Ice Age: Collision Course

Last Saturday my husband, four sons and I got to go see a screening of Ice Age: Collision Course and we loved it.  



















This is the 5th installment in the Ice Age franchise and it did not disappoint.  All the same characters we've grown to love, plus some new ones.  Here's the synopsis I was originally sent:

Scrat’s epic pursuit of the elusive acorn catapults him into the universe where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the Ice Age World. To save themselves, Sid, Manny, Diego, and the rest of the herd must leave their home and embark on a quest full of comedy and adventure, traveling to exotic new lands and encountering a host of colorful new characters. ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE, opening in theaters everywhere July 22, 2016 stars returning cast members Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Simon Pegg, Keke Palmer, Wanda Sykes, and Jennifer Lopez.  Joining the herd are Stephanie Beatriz, Adam DeVine, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Max Greenfield, Jessie J, Nick Offerman, Melissa Rauch, Michael Strahan and Neil deGrasse Tyson.



We were able to see this movie in 3-D and I was impressed with the 3-D.  I'll be honest, we haven't seen many movies in 3-D, mostly because they are more expensive and the little kids never keep their glasses on.  The little one still had trouble keeping his glasses on, but the others did well.  One of the early scenes shows Buck jumping and bouncing around and the 3-D was very good.  

My dad was a geologist and our family loves "geo-dramas."  I think it's awesome that Ice Age has now made 2 "geo-dramas" for the kids to begin to gain the appreciation for our earth and for them to ask questions about how the earth was made and shaped into the way it is today.

There were also some great themes in the movie such as the benefits of family and marriage (which are often not present in even animation these days) but lots of potty humor too which of course my young sons just love (although mom barely tolerates.  But I still think it was very family friendly and a great addition to the Ice Age series.  I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to preview it with my family.  

One more thing, Fox just released this adorable website that allows you to uncover your pet's prehistoric past! Please check out the link below and be sure to share it with your readers!

URL: http://www.animalancestry.com/

Go check out the movie if you get a chance!

Homeschooling–one month in (part 3)

The one topic I haven’t talked about is our Wednesday – Unit Studies day.  One of my selling points for homeschooling was that we could learn about whatever he wanted to learn about. 

The first week he wanted to learn about….are you ready for this…video games.  Sigh.  So we checked out some books from the library about video games.  We read about the history of video games, which consoles came in what order, we learned about the positive and negatives of playing video games and then he was to write in his notebook about what he learned.  And he drew a blank.  He had no idea what to write.  I kept trying to give him hints and help him, but it was a struggle all day.

So the next week I decided we would learn about cars all month long.  We read books, we looked at different models online, we read more books, I tried to get him to make a poster by cutting pictures of cars out of a car magazine (he cut out pictures of 20 steering wheels…why?), we watched a video about how cars are made, we made reservations at the Toyota manufacturing plant in San Antonio (which got canceled but rescheduled for Wednesday), a neighbor showed him the different parts of the engine and how a car works…theoretically this sounds like a lot of fun things to learn about.  But each Wednesday is still a struggle.

I think it’s because I need things more structured.  I don’t want to abandon our unit studies, but what we’ve been doing has not been working for me.  Next week we are going to start doing a lap book about “Little House in the Big Woods” and it is a little more structured, so we’ll see if we enjoy that better.

There are other things about homeschooling that I don’t love.  In general I don’t feel my house gets as clean.  I don’t think I pay enough attention to Christian.  He watches way too much PBS.  I have a harder time making freezer meals or other things on my to-do list.  I certainly don’t have as much “me” time.  Going out to lunch with friends or visiting teaching is more difficult because I have an 8yo with me. 

But despite the things I complain about, I am still enjoying spending the one-on-one time with Aaron.  He loves learning which makes teaching him fun.  But mostly I just like getting to spend the time with him.

Enough about homeschooling.  Back to posts about birthdays and fun things we do as a family!

Homeschooling–one month in (part 2)

On Thursday and Friday we do Math and Science.  For Math we are using Singapore Math and he LOVES math.  He’s a total nerd.  Gets that from both Paul and I! 

_{Halloween 2010}

Knowing that math is really easy for him I started him in '>'>Math 3B which is supposed to be the 2nd semester of the 3rd grade year. The program has an instructor book, a textbook and a workbook.  So far we’ve studied Mental Math Strategies, Length, Weight, Capacity, Graphs, Fractions and Time.  All that is left in the book is Geometry.  I don’t make  him do every single problem, because he “gets it.”  It’s really easy for him and I don’t need him to do busy work.  In an hour and a half we typically get through what the book says should take us a week or 2. 

I’ve already purchased the Math 4A stuff and I assume we will continue to blow through the math curriculum really quickly because he enjoys it so much.  This is one of the reasons I chose to homeschool him.  So he could continue to learn new things at HIS pace. 

When I asked him what he wanted to study for science he chose chemistry so I found him a chemistry book called '>'>Adventures with atoms and molecules, Chemistry Experiments for Young People.  We do one experiment on Thursday and then another on Friday and we’ve had a lot of fun so far with only one experiment not working so far.  For each experiment he writes in his notebook 1.  What did we use?  2.  What did we do?  3.  What happened?  4.  What did we learn?  Plus definitions of what we are learning about.  It’s pretty basic stuff, but I doubt he’d be doing more science in public school. 

Both Math and Science have been pretty fun to teach him.  Sometimes it’s boring having to remind him to stay focused on the math problems or getting him to write in his notebook about the science because his easily distracted, but teaching him something he enjoys makes it all worthwhile.   

I’ve got one more post about homeschooling then I’ll get back to pictures of the kids!

Homeschooling–one month in (part 1)

The number one question I get these days is: “How is homeschooling going?”  (Either that or “Mom, can I have more milk?”-seriously, they drink a lot of milk these days…what is it going to be like when they are teenagers?  Maybe it would be less expensive to buy a cow!)

But back to the real topic – I am enjoying homeschooling. 

There are challenges I wasn’t totally prepared for, and it does make some things in my life more complicated, but I truly am enjoying homeschooling Aaron. 

Let me walk you through a typical week.  Mondays and Tuesday we do Grammar, History, Spelling and Handwriting.  Wednesday is our Unit Studies. Thursday and Friday we do Science and Math.  Every day he is expected to do a typing lesson on the computer, practice the piano, read something I’ve assigned him (usually corresponding to what we are learning in history or his unit studies), read his scriptures, and read for fun.  Things like art and PE are kinda hit and miss.

For Grammar we are using First Language Lessons which has an instructor book and a student book.  It completely walks us through what the instructor needs to say, what the student should say, etc.  We do 4 lessons a week, 2 on Monday and 2 on Tuesday. So far we have been studying what the different parts of speech are and have started diagraming sentences.  It also has dictation exercises and poem memorization and I’m having him memorize scriptures too.  So far in this first month he’s memorized 2 scripture verses and one poem.  This is one of the things I’m enjoying teaching him.  We laugh together at me having to repeat the definition 3 times then him saying it with me 3 times.  I think it’s great and I’m having a good time teaching him this stuff.

In History we are using The Story of the World and are reading it out loud to each other.  Again, we do 4 chapters a week, 2 on Monday and 2 on Tuesday.  After reading each section we talk about it and then after we finish the reading I ask him to write down in his notebook at least 4 sentences about what he learned that day.  Again, the one on one of reading with him is a lot of fun.  I really like spending time with him and talking about history.  His grandfather in Utah loves history and has been sending him e-mails asking him about what he’s learning, so I usually ask him to type a few sentences each each day to Grandpa Thomas telling him what he liked learning about history that day.  More typing practice!

Both Spelling and Handwriting are workbooks therefore I feel he should be able to do this independently and this is where I get frustrated sometimes.  He gets distracted.  I find myself nagging. This part of homeschooling is not so much fun. But it’s necessary because I can’t sit and give him my undivided attention all day every day. 

The daily typing lesson is a free 12 stage program on the computer he’s done several times already, but both he and Brian are still really slow and I’m hoping to get them faster, so I keep asking them to do the lessons over again.  We’ll see. 

I’m teaching him piano lessons and while I bet another teacher would get him farther, we get along and he is getting better, so we’re going to keep doing it.  He’s expected to work on it for 30-45 min a day.

Now I gotta get more stuff done, so I’ll type about Wednesday, Thursday and Friday later.

Eco Friendly Canvas review

My product review for EcoFriendly Canvas was posted on the 5MinutesforMom site today!  Go check it out!

Why I am choosing to homeschool Aaron this year

I have been asked this question by many people lately and I’m sure I’ll be asked by many more (not to mention those that wonder and don’t ask!)  So I decided I’d just answer this via the blog for those who were wondering.  Here goes: 

I see some potential in Aaron that I don’t feel the public school can adequately address and I’d like to try to meet his needs on my own this year.

I recognize that this sentence might not adequately answer everyone’s questions, so here’s a few more of my thoughts based on some questions you might have.  Oh, and by the way, Aaron is 8yo going into the 3rd grade. 

Have you really thought about this? Of course! I have thought long and hard about this and fasted and prayed many times and I really feel this is the right decision for Aaron and me this year. Please don’t try to talk me out of this. That’s not very helpful. I may not totally know what I’m doing, but I honestly think I’m doing what’s best for us.

Where did you get this idea? I happen to read a lot of blogs of people who homeschool. They write a lot of articles about homeschooling. The more I read, the more I felt “I could do that.” If you want to read some of the articles that influenced me I’d be happy to share them with you.

Don’t you like public school?  I love our local elementary school!  Love the staff and all the teachers I’ve come in contact with.  All the teachers we’ve had so far have been great and have loved and taken care of our children wonderfully.  But even the best teacher of 20-25 students can’t give each child individual attention and meet all of their specific needs. 

Aren’t you worried about Aaron’s socialization?  Of course I am.  Aaron has some inherent social awkwardness to begin with.  We’ve seen it ever since his first year of preschool when his teacher was concerned that he’d rather play by himself than with the other kids.  Being in elementary school hasn’t fixed or really even addressed the problem.  He is in cub scouts and interacts with kids at church and in the neighborhood, and we’ll probably try to involve him in another sport this year.  If we homeschool longer than a year we will look into co-ops and other programs to increase the amount of time he interacts with peers.

What curriculum are you going to use?  After the third time I checked out the book “The Well Trained Mind” from the library I decided to buy it.  I am using a lot of the curriculum they recommend.  I’ve bought First Language Lessons For the Well Trained Mind: Level 3 to teach grammar, Spelling Workout Level B, Singapore Math 3B, Adventures with Atoms and Molecules: Chemistry Experiments, and The Story of the World. We will also continue to do piano lessons, typing lessons and he’s starting some computer programming online. (plus of course some religious education that he obviously couldn’t get in school.)

One of the reasons I want to do this is to have the ability to advance him academically at his own pace.  When I first began looking into homeschooling I had him take some math practice tests to see which curriculum to buy.  One of the tests put him ready for 7th grade math!  He LOVES math.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he blows through the math books I bought and I buy him several more before the year is done.  If he wants to learn algebra, I want to teach him!

What will your day be like? Probably pretty crazy! I’ll still have to pack Brian’s lunch and get him on the bus. Then I’ll still have housework to do and 2 little boys at home that need my attention. And I’ll need to teach school for Aaron! But I honestly think that it’ll work out pretty well. Both Aaron and I thrive on organization and I bet he and I figure it out pretty soon. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets his school work totally done by lunch time most days!

What about next year?  I don’t know yet.  I am currently only thinking about this year.  I assume that he’ll go back to Stephens Elementary.  But it’s possible we’ll love it and want to keep doing it.  It’s also possible we will hate it and I’ll send him back in a few months!  At that point I’ll probably cry and feel like I failed, but Paul will buy me Ritters and that will help me feel better. 

What about Brian?  Brian THRIVES in the normal public school environment right now.  He has LOTS of friends and would not want to be away from them.  This is also his first year in the Gifted program and he’s excited to be a part of that.  I assume I’ll still be the homeroom mom and teach Junior Achievement to his class too.  Maybe I’ll homeschool Brian for 3rd grade too?  Who knows!

Are there other reasons you haven’t listed?  I feel like I’m missing important moments in his life.  One of the things I don’t love about public school is how much the boys are gone every day.  They get on the bus at 7:45am and get home at 4pm.  They are hot, tired, hungry and their eyes are glazed over with a need to relax when they get home.  Unfortunately, they then need to do homework which can often take an hour or so.  Then it’s dinner time, chores, and bed.  And I don’t feel like I really get to spend much quality time with them.  Aaron is 8 now and I think it’s a wonderful age.  He’s so inquisitive and fun to be around and I just want to treasure the time I can with him. 

I could probably continue to write about my thoughts and feelings about this for another hour, but I bet many people stopped reading ages ago!  I’m sure many of you think I’m crazy, and hopefully some of you think it’s a great idea.  It’s an experiment we’re going to try right now.  I hope to continue to post about this as we continue.  Please wish us luck as we embark on this endeavor.

The Hunger Games–a movie review

In January it was my 12yo nieces turn to pick the book for our family book club and I was pleasantly surprised that she  picked the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  I had heard all my friends talk about it for a long time, but just hadn’t picked it up myself and was glad for an excuse to.  When I borrowed it from a friend she game me all 3 books in the series, knowing I’d want to read them all.  And she was right.  I read all 3 books in less than a week and impatiently waited for my husband to finish the first one, then the second, then the third so we could discuss it. 

After reading the books I devoured the movie trailers online and began looking at who the actors were going to be and researching all I could about the movie.  I could hardly wait for it to come out!  My anticipation peaked as I was given the opportunity to go to the one advanced screening in the Houston area and was thankful they let me bring my husband and have a good date night! 



Let me start my review by saying, “I loved it!”  If you don’t know the premise of the movie/book there are about a million links out there to summarize it for you, so I won’t bore you with it here. It followed the book very well and I feel that if you liked the book you will probably like the movie.  Obviously there had to be some differences between the book and the movie, but in general I liked the changes made. 

The book is written entirely from Katniss’s point of view, while the movie allows you to see some of what else is going on behind the scenes with some of the other supporting characters like Gale and Haymitch and President Snow and Seneca Crane.  Some of the things I didn’t like about the book (like a specific mutation in the genetically altered dogs) didn’t make it into the movie either, so that made me happy.  I was worried about how the violence would be handled, but was pleased that while it had to be there to stay true to the book, it was handled in a manner as not to be too gratuitous.

Part of what made the movie so well done was the casting of the supporting characters.  Lenny Kravitz, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, and Elizabeth Banks really helped make this movie.  And Liam Hemsworth who played Gale…he was nice to look at!  I look forward to him playing a greater role in later movies so I can look at him even more!  I did think Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson did a really good job too, but I don’t feel inclined to gush over them. 

One of the things I was disappointed in was the lack of depth about how real or pretend the romance between Katniss and Peeta was at the end of the movie.  I think the book handled that better, but I’m going to assume they are just waiting to flesh that out more in the subsequent movies.  I also wished it had shown a little more depth with the relationship between Katniss and Rue, but I understand they can’t do everything with the time constraints of the movie. 

I’m not sure that this movie will make the cut for movies I want to own in my video collection (we’re kinda picky), but it might.  I do want to read the books again and yes, I would like to watch the movie again. 

Basically, if you’ve read the book you’ll probably like it, and if you haven’t read the book and can get past the dystopia of the premise, you’ll probably like it too. 


Thanks again to Lionsgate for giving free movie passes to my husband and I and letting us see it before it officially came out.  (Sorry to any of my friends who I bragged to!  Now you can see it too if you want.)  The review is my own and I received no other compensation for writing this post. 

Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches–and $5 gift card offer

You know those days when you are super busy and haven’t planned anything for dinner.  Days when you just need to grab a quick dinner and run?  Tyson now has another product for those grab and go quick dinners and I was given the opportunity to try them out.  #Tysongoodness

Thursday I began making my grocery list, then I took kid A with me to Walmart to go shopping.  We knew Tyson was having a demo of this new product, but we showed up at 9:30 in the morning, not realizing the demo wouldn’t be until lunch time.  Silly me!  We did look all over for the Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches and couldn’t find them though.  They weren’t with the other Tyson chicken products nor with the other Tyson appetizer products.  We asked someone who worked there and he didn’t know anything about them, and he even asked his boss, but no dice, so we went home with the rest of our groceries, but no Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches.

So, kid B and I went back in the afternoon.  The demo was on, was easy to find and everyone was very helpful.  The demo lady helped me find the sandwiches in the freezer isle (near other chicken sandwiches, but not by any other Tyson products)and my son told her he loved her.  We both had a bite of the sandwich, took several pictures,  then we bought 2 boxes of the Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches, one regular, and one with cheese and headed home. 

Once we got home, Kid A was very excited that B and I had found the sandwiches and he wanted to help me make them for our lunch.  Each box has 4 packages with 2 mini-sandwiches each, which is a serving size.  I split them up so my husband and the 2 boys who were awake and I each got one regular and one with cheese.  Without even opening the plastic packaging you microwave the sandwich for 45 seconds one each side and voila, a quick bite to eat.  Super easy.  If my kids were taller and could reach the microwave they could do it themselves!

The sandwiches got mixed reviews.  The boys each gave a thumbs up, but my husband thought they were fairly bland.  Next time I serve them he thinks I should add lettuce and tomato.  The ones with the cheese had a lot more flavor than the regular ones.  I liked them well enough, but would probably do them more for lunchtime for the boys during the summer or for an afterschool snack.  I can’t imagine really serving them for dinner for my family. 

I will buy them again though, along with other Tyson products since I think they make good stuff. 

Do you want to try them?  Tyson and Walmart are teaming up again to help you buy some.  First of all, check out this link to find a Walmart near you that sells the Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches.  Then buy 2 packages of Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches at Walmart (keep your receipt of course), go to THIS WEBSITE, then you can fill out the form to get a $5 gift card to Walmart.  At my store each package was $5.14, so once I submit the receipt I’ll almost be getting a box for free!

 

I also posted this on google+  https://plus.google.com/u/0/109486339814854904060/posts

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias As always, although I was asked to review this, all opinions are of course my own.  I wouldn’t write it if I didn’t believe it.

My newest favorite food blog

I’ve been cooking a lot lately.  Not so good for my waistline, but really good for my mouth!  Along with a lot of cooking, I’ve been trying lots of new recipes.  I’ve made lots of freezer meals and lots of crock pot meals from some great websites.  (I’ll share with those interested)

I was recently introduced to what is now my favorite food blog.  Jamie Cooks It Up. 

I’m blogging about it because I like it so much!

So far these are the recipes I’ve tried

• Smores Cookies
• Soft Bread Bowls
• Quick and Easy Breadsticks
• Crispy Cheddar Chicken

All four of these recipes were fabulous!  I can’t remember the last time I found a website where I actually tired multiple recipes and they all turned out great

Here are the recipes I can’t wait to try!

• Fluffy Dinner Rolls
• Cinnamon Rolls
• Butterflake Frozen Rolls
• Crispy Paramsen and Garlic Chicken
• Chicken Cordon Bleu

I’m sure there are even more recipes on her site that would be fabulous and I look forward to finding and making more great meals. 

Thank you Jamie for blogging.  I love your pictures, I love your step by step instructions, I love your “voice.”  Thanks for being real and thanks for sharing great recipes with me and my family. 

Post Thanksgiving soup

One of my favorite things about cooking up a turkey is being able to make turkey noodle soup the next day. I took home the turkey frame from my moms house and started it boiling on the stove Sunday. After letting it boil with a few spices for an hour or so, I took it out of the water and began picking off the meat. I was the one who carved the turkey originally and I had left a lot of meat on the frame! We used some for turkey sandwiches that afternoon, but all the rest of the meat went into my stock pot with onions and carrots and more spices.

When I got home from church I turned my pot back on, and cooked it until the carrots were tender then I added some egg noodles. The soup was delicious but I made a lot of it! Some of it I put in tupperware and I've been eating the leftovers for lunch this week. But I also took some of the soup and put it in muffin cups and froze it!

I now have a dozen soup disks for lunches later! I'll put 2 or 3 disks into a bowl and heat it in the microwave when I want soup later! There's my freezer assignment this week!

Gratitude Thursday 4

Happy Thanksgiving!  Here are 5 more things I’m grateful for today!

1.  Aaron

I am so impressed with Aaron.  He’s growing up to be such a wonderful boy.  I can’t believe he’ll be 8 in just a few months.  He’s so smart and is so kind and thoughtful.  His prayers are so sincere and heartfelt.  He is amazingly helpful (when he wants to be) and is polite as well.  He loves to read, play games, design games, make up math problems and play video games.  He made me a mom and I love spending time with him.  I’m really glad he’s mine!

2.  My Testimony

I am so grateful for my testimony of the fullness of the gospel restored to the earth today.  I know that my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, atoned for my sins and that I can return to live with him and my Heavenly Father someday.  I testify that God knows each of us personally and loves us and wants us to become the people he knows we can become.  I pray for His help to be able to become that woman someday.  I am very grateful for my own personal testimony.

3.  Thanksgiving Dinner

I love to eat, lately I love to cook.  We will be eating with my mom and one other family that I’ve known most of my life.  7 adults and my 4 kids.  Should be fun!  I am really looking forward to the four new recipes I am making for todays feast.  (Homemade rolls – my friend Travis’s recipe, Green Bean Casserole – Pioneer Woman’s recipe, Sweet Potato Casserole – my sis-in-law Tiff’s recipe, and Chocolate Pumpkin Pie – from The Chew.)  My mom is in charge of the typical turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, a fruit salad and another pie.  It will all be yummy and I’m excited to eat it!

4.  My Mom

My mom and I have always been close.  Don’t get me wrong, we’ve disagreed and had the typical mother/daughter fights from time to time, but even when I was in high school we mostly got along.  She taught me how to cook, how to sew, how to host a dinner party and how to be a mother.  She showed me by example how to reach outside myself and think of others.  She babysits my kids when I need her to and takes me shopping and buys me stuff just because!  I see her almost every week (often multiple times a week) and I talk to her multiple times every day.  I am very grateful that my mother is such an important part of my life and I love her a lot!

5.  The temple

Paul and I were married on the day after Thanksgiving 9 years ago in the Houston, Texas temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We were sealed together as husband and wife for time and all eternity by someone holding the proper holy priesthood power.  Because of the promises we made in the temple with our Heavenly Father our four beautiful boys have been born in that covenant and are also sealed to us for eternity.  I am so grateful we have a House of the Lord in our city and that we are able to attend the temple often. 

DIY Go-Gurt and Instant Oatmeal Packets

Last week I worked on two projects, both of which I think turned out pretty well. 

First, I made yogurt.  I initially heard about this when I followed “A year of slow cooking” and I thought it was interesting but never did anything.

Then I heard about it again at a Relief Society activity and again ignored the idea.

Then I saw it yet again on Money Saving Mom and finally decided I’d try it. 

I followed the recipe shown here, starting with half a gallon of milk (I also added powdered milk as Money Saving Mom suggested) and my crock pot.  The next morning I had yogurt and I was surprisingly pleased at how it turned out.  It really did have the consistency of yogurt.  I basically made a half gallon of yogurt for about $2!

But I didn’t stop there.  I froze 2 cups of it in ice cube trays to hopefully use in smoothies later.  We ate some for breakfast (added honey to some, raspberries to others).  The rest I made into go-gurt as suggested by Money Saving Mom.  I added a package of strawberry jello and put about 1/4 c each in a dozen snack bags and they are in the freezer now! 

The boys ate some for lunch this week and they liked it, but didn’t love it.  They didn’t like it so much for breakfast either, but I did.  I probably won’t make it again anytime soon, but I’m sure I will make it again someday!

When I finished that I took a page from Life As Mom and made my own instant oatmeal packets.  My boys love oatmeal and will each eat 2 packets in the morning!  Do you know how expensive that can be!  Well for the same price as a box of 10 generic instant oatmeal packets I can buy a container of quick oats and make 60 homemade packets.  (I didn’t make that many though!  I started with 20!)

I combined a few recipes here…started with 2 cups of oats, then ground an additional 2 cups to powder.  Then I added dried milk, salt, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Then to half I added raisins and to the other half I added dried apples (which I’ve had for years in my food storage from the cannery.)  Each packet has a little more than 1/4 cup oatmeal and to that I added 6 Tablespoons of hot water to make our breakfast. 

In hindsight, I added too much cinnamon…it’s fairly overpowering.  I might re-empty them all, add more oatmeal, and repackage them into more packets, but haven’t done it yet.  I really do hope to get this right because this will save me a lot of money!

Gratitude Thursday 3

5 more things I’m grateful for this week

1.  Brian

I have never met a child as loving as Brian.  If you’ve ever met him, he’s probably hugged you and told you he loves you.  He is so sweet to his baby brother and tries to cheer him up when he’s crying.  He loves to laugh and cracks me up often.  He probably infuriates me more than the other boys right now, but I can’t stay grumpy at him for long because when he smiles, his eyes twinkle and he knows it!  I am so grateful I get to be his mother and have his spirit in our home. 

2.  My house

Years before we bought our house, the subdivision had a model home of this floor plan.  When I had friends in town I’d take them through the model just because I loved the floor plan so much.  We weren’t really in the market to move, we were happy in the house we were in, but when this house came on the market at a super low price we bought it.  I really do love my house!  There are lots of projects I want to work on, but it makes me so happy as it is too.  And I love that several families in our ward are also on my street and we have lots of great neighbors too.  I am so grateful for such a beautiful house in such a friendly neighborhood. 

3.  The change in the weather

There is a slight chill in the air. The sun is shining. It finally feels like fall. We had a miserably hot summer and I was very pregnant and grumpy. I’m loving being able to play outside with the boys before it gets dark. I’m grateful for this beautiful weather while it lasts!

4.  Ritters

For those who don’t know about the Frozen Custard shop down the road from my house, let me introduce you to heaven in a cup!  My favorite is a small chocolate glacier with snickers mixed in.  Or a small cup of chocolate covered banana or strawberry romance.  And they do sell gift cards (hint hint!)  So yummy!

5.  Anna

Our shared love of Ritters might be one of the reasons why Anna and I are such good friends.  We have kids the same age and serve in the Relief Society together, but those things wouldn’t automatically make us as close of friends as we have become.  I feel so blessed that I’ve had several best friends in my life.  Lindsay in high school, Melanie in college, Julie when I was single and now Anna as a mother of small children.  We talk almost every day and since our husbands and kids get along too we do things as a family together also.  Not only does she put up with me, she “gets me” too.  Thank you Anna for being my friend!

Cooking up some chicken

I recently ordered 40 lbs of chicken from Zaycon foods.  It arrived for pick up this Tuesday (and the line was HUGE!)  but I waited until today to deal with it. 

Inside this giant bag were 17 full chicken breasts which I cut into 34 breasts.  These breasts were huge.  My husband liked hearing me talk about each set of 2 big breasts…hehehehe.  Unfortunately these breasts had a lot of fat on them that needed to be trimmed.  But still, it only took me an hour and a half to trim, cut, and bag everything up!

I took 18 breasts and put them raw into freezer bags.  The other 16 breasts I boiled then shredded.  I recently saw information online about shredding hot cooked chicken in a kitchenaid mixer.  I tried it and was amazed at how easily and quickly it shredded my chicken.  I put about 3 breasts in at a time, turned the mixer on to a 4 or 5 for about 30 seconds and voila!  perfectly shredded chicken.  So easy!  I put my shredded chicken into freezer bags (2 cups each).

I ended up with a full table of chicken for use in a myriad of recipes and amazingly enough I got them all to fit in my kitchen freezer!  23 bags of food calculates to $2.60 per meal and each meal will likely have leftovers.  I’m happy!

Gratitude Thursday 2

Here we go again with 5 things I’m grateful for today

1.  This handsome boy

Christian turned 2 yesterday and is my main companion during each day.  He doesn’t talk much, but he is amazing!  He loves to play with balls and cars, say “HI”, give kisses, have me read to him, and has quite a shoe fetish!  He goes to sleep easily and still takes great naps most days which allows me to get something done.  He cracks me up and I’m so glad that I get to spend each day with him. 

2.  My Freezer

I got an extra freezer about a year and a half ago and LOVE it!  I am currently trying to do “something” for the freezer each week.  Last week was egg rolls, this week I handled 40 lbs of chicken.  Next week I’m going to attempt homemade gogurt (including homemade yogurt in the crockpot).  Freezer meals rock and this makes it SO much easier!

3. www.lds.org

I LOVE our church website.  They are constantly updating the content on it.  So much information and so helpful.  I use it almost daily.  Whether I’m studying my scriptures, looking up phone numbers, or reading about my responsibilities in the Relief Society, it’s fabulous.  If you aren’t using it regularly, I highly recommend it!

4.  My Kitchen Aid

I got this for Christmas about 2 years a go and LOVE it!  Today I shredded cooked chicken in it.  (It was seriously SO EASY)  I love to make cookies and banana bread in it.  As I mentioned last week, I make bread in it now.  Technology is awesome!

5.  My sister

I remember growing up and NOT being grateful for my sister.  We were not always the best of friends.  (Remember those fights driving to school…the hair pulling and everything?)  But now that we’re both moms we talk to each other almost every day.  Often multiple times a day.  She is one of my best friends and I’m so grateful that even though we live over 1600 miles apart we are so close.  (I can’t wait to see you at Christmas Sissy)

I’m so grateful for so many things, it’s hard to pick 5 each week.  Maybe I’ll keep doing this ALWAYS! (maybe not!)