My beautiful husband

A little love for my husband today.

I love his beautiful face. I love his strong character. I love how he encourages me to be whatever I want, and that makes me want to be his wife and the mother of his children all the more. I love his honesty, and how he stands by his convictions. I love his tenderness when everything at home seems to be falling apart around my ears. I love his faith in God. I love how he reminds me of my own father. I love how he would give the shirt off his back to anyone. I love that he is married to me.

Statements this Mom is grateful to hear

I don't know about every mother, but this makes my heart glad....

From my oldest:
-Mom, there are kids that actually eat the white bread they serve at school! That is so nasty! (nuff said)

From my youngest:
-I told Grandpa that I only wanted to play at McD*nalds, not eat. That food is yucky. (and he did despite being offered french fries that they were eating)

From my daughter:
-That girl's outfit is, like, so totally inappropriate! (oh we hope this lasts)

From my third:
-I need a haircut, my hair is touching my ears. (It is cute, but I am glad he wants to keep it short)

Thankful for Bento Love!

"Are you still doing that bento thing?"

That was the question from my girlfriend this week when I talked to her. Uhhhhhhh? How do you answer that one without totally talking your friends ear off about food and packing lunches... You can't, lol. She is used to that by now.

I think.

For those of you who don't know, bento is a form of lunch packing from Japan. It is a way for mothers to make food look more fun for kids, kids to show off their lunches and in turn, show off their moms... What kid wouldn't want eyeballs looking at them when they open their lunchbox? Other benefits are, more veggies snuck into their bodies, because they are more fun to eat, and portion control for adults. Boxes come in sizes ranging from 250 ml to 900 ml. If you pack them according to the recommended protein/starch/veggie ratio, you end up with approximately that many calories in the box. My younger kids use a 350-550 ml box, my older boy and hubby an 800 ml box. There are sites out there with information on how to choose the right size box for you. If you are really wanting to be amazed, just image google the word bento...but I digress...on to the good stuff!

I am so excited! Heather over at Ohayo Bento is having an awesome give-away on some really cute and practical bento items. I just got my first box from her, and boy were my kids excited. Even my 12 year old, who doesn't get excited about anything except extra time on the computer, was excited. I can't wait to post a photo of the new box packed full of #3's lunch. He has declared that it is his turn to get the new box and he doesn't care that it has bunnies on it, they are cool!

I also got some new bands (you never know if they are going to come home) some picks shaped like fruit and a bear shaped rice mold. Like Christmas I'm tellin ya!
If you are a bento nut, or if you have no idea what bento is, you should visit Heather at Ohayo Bento. Her boxes are beautifully done, and quite an inspiration for those of us just starting out.

I am so thankful I can stay home and do things like this. After you visit Heather at Ohayo Bento, be sure to go see what others are thankful for!

Day at home

I get to stay home today.
I. Get. To. Stay. Home. Today.

I don't know what to be more grateful for, a busy healthy family on the go, or days when we are not doing anything except being at home, doing nothing more productive than making a mess. If I didn't stay home, I couldn't send things like this in my kids lunch boxes... (shameless segue)

Bento #5 Munchables

Or this...Bento #6 Noodle Flowers

Just makes me smile.
Go visit Laura at Heavenly Homemakers to see what everyone else is grateful for today.

Missing Mr. Olsen

It's Gratituesday, and today I am grateful for the time I had getting to know our neighbor Larry. We were in Florida on vacation over St.Patrick's Day when we got a call that our friends had some bad news to share with us. That morning, Larry had passed away very unexpectedly. We had only known him for four and a half years but it seemed as though he had been in our lives forever. Larry was known as the "Godfather" of the neighborhood, walking it every day to check up on lots with houses and ones he was still farming. He was the man that bought a tiller for his tractor because some of us had large gardens. He planted huge sweetcorn plots so that we could have as much as we wanted and helped us pick it so that it would be fresh. Then he would shuck six or seven dozen so that his wife could help me freeze enough for our family. He was the man who stepped in as a grandfather, when the kids missed theirs because they are so far away. He helped reinforce the value of hard work to our neighborhood children (and a few moms and dads) when they helped him pick rock in the wheat fields. He always smiled and you could never mistake who it was when you watched those long strides taking him back to the house at 5:00 sharp for supper. His strawberries and apples were shared freely as was his sage wisdom. While he is missed, we are ever grateful for the time we had with him. I hope God enjoys the help with any farming issues in Heaven, and I can't help but think he is behind the beautiful April we are having.
Head on over to Laura's at Heavenly Homemakers for Gratituesday and see what everyone else is thankful for.

Absent this Friday

It used to be a tradition, getting up at 3:30 AM and going through the ads with my in-laws to see what bargains we could find on "Black Friday". Since we've moved, I don't go anymore. While I do miss the fun of spending a crazy morning with them, it has been somewhat freeing to not have go through the insanity of standing in line for an hour, or getting shoved by some crazy lady who had to get to the $1 Barbie first. We have simplified our giving so much, that I save more now at Christmas by simply not buying, then I ever would have if I steamrollered some Grandma to get to the toy isle ahead of everyone.
I am grateful to be able to afford to skip the consumer hype and just enjoy the day after Thanksgiving digesting with my kids over puzzles. What are you grateful for? Head on over to Laura's at Heavenly Homemakers and let the rest of us know.

Thanks for the turkey

Ok, I swore I was not going to fix turkey this year for Thanksgiving. To tell you the truth, I just don't find it very exciting. We can have turkey any time of the year. Thanksgiving is a special day, why not challenge myself to make something new, different, special (read HARD) on this wonderful holiday?
When you get free turkey, however, it makes it hard not to. We found out last spring that our neighbors raise chickens, so we asked if we could add ten to their flock. Sure, if you come help when it is time to butcher, was their reply. Now if that doesn't take a girl back to her childhood.... We agreed, July came and we helped butcher 75 beautiful four to five pound birds. They cost only $6 a bird, and we knew where they were raised, what they ate, how they died, and how fast they were into our freezer. Our order of ten somehow magically grew to twenty and we were in chicken heaven. We knew they were going to do this again, since the family didn't even take any they had raised for themselves, so we cheerfully told them to call us and we would help with their chickens in November.
Fast forward to this last Saturday. Only 25 birds and nine turkeys total this time, seemed like cake. We started at 8:00 and were done and freezing them all three hours later. Here is where I get really grateful. That wonderful family decided to take only six of these birds. The young couple who came to help their aunt and uncle, took six.... hmmm, what are we doing with the other 13? "Those are yours, and take a turkey breast as thanks for helping. Are you staying for lunch?"
What was I going to say, no?
Now I have 13 more birds, and these were a bit bigger... 9 POUNDS! And what did I pay for this beautiful bounty of birdom? $6 a bird. Yup, you heard me. To sweeten the deal, they threw in a turkey breast as thanks, fed us lunch, told they would be happy to do it again next year, and did I want all the other backs and necks for soup.
You are reading one happy post...
Want to read some other grateful posts?
Head on over to Laura's at Heavenly Homemakers

A chance to clean up

It is the middle of November and it is 55 degrees. I am going to clean out my garden today. Need I say more? Head over to Laura's and see what everyone else is grateful for this beautiful Tuesday.

Two pieces of bread, a slice of cheese and a napkin...

My best friend in high school always joked about how I could make a meal out of nothing. To this day she still comments on how I could take two slices of bread, a piece of cheese and an empty fridge and make a gourmet meal. Wished I would have taken that idea and ran with it, I would be a household name like Sandra. I admire her strength and creativity and wish I could come up with a tenth of the ideas she does for my own house, decorating wise.
I am, however, still blessed with the ability to look in my kitchen for three minutes and come up with a day or two (or week) of meals that require nothing more than milk or an egg to round it out. My sisters tell me they have no clue how I do it, and I am stumped to explain it to them. I think cooking must be my love language. I can't even tell you how grateful that God has blessed me with this gift as it has come in handy, well, every day. What are you grateful for?

Half The Kids

I am tired. Our new school schedule has been a difficult adjustment for everyone in the house, and I seem to be taking the longest to get with the program. Monday and Tuesday are the worst days since we have activities right after school for our two oldest. That usually means me in the car with all the kids trying to juggle supper, homework, movies, library books and whatever else we can or need to occupy our time while swimming and gymnastics are going on.
Today, my husband was home from work, and while he had plenty of his own projects to take care of, he kept the younger two kids so they didn't have to go sit in the car during the night's activities. Our kids are good, but it is just nice to only have the ones that need to be in the car, in the car. What a guy! Today I am grateful to him for keeping half of the kids to make my life a bit easier, even though it made his a little more crazy. I love him!

God is in control, and that is good...

Wow, what a crazy couple days this has been. This anniversary was only second in stress to our wedding day. Sitting in Mass on Wednesday morning, our new priest reminded me, without even knowing, that God is in control, not me. I thought about that the rest of the day while I was waiting to hear from hubby. Six year long story short, we got great news yesterday afternoon that ended a long ordeal and allowed us to celebrate our day with all the appreciation for what our lives have become and all the gifts He has given us. God is good, Amen!

The Book of Job

Tomorrow we will celebrate 14 years together. That is such an incredible number, 14 years, especially now considering the divorce rate. In that time we have gone from nothing but love to everything and still love and we are on top of the world. We buried a Dad, had four children, lived in a trailer, built a home, went from unemployed to paying our debt off a bit at a time, and we are so grateful for the gifts God has blessed us with.
Somewhere between yesterday's phone call, and tomorrow's news, we are waiting to see if we are going to lose it all. We may have to start all over again. I begin to prepare myself for the fight ahead, not for our possessions, but for our marriage. I will fight, not for our home, but for the structure and security my children deserve. Our little bit of land is beautiful, but it represents a labor of love, turning a field into a garden, and that can be rebuilt. It is not about the money we have made, but the debts that we have repaid, and we have done it honestly. It's not about pride... but it is....
So tomorrow, on our anniversary, we will find out if our lives continue like they have, and pray our children never know the difference. Please Lord, remind me today of Job and how through it all he never turned away from you. Today, I just need to know that you are an Awesome God and all things are in your hands. I am grateful that I know this.

Sacrifice

Sacrifice is such a powerful word. We don't think of it the same way as it used to be, the alter, the lamb (or chicken) the fire and the prayers. For some, it means not purchasing that big t.v. they wanted, or going on that cruise they planned on for this year. Call me crazy, but that is just being patient, not a sacrifice. Sacrifice hurts, sacrifice is hard and is life changing. Sacrifice is my sister without a husband for a year. Sacrifice is being half a world away from your baby boy and only hearing his voice, not holding him. Sacrifice is all those crosses in Arlington cemetery. Heavy for Gratituesday, I know. Today I am thankful for Sgt. Mitchell L Brahms and all the service men and women both alive and at peace, who make the ultimate sacrifice.

Good Food

Today I am starting the Eat More Fruits and Veggies Challenge, and I am grateful that I don't really have to try to get good food for my family. Everything we could want is available for use to enjoy by simply walking into a store. There are no lines (third world country), we don't have to mail order them (middle of nowhere Alaska), and they are never out of season (almost anyway). I am most grateful that I live in an area that supports local agriculture, so rather than eating fruit from half a world away, I had a great salad with locally grown lettuce for supper last night. Just a few short weeks, our garden will be producing it's first yummy goodness. Now that is local... Hop on over to Laura and see what else there is to be happy out this Gratituesday!

Green Thumb

I love Wisconsin weather, you never know what your going to wake up to. I had an idea though since I spent most of yesterday watching it switch back and forth from slop to snow. Outside my kitchen window it looks like an early October snowstorm since there is a hint of green grass under the white. It's ok though, my dad left me a gift that makes it worth the wait for spring. When we were little, we spent hours outside and part of that time was in the ginormous gardens we had. So many years later, I miss him, but treasure the gift that he gave me of a green thumb. These are just my tomatoes (you can just see the snow out the window) and they are huge! What you can't see are the three other racks of plants and whole other greenhouse next to it. I can't wait to be out in the garden again, but in the meantime, I will just putter in my dining room.

The Man Behind Us In Mass

You know when you leave church, how you are supposed to feel refreshed and at peace? I don't have that right now. I keep telling myself it is just the season that I am in. Some seasons of life are quiet, and some.... well, let's just say that if I was not already familiar with the Gospel this week, I would have no knowledge of what happened when Jesus met with Caesar. We got there late and had to sit in two different pews a bit apart from each other. This means dividing the kids up according to who was closest to you when you got to where you were sitting. To top it off, it was Palm Sunday... and each child got their very own personal wacking palm for the service. I got my oldest, his friend that was staying with us, and the youngest. Dad had the two middle ones. None of us had any peace...#4 didn't want to sit with mom, he wanted Dad. #3 didn't want dad, he wanted mom. #2 was mad because she couldn't hug Dad because he was holding #3 so he didn't run away, and the two older boys were trying to help with #4 while still attempting to be good. By the time we stood for the last hymn, #4 was crying from the swat on the butt, #3 was pouting because he had lost his computer time, #2 was crying because she had gotten kicked in the nose, the palms were on the floor and Mom and Dad were a wreak. As I mentally questioned, "Why even bother?" the gentleman behind me tapped me on the shoulder. "I sure loved this time in my kid's life, I miss having young ones with me in the pew. You have a wonderful family." Surely he couldn't have missed the circus that went on the entire mass just two feet ahead of him? Then I had a moment of clarity. I had a wonderful family. I am lucky enough to have a husband and children who we spend one hour each Sunday with, praising God and being what we are commanded to be. I am not the widow alone at the end of the pew, I am not the newlywed, sitting quietly across church, no noses to wipe or hands to hold, I am not the divorcee looking for peace or the single parent trying to do it alone. I am with my loving husband and precious children. I should have thanked him for the reminder.

DVR

Ok, I know it seems silly to be happy for a piece of equipment that I am told will turn my kid's fragile brains to mush, but the dishes are done. My girlfriend and I have conversations about our kids an television at least once a week.

T: I am such a bad mom!
Me: No your not, what did you do?
T: My kids are watching Max and Ruby so that I can get (insert chore here) done.
Me: That does not make you a bad mom, T, just a normal one.
T: But I feel so guilty!

Don't know how many of you say these things, or have this same conversation with your friends. Come to think of it, she is the only one that I ever talk about this with! I am going to go with the thought that because we both do it, there are other people in momland who also cherish that 20 minutes or so that the television buys them when they just can't seem to get anything done. Maybe rather than being grateful for the DVR, I should be grateful that my boys find me so important they can't be away from me. Maybe I am just so valuable in everything they do, they either want me involved in their play, or mediating an argument because they know I will be fair. No matter what, 20 minutes of mush is worth the peace of a clean kitchen because once that is done, I know that I will be able to be "on" the other 13 hours and 40 minutes when it matters.

At Home

I am a stay at home Mom. What more do I need to say? It wasn't always this way, I used to teach a lot of kids, have a paycheck and put my first born in daycare like so many other mothers in this world. I thought I was living very well and should be thrilled with the way my life was going. Then my husband decided to go back to school for a third time, and we depended on what now seemed to be such a small paycheck. I was a single mom four days of the week while he was in South Dakota and I was in Nebraska. We wanted a better life and this was the plan to get it. When he finished school, and started to interview for jobs, I updated my resume. It only seemed natural to continue working, after all wasn't that what I went to school for? Isn't that what everyone does?
We got closer to moving, and we found out we were blessed to be having another baby after two miscarriages. That was when Steve first said those magical words, "Why don't you just stay home?" Could we do that? What would life be like? We weren't worried about the financial aspect of it, thanks to the extra college time, but what would it be like to have me home all the time? Somehow, this seemed so odd, not to mention what a waste of five years of education!
Here we are, five years and a total of four beautiful children later (another Gratituesday post to come) and the question has come up again.... Are you going to stay home? Three of our four will be in school in the fall, and the fourth will be able to attend preschool in October. My mom said to me the other day, "Well, think of how nice it will be when they are all in school and you can go back to work." For some reason, that struck something in me that hadn't before. I was so far away from that decision that it never occurred to me that I may not want to go back. I said this to her and she was clearly amazed, "Well, what will you do?" Do? I wondered what she thought I did now...
In the peace and quiet that followed our usual evening routine (which is anything but peaceful or quiet), the question returned. What will I do? I replayed conversations I have had with friends about how fortunate I am to stay home, or how happy they were to go back to work and have a job again. I remembered all the times I had wished I could go back to teaching because I missed it, or I felt guilty about the school loans, or I felt like I was spending Steve's money... Then it hit me. The Peace that passes understanding. That quiet voice that talks to you in your heart. God was telling me something, and I needed to listen carefully. I was doing something, I did work, I am blessed to have the hardest job, worst paycheck, and bosses with expectations nothing short of impossible, and I have never been more grateful to be working. What will I do? I will continue doing what God has charged me with. I will be a rock, a nurse, a cook, a maid, a repairman, a personal shopper, seamstress, chronicler, cheerleader and teacher. I will be my husband's helpmate, and a friend to others. I will do this all because that is was I was charged to do. I have never been more thankful in my life.
Stop by the Heavenly Homemaker for more Gratituesday!