabbits by Gail Gibbons. I cut out all the pieces and let the kiddos figure out how it went together. They did really well and only got confused with the ears. Sister said, "Mommy, I'm going to spell bunny on the top," and then began to sound out the letters, which is something she is doing for EVERYTHING nowadays. I wasn't really paying attention and when I looked over, she already had B U N Y on her paper! I told her there were two N's and she had left a large space, so she was able to fit it in. I was really proud of her for sounding it all out by herself!