The hardest thing about finding out I was adopted was what I looked like. No longer could I look in the mirror, at my pictures and see my parents in me. I could not expect to see parts of my parents "show up" in my children. It felt like I lost them all over again, and in a way I did. So I avoided mirrors like the plague and put away all the photos of me that were easily visible. Each time I looked in the mirror my heart would break a little.My grief, not of being adopted, but not having that physical part of my parents is what hurt.
But that's all I lost, the physical. What I kept was the unconditional love, joyful memories and a foundation in Christ; they gave me that. The same things I desire to instill in my children. And if we are ever blessed to adopt our self, why would I morn the loss of the physical? After all, the way my eyes look, the flecks of gold and green and brown, He made
them that way! My smile. My cheeks. My monkey toes. He created me in His
image. His design for me was before the foundation of the earth. I was made in the image of my Father! We all were and what a wonderful thing to see when we look in the mirror.
Now mirrors are no longer my enemy. Photos are on display and appreciated for the moments in time they captured. I no longer look for physical glimpses of my parents in my children but instead I look for the quality's my parents instilled in me that I'm passing on to them. And most importantly I am teaching them who they are in Christ, so that there identity is always rooted in Him.
Got to buzz, I've books to read with my little pastries.
-K
Monday, July 8, 2013
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Menu Planning: Game Plan
June's menu planning was a bust, I think I tried to do too much while recovering. This once a month shopping and cooking thing is challenging to figure out, but I'm determined to get a handle on it. Time to come up with a plan.
Game Plan:
Make menu! I've discovered that this can be the most tricky thing of all. I could just choose what I want to eat...if I were single...but I'm a married gal and mama who needs to consider the needs and preferences of her family AND choose meals that we all enjoy while still easy and healthy. I'm sure that this combination is not the elusive Bermuda Triangle.
Make Shopping List. I pulled out all my recipe cards. (I'm old school that way and it works so much better then trying to pull up the recipes on my phone or computer. The only recipes I keep in my "book" are ones that we have had, that we like, that we want to have again.) Write down all the ingredients from the list on my shopping list by recipe. Then tally up how much of each thing I need if I will be doubling or more during the month. That way if the ground turkey that we always buy is on sale I know how much I need for the whole month and can stock up. If it's not on sale I also know how much I need just for the week.
Shop my Kitchen. Time to take my list into the kitchen and see what I already have on the list. I only have a normal refrigerator and that limits the amount of freezer space I have, so I also have to make sure I have room in the freezer.
Clean Kitchen. Not the quick wipe down, but the deep clean including the refrigerator and spice cabinet. This is a great way to make more room and also make sure you have all the spices and condiments you need for cooking. I like to do this the day or morning before I do my big shopping.
Eat and Pack Snacks. Oh my goodness, never ever go to the store without eating a substantial meal! And if you need to bring the kids feed them too! This includes nursing the baby before I leave. Oh and make sure everyone goes potty! Sometimes I even go twice! I also like to include some kind of snack thing on my shopping list for them that I can pick up withing the first 15 minutes of shopping or I pack something for them to bring along. Oh, and for my older two I take advantage of Fred Meyers Kids Club just about every time I go. Kid's love it. And my front pack for baby is a must when I need to fill the cart. In case you didn't know, car seats take up the whole basket!
Saving Money, Time and Sanity. I try and check my ads and any coupons that I stumble across. (I should take more advantage of those coupons!) And plan what stores I should go to in what order based on savings, time of day and distance. I don't want to waste my gas and I don't want to be shopping during nap time. Plus, if I'm going to take advantage of my Fred Meyer Kid's club I need to make sure I plan out that time for when the are open. Oh, and we are a one car family so I need to make sure that my shopping is before my Honey leaves for the day or after he gets home. Juggle juggle juggle!
Shop. Don't forget your list. Put on a smile. Take a deep breath. Smile and I try and remember all the Love and Logic I've read. And not going to more then two stores in one day. I tried three, well four but one of them ended up being a bust, yesterday and forgot more then half the stuff on my list.
Stores I shop:
Fred Meyers I like the reward points I earn and the gas discount. Oh, and did I mention the Kids Club?
Grocery Outlet I try and check them first since the selection is always changing. They tend to have great deals on organic food, cheese and wine.
Safeway. I tend to get great sale deals with my Just for U. And there Mom to Mom diapers are the best, not only for cost but substance as well. They also have gas rewards and saving money at the pump is always a win.
Win Co. Bulk organic Coconut flour. Spices, cheese and some frozen foods.
Trader Joe's Nuts. Coconut milk. Almond meal. Dried fruit. Produce. Ezechiel bread and wraps.
Win Co. Bulk organic Coconut flour. Spices, cheese and some frozen foods.
Albertsons. I don't make it hardly at all, but last month I discovered they had a great Gluten Free selection, so I'm going to be keeping an eye on them from now on.
Costco I have not had a membership in years so I called and asked
if they had a trial membership I could use for the day and see if the
savings would justify the cost of a membership. Well I confirmed this
information with two different people at the store, however after I
lugged all my kids into the store and waited in line at customer service I was told the information was incorrect. Customer service FAIL! No Costco membership for me.
Put the food away. If you manage to get your shopping done in the morning, cook everything you can now while you put the other food away. If I have meat to brown start with that right off while I put away the frozen food. Next, prepare produce for the week and store. And then just put everything else away.
Meals for the day. I also strongly suggest not cooking this night and making lunch super simple too. Take out? Frozen pizza? A freezer meal you already have on hand.
Next day. Cook. Cook. Cook. All those freezer or other make ahead meals you want to do. This is the day! And if you are a crock pot cooker like me, put that baby to work for you too!
So there you go. This is the advice I give my self and hope to follow as well. But don't forget that hiccups happen along the way, like your daughters diaper leaking! "Wet clean up isle one." Yesterday. Or your baby has a blow out in your front pack. Last month. Or your daughter has an up her back blow out that ends up all over your arm and you think it might be the chocolate from the doughnut she has. Two months ago. Yep, those things they use in movies happen in real life!
Got to buzz, baby to put to sleep.
-K
Game Plan:
Make menu! I've discovered that this can be the most tricky thing of all. I could just choose what I want to eat...if I were single...but I'm a married gal and mama who needs to consider the needs and preferences of her family AND choose meals that we all enjoy while still easy and healthy. I'm sure that this combination is not the elusive Bermuda Triangle.
Make Shopping List. I pulled out all my recipe cards. (I'm old school that way and it works so much better then trying to pull up the recipes on my phone or computer. The only recipes I keep in my "book" are ones that we have had, that we like, that we want to have again.) Write down all the ingredients from the list on my shopping list by recipe. Then tally up how much of each thing I need if I will be doubling or more during the month. That way if the ground turkey that we always buy is on sale I know how much I need for the whole month and can stock up. If it's not on sale I also know how much I need just for the week.
Shop my Kitchen. Time to take my list into the kitchen and see what I already have on the list. I only have a normal refrigerator and that limits the amount of freezer space I have, so I also have to make sure I have room in the freezer.
Clean Kitchen. Not the quick wipe down, but the deep clean including the refrigerator and spice cabinet. This is a great way to make more room and also make sure you have all the spices and condiments you need for cooking. I like to do this the day or morning before I do my big shopping.
Eat and Pack Snacks. Oh my goodness, never ever go to the store without eating a substantial meal! And if you need to bring the kids feed them too! This includes nursing the baby before I leave. Oh and make sure everyone goes potty! Sometimes I even go twice! I also like to include some kind of snack thing on my shopping list for them that I can pick up withing the first 15 minutes of shopping or I pack something for them to bring along. Oh, and for my older two I take advantage of Fred Meyers Kids Club just about every time I go. Kid's love it. And my front pack for baby is a must when I need to fill the cart. In case you didn't know, car seats take up the whole basket!
Saving Money, Time and Sanity. I try and check my ads and any coupons that I stumble across. (I should take more advantage of those coupons!) And plan what stores I should go to in what order based on savings, time of day and distance. I don't want to waste my gas and I don't want to be shopping during nap time. Plus, if I'm going to take advantage of my Fred Meyer Kid's club I need to make sure I plan out that time for when the are open. Oh, and we are a one car family so I need to make sure that my shopping is before my Honey leaves for the day or after he gets home. Juggle juggle juggle!
Shop. Don't forget your list. Put on a smile. Take a deep breath. Smile and I try and remember all the Love and Logic I've read. And not going to more then two stores in one day. I tried three, well four but one of them ended up being a bust, yesterday and forgot more then half the stuff on my list.
Stores I shop:
Fred Meyers I like the reward points I earn and the gas discount. Oh, and did I mention the Kids Club?
Grocery Outlet I try and check them first since the selection is always changing. They tend to have great deals on organic food, cheese and wine.
Safeway. I tend to get great sale deals with my Just for U. And there Mom to Mom diapers are the best, not only for cost but substance as well. They also have gas rewards and saving money at the pump is always a win.
Win Co. Bulk organic Coconut flour. Spices, cheese and some frozen foods.
Trader Joe's Nuts. Coconut milk. Almond meal. Dried fruit. Produce. Ezechiel bread and wraps.
Win Co. Bulk organic Coconut flour. Spices, cheese and some frozen foods.
Albertsons. I don't make it hardly at all, but last month I discovered they had a great Gluten Free selection, so I'm going to be keeping an eye on them from now on.
Put the food away. If you manage to get your shopping done in the morning, cook everything you can now while you put the other food away. If I have meat to brown start with that right off while I put away the frozen food. Next, prepare produce for the week and store. And then just put everything else away.
Meals for the day. I also strongly suggest not cooking this night and making lunch super simple too. Take out? Frozen pizza? A freezer meal you already have on hand.
Next day. Cook. Cook. Cook. All those freezer or other make ahead meals you want to do. This is the day! And if you are a crock pot cooker like me, put that baby to work for you too!
So there you go. This is the advice I give my self and hope to follow as well. But don't forget that hiccups happen along the way, like your daughters diaper leaking! "Wet clean up isle one." Yesterday. Or your baby has a blow out in your front pack. Last month. Or your daughter has an up her back blow out that ends up all over your arm and you think it might be the chocolate from the doughnut she has. Two months ago. Yep, those things they use in movies happen in real life!
Got to buzz, baby to put to sleep.
-K
Monday, July 1, 2013
Cherry July
Wanna know what I love about July? Cherries! Fresh, ripe cherries! There have been many a summer that I've eaten more then I should have and then mourned the fact that there were none left for breakfast. I have now learned the art of measuring out my servings in advance and savoring each bite so they last longer. And (shh) since my little ones don't have the seed spitting thing down yet, I still get to hog most of them to myself.
So what is a cherry loving girl to do all the other times of the year? In the past I would go for Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt, those cherry chocolate things that show up around Christmas, Shirley Temple or Roy Roger (yes, I know how bad maraschino cherries are for me) or my favorite candy bar! It's this chocolate cherry bar thing from Australia that is just a little bit of heaven in each bite. But I met that candy bars and other cherry treats three kids ago and now I'm trying to make more healthy choices. (FYI: will still eat those candy bars when ever I get the chance!)
In my quest for CHERRY bliss I've added two recipes to my family cookbook. Cherry Chocolate Shake and Cherry Banana Ice Cream. Don't be fooled by the names, these things are just as good for you and they are to eat. And even while the fresh ones are in season, the cold temperature of these make them extra perfect for these hot days!
Cherry Chocolate Shake
1 cup frozen cherries
1 heaping tbsp of cocoa powder
1 cup of milk, more or less to get desired thickness (coconut and almond milk are also very taste in this)
Optional add in: 1-2 tbsp chia seeds!
Combine first 3 ingredients in blender. Blend till smooth. Pour into glass and enjoy. If you add the chia seeds I suggest that you stir them into your glass, not using the blender, and letting it sit for about 5 minutes. If you can wait that long!
Cherry Banana Ice Cream
.5 cup frozen cherries
half a banana (I used a fresh one, but frozen would probably work to.)
Combine in blender or food processor till smooth. Scoop into serving dish and enjoy!
Got to buzz, I've got a monthly menu to plan and shopping list to make. You can bet fresh cherries are on that list!
-K
Added half of a ripe banana to my Cherry Chocolate Shake last night and so good! Try it!
-K
So what is a cherry loving girl to do all the other times of the year? In the past I would go for Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt, those cherry chocolate things that show up around Christmas, Shirley Temple or Roy Roger (yes, I know how bad maraschino cherries are for me) or my favorite candy bar! It's this chocolate cherry bar thing from Australia that is just a little bit of heaven in each bite. But I met that candy bars and other cherry treats three kids ago and now I'm trying to make more healthy choices. (FYI: will still eat those candy bars when ever I get the chance!)
In my quest for CHERRY bliss I've added two recipes to my family cookbook. Cherry Chocolate Shake and Cherry Banana Ice Cream. Don't be fooled by the names, these things are just as good for you and they are to eat. And even while the fresh ones are in season, the cold temperature of these make them extra perfect for these hot days!
Cherry Chocolate Shake
1 cup frozen cherries
1 heaping tbsp of cocoa powder
1 cup of milk, more or less to get desired thickness (coconut and almond milk are also very taste in this)
Optional add in: 1-2 tbsp chia seeds!
Combine first 3 ingredients in blender. Blend till smooth. Pour into glass and enjoy. If you add the chia seeds I suggest that you stir them into your glass, not using the blender, and letting it sit for about 5 minutes. If you can wait that long!
Cherry Banana Ice Cream
.5 cup frozen cherries
half a banana (I used a fresh one, but frozen would probably work to.)
Combine in blender or food processor till smooth. Scoop into serving dish and enjoy!
Got to buzz, I've got a monthly menu to plan and shopping list to make. You can bet fresh cherries are on that list!
-K
Added half of a ripe banana to my Cherry Chocolate Shake last night and so good! Try it!
-K
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