Plant killer episode 2

Turns out this year I am not doing so great at killing my plants. In fact they are thriving... I keep fearing I will wake up one morning and they will all be shriveled, brown, and dead.These pictures are from 3 weeks ago. (yes I am behind, but playing catchup this week!!)

 

We added a new basil plant, and you can see the boxwood basil and parsley are still thriving.

 

We also added a locally grown organic spearmint.

We also moved Mr. Green (the tomato plant) into a new, much bigger pot and got him a gorgeous yellow cage.

Abiageal turns 3!

Only a week late. And better late than never right?!

My dear sweet middle child turned 3 on the 15th! Suddenly she looks so big and mature. She had a blast with her friends, and her My Little Pony themed party. I am so proud of this kiddo! She can count to 10, say her ABCs, and is learning to recognize her letters and spell her name!! She also LOVES to load and unload the dishwasher (let's just hope she doesn't lose this joy as she approaches her teens, lol).

Cornbread 2 ways

Mmmmmmm. I love cornbread. I could eat a whole pan with only minimal regrets. So here are my super easy super yummy recipes!

Sweet honey cornbread:

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
¾ cup corn meal
¼ cup honey
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
½ cup frozen corn

Preheat oven to 400.
Grease a 9x9 pan.
Combine dry ingredients.
Stir in oil, honey, egg, and milk. Mix just until moistened.
Stir in corn.
Pour batter in pan.
Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Jalepeno cheddar cornbread:

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
¾ cup corn meal
2-4 tablespoons diced pickled jalepenos
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
½ cup frozen corn
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400.
Grease a 9x9 pan.
Combine dry ingredients.
Stir in oil, jalepeno, egg, and milk. Mix just until moistened.
Stir in corn and cheese.
Pour batter in pan.
Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Enjoy!

5 kitchen items I can't live without

There are some things I think EVERY kitchen should have! Here they are!

1. Kitchen aid artisan mixer

I never knew how much I would truly love and use this single piece of kitchen equipment! 

2. Cuisinart ice cream maker.

A summer staple! Make ice cream for the birthday parties or just because! Small (ish) easy to use!

3. Toaster oven

Summer here gets to be extremely hot! Any reason I can find to not turn on the oven I am all over. We have only had it 2 months but Emma also loves it! It was our compromise on a easy bake oven! 

4. Cast iron pan

You can make no better gravy than you can in a cast iron pan! 

5.Metal magnetic measuring spoons

These are awesome! They stick together so you don't lose them, because who keeps up with that little plastic ring anyways?!? But be careful in the dishwasher, we lost a couple of magnets that way! 

Samantha Olson 4/8/2013

 Dear Sam, 

I can't believe I am sitting here writing this to you, knowing you will never get the chance to read it. Just yesterday we sat together at Kayden's party, chatting, picking on Scott, and making silly jokes, and today you are gone. 

Shocked doesn't even begin to describe how I feel. Everything is just so surreal. Watching your husband with his lost look on his face is heart wrenching. But your beautiful children continue to smile on, and I know they do because of how happy you made them. You would go to the moon and back without a question for your sweet babies. It's all so unfair that they have to grow without knowing you. I can't imagine having to leave my children behind but I know you will be watching them. Your hands will always be on their hearts.

Last night I sent you that text asking if you wanted to go out. I knew you would say no, but I wanted so much for you to feel included, and loved. I hope you felt that way. I hope you truly know how many people love you and miss you. You have touched us in a special way ( I know go ahead and say your inappropriate joke). 


Know that I am here to help with your kids. So many people have offered to help, to be there for them and your husband. I am amazed, at all the love for you.

Your silly jokes your, laugh, smile, your fight until the end will never be forgotten. I am so glad your pain is gone, and you can be happier than you have ever been. I miss your face already. I will see you again dear friend. Until then enjoy your time with Jesus.

Love you forever and always, 

Your crazy loud neighbors. <3

Teaching kids to make the right choice

Recently there were some events that weighed heavy on my heart and really made me think about how I raise my children and what I want to teach them in the process.

I feel like one of the biggest life lessons I can teach them to do the right thing even when everyone else is doing wrong.

It's a hard lesson.

They may be only (almost) 3 and 4 but they already are exposed to peer pressure. Now is the time to start teaching them to so right so when they are faced with harder and serious challenges we can trust them to make the right decisions.

My girls are complete opposites. Abiageal is a leader. She doesn't let others boss her around and would much rather control the crowed than be herded along. She is strong willed and when she is right, she is right.

Emma on the other hand, bless her little heart, is gullible. She can be talked into doing most things. She trust on impulse that her loved ones and friends wouldn't steer her wrong, and is perfectly okay with being a sheep.

Abiageal and Emma have faults in their personalities.

I love that Emma is so trusting but I don't want others to take advantage of her generosity, and good heart.

I hope Abiageal uses her power for good.

Of course I can't leave out Tristyn, but she is still too little to be influenced too heavily by older kids. For now.

I hope if they get caught up with kids who bully they will be able to walk away. Or if their friends want to do drugs they can be the ones to say no. If their friends want to fight and hit they will be the ones to let an adult know.

I hope to accomplish this by establishing open communication with the girls.

Usually when they start telling on each other constant I get annoyed and tell them just to be nice. But I have realized I want them to feel like they can come to me with the little things so later they will be comfortable to come to me with the big things.

I don't know if they will or won't succumb to peer pressure, as tots or as teens. I hope to be the biggest influence in their life. Not television, video games, friends, or even teachers. I want my values instilled in them. Not the worlds.

I truly fear waking up one day and realizing my kids aren't the kind of people they should have been because I didn't do what I should have done when they were little.

Chores

When I was growing up chores were apart of my life. Yes, as a child I hated them. I hated taking out the trash, doing my own laundry, doing the dishes EVERY NIGHT, ect. BUT I truly believe that they helped shape my into becoming an responsible and productive adult. I did chores for no allowance *GASP* I did them simply because I was told to. Not always with out a fight or whining that I "deserved" allowance, but for the most part they were done.
 
My older girls are 2 (well she will be 3 on the 15th) and 4 1/2. From the time Emma was little I knew I was set on her having regular chores. Emma and Abiageal both help around the house. We weren't too consistent about it until recently. Then we started with a single daily clean up, around 4/4:30 they pick up the living room before daddy comes home.

Well after a month of that they got bored. Annoyed. And the tears broke out. It was becoming a battle, and battle I didn't want to fight at their young age! So, about 2 weeks ago we implemented a money bribe (for lack of a better term). If they helped around the house willingly and without a fight they would be rewarded.

We only ask once. "Emma would you like to help pick up the living room", sometimes she says no, and runs off to play, some times she will as "Will I get a dollar?",  my answer is usually "You know if you help you are rewarded, and if you don't you aren't, you have a choice." Now its about this point she will stop and think and 95% of the time she will choose to help.

Now that we have started rewarding her for chores she volunteers to help many times more than in the past. She will ask to help do the dishes or help set the table. When she is finished sometimes she ask for a reward, but many times she doesn't and a "Thank you and Good Job" are enough for her tiny ego.

The best part about our new system: Emma does more chores without tears and fighting and ENJOYS helping, AND Abiageal wants to be just like big sister so she jumps at the chance to help to!

Today they wanted to unload and load the dishwasher. Honestly I was VERY hesitant at first, but after a quick thought I figured why not. So I told them to have at it.

Hubs did a bit of supervising but not much, they really handled this task on their own with VERY little assistance. Emma unloaded the dishes and put away what she could, and the stuff that belonged in the higher cabinets she left on the counter for me. Abiageal then ran and grabbed the stool and started piling dishes in.

I have always called Abiageal my quiet observer, and watching her load the dishes just proved me more right. She stood at the sink, reaching in to pull out each dish one by one. She very carefully glanced them over and tried to decide which rack to put them in. All of the plastic bowls, cups and large utensils made it to the top rack, and the large mixing bowls, and our glass plate (we have corelle ware, otherwise this would have ended badly quick) made it to the bottom rack. They were stacked and set in almost exactly how I would have done it.

I think if we lead by example we can encourage our children to do what's right, to start chores on their own so they can become productive adults.

What chores do your kids do?