The Best

This year my goals started out being about temporal things, like food storage etc, then we decided to move every few months and live out of boxes. Not going to work for gathering and saving food storage or planting a garden. So my goals have changed and I have been really focused on finding the best for my family. I want us to always be surrounded by the best ideas, things, and habits. I want my children to learn to be discerning when they make choices and know why they chose them.

I started by eliminating tv and movies for the kids, they really are not the best activities for the kids to be spending their time on. And guess what, it makes a big difference in their mood, obedience, and their thought processes. It really wasn't that hard either. It is so fun to see what the kids come up with together when they have to be creative and find something fun to do. I also organized two bins in the hall closet full of activities like play doh, moon sand, coloring, painting, magnets etc. They love being able to pick an activity out of the bin and it is so much better for their brains. We have also been spending a lot more time outside, granted it is summer now but I try to make an effort to let them play outside for a good amount of time everyday. Having a playground right outside the door really helps. (I should say that the kids still sometimes watch movies when friends come over or when I'm gone and John lets them watch one.)

I read Simplicity Parenting over the last couple weeks, by far my favorite parenting/child raising book I have read, I really recommend it. Almost every concept in the book I had been contemplating before reading it and now I am so glad to have reason and research to back up my previous thoughts. It really helps you remove all the excess things in your children's lives so that they are left with the opportunities to really learn and grow like children should. We went through our toys and got rid of a bunch of them, keeping only the things that stimulate and encourage imagination. It is so nice to have only a handful of toys for them to clean up and they have an easier time choosing and sharing what they have. They also seem to get involved in deeper play with fewer toys, I love it.

It is so liberating to simplify possessions and habits and to learn to live with less. It really feels good. I cant wait to get home to all of our things in storage the get rid of most of it . . . not really but probably a lot of toys, books, and clothes will go, and all those things we have been saving because someday we might possibly use them. I don't want to think about, spend time on, or spend money to store those things.

Also, Im pretty sure the longer Mae's hair gets the curlier it gets. Check out these ringlets, my goodness.

Food

Most of the time we eat one breakfast and three lunches everyday. Forget dinner. I think lunch is the perfect meal and John would choose to eat breakfast all day. Since John only eats breakfast with us we have a few more lunches and then John eats his own meal when he gets home from work late at night. So it can be really hard coming up with meal ideas for me and Wes to eat that is healthy and filling and most of all fast. I came up with this chart to reference so that I can be sure that we are eating well balanced meals. Lately my motivation to put more than two minutes into a meal is zero, so this has helped. Am I missing anything?

Well Spent

I have to say that yes, I do like to shop, but I really do appreciate finding a bargain, especially when it is something that we end up using a lot. I have been thinking about money and budgets and being frugal lately and that has made me think about all the things that we have purchased that we have definitely got our money's worth from. Not that possessions are everything but these things have definitely made life easier and more enjoyable.


Our Van, the best vehicle I have ever owned, which isn't saying much, but I absolutely love it, and would recommend owning one to anyone.


The Whirley Pop that I gave to John for Easter two years ago, probably the most used gift I have ever given him. $12


Our paint sprayer from ebay, we have already beautified many things with it and have many more projects planned. $11


Finally we have a clock in the house, maybe it will help us be on time, either way I love it and it was only $3.


My favorite picture frame with some of my favorite pictures in it. $1


We lived the first 2.5 summers without air conditioning and our swamp cooler is every bit worth the $400.


Thank You Rose for introducing me to the Mom Agendas, couldn't live without one. $30?


This high chair is one of the best things we own. cheap, plastic and keeps Wes in one place. $25

I don't know how many cans of Sugar White have been used in our house, it matches with everything.


This gate keeps Wes from playing in the toilet, a miracle in itself. $9


I love our house, all the work we have done, and the memories we have made, I will miss it someday when we have to move.


I got John our camera a few Christmases ago and am sure glad I did, I feel like our life is more beautiful and well documented.

There are many other things I have that are free or priceless or hard to name which I am grateful for, but we will have to save those for another time, Wes needs a diaper change.

Best of

Best day in: Monday, John had work off and we just hung out and had fun.

Best night out: Wednesday we went to Pizzeria 712 with the Pecks who came down from Salt Lake, fun and delicious.



Best smell: Orange nectar from my new oil burner Mel got me for my birthday, thanks!

Best mail: my new diaper bag that I have been looking for for a year. I saw it last summer and have been tracking it down ever since and finally found it online for half the price! I'm saving it for when the baby comes.



Best recipe: Mediterranean Linguine



Ingredients:
9 ounces uncooked linguine
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used chicken)
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 can (14 ounces) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and halved
1 can (6 ounces) pitted ripe olives, drained and halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Cook linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, saute shrimp and mushrooms in oil for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients; cook and stir for 5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and sauce is heated through.
Drain linguine; serve with shrimp mixture. Yield: 6 servings.

Best productive day: Tuesday, vacuumed twice, mopped three times (what happens when I try and clean while Wes is awake), cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen, went on a nice long challenging walk (which I have to say I do every day not just this day, five days a week for the last three months, first time ever!) and worked on a few side projects.

Best completed project: Making my binder which has everything in it I ever need, it's basically my brain, and now I feel much more organized. You should make one too, I put these categories in it:
Weekly Schedule
Meal Planning
Personal Projects
Home
Landscape
Finances
Goals
Parenting Plan
Vacations
Emergency
Vital Info

And then making myself a mini desk, since I don't have my own studio, office or even desk, I made a little work space by getting a cheap tray and putting my binder, planner, stickies and a pencil in it. I can take my new desk with me wherever I want to work, brilliant.



Best news: hearing the baby's heartbeat and scheduling the ultrasound in three weeks!

Best blooms: My fuschias, which are finally recovering from near death when I went to Idaho and left John to water them.



Best surprise: My grandparents called and said they are in town and will be three blocks down from us for a wedding reception so we walked down to our church building and got to say hi.

Best reward: waking up in the morning to about thirty wet kisses from Wes (all his idea) after a very trying day with him the day before.

It has been a great week!

Finally

I started organizing my recipes in december and now finished it. I can finally find the recipes I'm looking for and its so easy to type and print up new ones, it feels good.

Goals

January 10

January is all about simplifying and goal making right? My mom gave us girls a book called Absolutely Organized for Christmas. It talks a lot about doing one major chore each day, even if it takes you several hours, that way you aren't worn out by the end of the week from cleaning everyday. Here is my attempt at simplifying my schedule and so far it has worked really well. I went out and bought a new mop and organized my cleaning bucket and shined the house on monday. It was pretty fun, and the best part is that I don't have to clean the house again until next week. I have a few other personal and fitness goals I have made too and I think this schedule will help make time for the rest of them.