WFMW: Steaming Vegetables

Last night I had cooked my Poppyseed Chicken & brown rice (1 day late) when I realized I had a bowl of raw veggies I forgot to cook. I realized I could have quickly popped them in the microwave, but as I was scooping out the rice from my rice cooker I had an idea. I pushed the rice over to one side and laid my raw vegetables on the other. I put the lid back on, and in about 5 minutes I had perfectly steamed veggies. They were nicely cooked, but still had a crunch! Works for Me!

To find out what's working for other people, head over to We Are THAT Family.

WW & SEW: Pacifiers

Timothy at a recent play date: "Let's pretend to be babies..."


Timothy 4 1/2 years ago "really being a baby". (His words!)

He also said, "It looks like I'm drinking a soda! Ha ha!"

For more Wordless Wednesday, head to 5 Minutes for Moms.
For more Special Exposure Wednesday, head to 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

Children's Classics: Beatrix Potter

I have a funny story about today's carnival. As of this weekend, I had not checked out a Beatrix Potter book, although I had seen several of her books the last time I was at the library & had every intention of doing so. I was waiting for Timothy to finish Sunday School when I happened to see 1 book on the bookshelf: The Tale of Benjamin Bunny. Random! So I "checked out" this book from my church! It's a sweet tale of how Peter Rabbit and Benjamin (his cousin) go to Mr. McGregor's garden to retrieve Peter's clothes and find themselves in a bit of trouble. Their rescue is quite unexpected! Your kids will love it!

I have to say that modern technology is so cool because if you have an iphone, you can download this book, for only $0.99! And the Beatrix Potter website truly invites you and your children into The World of Peter Rabbit.

As we walked to the car, after leaving Timothy's class, he said, "Mom, don't we have a bunny book that has puzzles?" It took me a second, and then I remembered! We own a book called The Peter Rabbit Jigsaw Puzzle Book. Each page is a different Peter-themed 9-piece puzzle. I put it on a high shelf in my closet because when it's on the kids' bookcases it tends to fall apart. By doing this, I still have all the pieces...two years later! Not to mislead, the author is Frederick Warne, but it is based on Potter's works. Even though it is not written by her, it opens up the world of Peter Rabbit to the pre-reader. Both kids have loved it! And I feel like it has created a familiarity with the characters that helped introduce the kids to Potter's books.

I must close by saying I have seen the movie Miss Potter, and it is darling! Besides being a great movie of romance and drama, it has a delightful surprise that I wouldn't dare give away!

For more books by Beatrix Potter, visit Children's Classics at 5 Minutes for Books!

Tackle It Tuesday: Kids Clothes

I've been putting it off long enough. In multiple places all over my house, I've had bags and boxes of clothes too small for the kids. I'm so sick of it! I pulled as many as I can find (sadly, I'm sure more will pop up later), and laid them in the middle of the floor.

When I was done, I had 6 grocery bags worth to take to the resale shop!

And three more groups of clothes: the box on the left is for a battered woman's shelter, the box on the right is to mail to my friend Sheila who has sent me tons of clothes for Samantha, and 1 trashbag of stuff for my MOPS share table.

NINE containers of clothes leaving my house tomorrow! I'm so excited! I'm taking electronic toys to the resale shop as well. I'll let you know how it goes...kind of Tackle It Tuesday Part II.

Funny note: This is my 1st time to participate in this carnival, which makes this the second day in a row! Does anyone know of any carnivals on Thursday? I could try to do this all week!

Find out what other people are tackling over at 5 Minutes For Mom!

Update: I received $23 from the resale shop, which was a bummer. But my goal was to get the clothes out of my house, so I drove by Goodwill on the way home. Not going to re-tackle!

Menu Plan Monday: March 9, 2009

I don't really know if I will repeat this, as I am not really a "meal planner", but I have 2 goals this week, and so meal planning was an easy side effect. These goals are:

1. Completely finish the 2 full bags of broccoli and carrots in my fridge.
2. Eat 5 Fruits & Veggies a day, as recommended by the CDC.

With no further ado...

Monday...Poppy Seed Chicken, Brown Rice, Steamed Broccoli
Tuesday...Chicken Broccoli Braid, Carrots
Wednesday...Fried Fish, Brown Rice, Steamed Broccoli
Thursday...leftovers because of karate night
Friday...Chicken Stir Fry, Brown Rice

For more menus and links to recipes, head over to Org Junkie!

Celebrate Your Name Week!

I read over on Katey's blog that the first week of March is Celebrate Your Name Week, and I just had to learn more about it. Well, each day focuses on something different. There are only 3 more days remaining, and today's and tomorrow's are:

March 6 - Nametag Day: Celebrate your name by wearing it proudly! (Not necessarily suggested for unsupervised children.)

March 7 - Middle Name Pride Day: Today’s name celebration requires honesty and boldness. Tell three people who don’t already know it, what your middle name is.

I've decided to combine these two days and put my middle name on a virtual nametag! I'm thinking I've worn enough church nametags into restaurants to count Nametag Day, and I'm hoping that by putting my middle name, GWEN, on my blog that 3 people who have never known it will learn it!

Definition of GWEN: From Welsh gwen, the feminine form of gwyn meaning "white, fair, blessed".

My middle name is fine. I don't hate it, but I don't know if I love it either. I don't think I was given "Gwen" for the meaning, but I am definitely white & fair, and extremely blessed! I'm from Irish descent (as you'll hear more about later this month), but I think the fact that this is a Welsh name is coincidental. Most people probably know my middle name more than usual because it's in my email address.

What is your middle name? Please share!

Aloha Friday: How's the weather?

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday.

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So on Fridays we take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, she asks a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. Then everyone else asks a simple question on their own blog for others to answer.

Where do you live and what is the weather forecast for today?

My answer, living in San Diego, is "partly cloudy, high of 63 degrees". For more questions from Aloha Friday, go to An Island Life.

5MF Photography: Filling the Frame

Just random pictures I took on Tuesday. Dan told me today "they are not the same kids I left!" For more photos that "fill the frame", head over to 5 Minutes for Photography.

MOPS Moment: Birth Order

Yesterday at MOPS our speaker talked to us about birth order. It is so fascinating, and as you may know....

1st Born-responsible (either IS or feels the pressure to BE), driven, bossy!
Middle Born-peacemaker, flexible
Last Born-adventurous, risk taker, possible a rule breaker

Our speaker had us get into groups based on these 3 categories. There were 10 people at the 1st born table, 8 at the last born, and only THREE at the middle born table. Imagine you could be 4th in a family of 6 or 2nd in a family of 3, and we still only had 3 of them! Not only that, 2 of the 3 women at that table were Mentor Moms. I can't help but wonder if middle children don't feel the need for things like MOPS as much as the other 2 categories.

I am a 1st Born, but in terms of my formative years I am an only child. I didn't have a sibling until I was 12, which make the dynamic quite different! I don't think I have to explain the negative stereotypes of only children! When it comes to birth order dynamics, any span of 7 years or more "resets" the rules.

A phrase he used repeatedly that I really liked was "Birth Order is DEscriptive, no PREscriptive." We shouldn't pigeon-hole others or ourselves.

He shared another tidbit that I can't get out of my head. Older siblings have a 1-2 point higher IQ (according to studies). This is because we learn the best when we are teaching others, and older siblings are always teaching their younger siblings all kinds of things (rolling the ball, singing a song, working a puzzle, etc.) I must have heard Timothy teach something to Samantha 15 times yesterday after MOPS. And of course he does it with the exact same intonation and organization as I do (First, Then, Last)!

If any of you have a MOPS group (or any gathering of moms), take an informal survey! It's really quite fascinating! For more info, here are some articles:

Time Magazine: The Power of Birth Order

Washington Post: The Birth-Order Effect

Wordless Wednesday: Hong Kong

Dan's first port of Hong Kong. For more from his perspective, visit here.

And for more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Sailor's Perspective: Hong Kong

As you all know, my husband is away at sea. His last deployment was to the gulf, but this time the ship is doing a WestPac. I have asked my husband to be a guest writer (and photographer!) for my blog while he is on the other side of the world, and he has graciously agreed. He will write about whatever stands out the most to him, but to make each port city unique I asked him to tell us what is a "must see" in each place. I'm hoping to make this a weekly post!

Guest Writer: Dan

I've had the wonderful opportunity to visit Hong Kong a number of times, and each time I think I learn something different, visit something different, and leave with a new reason to love the city. On my most recent trip, I rediscovered something that honestly makes Hong Kong stand out from every other city in the world. If you only had one day to experience there, you would have to do this or your trip wouldn't be complete unless you have...

Viewed the Skyline at Night

There are undoubtedly a number of cities in the world that are well-lit at night. I'm sure places like New York, Sydney, etc all light up brilliantly. I've seen Paris, Tokyo, and others at night , and they are all very pretty. Not one of them, however, dazzles like Hong Kong. It is truly one of the things that sets Hong Kong apart.

You may see the night skyline in various ways, but the one I recommend is by Star Ferry, which will put you right in the middle of it all while you are headed from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon or vice-versa. And best of all, you get a chance to see the reflection on the harbor water! This is a bonus that no other city can really offer. It's Hong Kong at its best!

*Picture photographed by cblee

Book Tour: Real Moms Real Jesus

Today I’d like to welcome author and speaker, Jill Savage. Jill’s recent book Real Moms…Real Jesus, has just released, and I wanted to find out about her real mom moments..

Jill, tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.

Mark and I have been married 25 years and we have five children. Anne is 24 and married to our wonderful son-in-love, Matt. Evan is 21 and married to our beautiful daughter-in-love, Julie. Erica is 18 and a college student at Heartland Community College. Kolya is 15 and in the 8th grade. We adopted Kolya at the age of 9 from Russia---the God story about his adoption is included in the Real Moms…Real Jesus book. And Austin is 12 and in the 7th grade.

Tell us about your newest book Real Moms...Real Jesus?
Real Moms…Real Jesus is a book designed to help moms understand that when Jesus lived on this earth he was fully God, yet fully man. We don’t often think about the fact that he was a human being and he lived the full human experience: pain, hunger, fatigue, frustration, betrayal, disappointment. He experienced it all!

There’s one verse in the Bible about Jesus that simply says “large crowds followed him everywhere he went.” Well, isn’t that the life of a mom? Large crowds follow her to the bathroom. They follow her to the kitchen. To the grocery store. She’s in high demand! And when Jesus lived on this earth, He was in high demand, too.

Why did you want to write this book?
Most of us long for a friend who understands. Yes, we need girlfriends who understand what our life is like. But we also need to understand that we have a friend who understands in Jesus. Too many of us think of God as being distant and unable to relate to our daily struggles. But nothing could be further from the truth! He understands and he wants us to build our friendship with Him. He wants to not only be our Savior, but also our Friend.

What do you hope your readers will gain from this book?
I hope that readers will gain a new perspective about their relationship with Jesus. I also hope to weave God’s truth into the daily life of a mom.

What unique elements will the reader find in Real Moms…Real Jesus?
Each chapter looks at some character trait in Jesus’ life that can help us in our life as a mom. In between the chapters are interactive vignettes that provide brief, refreshing glimpses into our real, messy, busy lives.

There are also questions at the end of the chapter for further consideration and suggested Bible reading in the book of Matthew. If the reader chooses to pursue the suggested reading, she will have read the book of Matthew completely by the end of the book!

There is also a leader’s guide in the back of the book so it can be used in a group setting.

This is a Hearts at Home book. What is Hearts at Home?
Hearts at Home is an organization that encourages, educates, and equips women in the profession of motherhood. Hearts at Home encourages moms through annual conferences, our extensive website (www.hearts-at-home.org), a free bi-weekly electronic newsletter, a radio program, and an entire line of books designed to meet the needs of moms all over the world!


Any closing thoughts?
I am very excited about this book! I believe that if a mom can strengthen her relationship with Jesus Christ, she will feel more equipped to be the mom she wants to be. I’m also offering an online book discussion on my blog beginning Tuesday, April 7. If you’d like to join us, you can subscribe to my blog at www.jillsavage.org.

I’d love to hear a reader’s thoughts after they read the book, too! You can connect to me through my blog at www.jillsavage.org.

Thanks, Jill, for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your real mom, real Jesus moments with us.

You can purchase your own copy of Real Moms…Real Jesus by clicking here.

And be sure to check out Hearts at Home, their conferences for moms, and all their online resources here.

My Blogging Obstacles

I can't believe I just went an entire six days without blogging. That is crazy! I haven't even opened my Google reader either! I've realized in the last couple of days 4 factors that contribute to my blogging spiral:

1. First of all, a week into the deployment, my beloved tree template went haywire. I like the ping pong smiley one, but I don't LOVE it (understand the difference?). It's a shame that I'm not "connected" to it because it has been a perfect template. The code is fantastic-I never have any problems with it.

2. With Dan being gone, I simply must have one on one time with the kids. Honestly, they have done better in these 1st 6 weeks than I ever imagined, and I want that to continue!

3. Third, my blogging cheerleader is gone. Dan supported and encouraged my blogging even when it meant entire nights dealing with the kids, and I got a bit used to that! I hadn't realized how much that kept me going.

4. Lastly, my camera is completely broken! It's rough. A blog without a camera. Tricky.

I don't plan on waiting until Dan returns to dive back in, but taking an honest look at what's going on is good for me!

What motivates your blogging?