I can't believe Easter is just around the corner. This year I want to make my kids homemade goodies and get them simple, natural toys. Maybe some gardening supplies...like seed packets, little pots.

For some sweet, natural handmade toys perfect for an Easter basket, check out Garden Mama's great giveaway!

I love spring and Easter celebrations! I am so ready for warmer weather, greening trees, and family get-togethers with delicious food!

New Things

New things are happening in my kitchen. Here is what I have done in the last week:

-Made homemade chicken stock
-Made spouts with quinoa
-Made homemade cream of mushroom soup (for casseroles)
-Cooked most of our meals from scratch
-Cooked and baked with coconut oil
-Made homemade Thai coconut chicken soup

I've also stopped buying:
-boxed mac & cheese
-canned soups, chili, spaghettios

Next steps I want to take:
-stop buying all processed food...crackers, tortillas, bread...(need to make alternatives first)
-learn to make sourdough bread
-find a recipe for Ranch dressing that my kids will eat
-find a recipe for non-dairy creamer that my husband will use
-buy local eggs and chicken from a farm
-cut back on white sugar

There are more things I want to do, but I'll get overwhelmed if I try to change everything at once...I do still have to feed four children and my husband!

I am reading:
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
And these blogs: Kitchen Stewardship, GNOWFGLINS

So far I'm having a blast...hopefully I wont burn out before I make more positive changes!

Sunshine Break

We woke to the comforting sounds of rain on our roof. We don't get a lot of rain here, so it was nice and cozy. Throughout the morning the clouds dissipated and the sun shone bright and cheery. We quickly pulled on socks, shoes and jackets to head outside for the first time in way too long.

The snow from over a month ago had finally melted away. Our new walker was utterly delighted to explore on her own two feet.

A puddle perfect for jumping into, riding through, and splashing rocks was filled with the sky and the sun.

It was a beautiful break in the middle of winter.

Right Now

Right now...

I'm sitting at the computer, drinking coffee, listening to instrumental Christmas music on Pandora, enjoying my quiet morning house as the sun comes up on a snowy world.
Only one of my four children is awake...and he is quietly watching Little Bear while he drinks his morning milk.
Wait...a happy squeal from the little one's room...my one year old daughter is now awake. I'll let her play in her crib for a couple of minutes.

Today...
There will be a Christmas, oops, I mean a Holiday party at school for my two oldest. Sending cranberry muffins and candy canes.
So, at home we will have our own little party with our little 3 year-old friend, who I care for during the day, my 2 1/2 year-old son, and my one year old daughter. I am thinking...mini cupcakes to sprinkle and a Christmas story...if I have the chance, maybe I'll whip up some sugar cookie dough for Christmas shapes and frosting and sprinkles...but as I write this I think the mini cupcakes will be much easier and just as fun.

A few minutes later...
Well, three out of four children are now up and our little friend is here. Little one year old miss is eating fist-fulls of scrambled eggs, two others are squabbling (as usual), and one is back to his milk and Little Bear...time for me to get us all going.

Hmmmm

Playing around with fun blog designs. Maybe this will inspire me to post more. Part of my problem is TIME. Part of my problem is what to write about. I think I need to see my blog as my personal journal and not write for an audience. But I'm also considering focusing on food. We'll see .

Oh, my eleven-year-old daughter just started a blog for home school. She is going to post things she is learning about as well as creative writing stuff...and probably whatever she happens to think would be fun. She is such a sweet, fun-loving, happy girl. I'm so blessed to be able to be her mom.
Please stop by her blog and leave her a kind comment.
Thanks!

Course Correction

I haven't been motivated to blog this summer. Too discouraged by what I don't accomplish, don't finish, don't check off my list. And then, I've also been struggling with meeting the needs of all four of my children. I love being a mom, and longed for motherhood for most of my life, but it sure is hard!

Mommy-ing really takes it out of me. Maybe because I'm an introvert who needs quiet to think straight and alone time to function on normal level. I jumped into foster care as a starry-eyed single girl who wanted to make a difference, and then--boom--five years later I have four children--wonderful, beautiful, precious children--who all have a multitude of needs that I have to meet. The depend on ME. Yikes, kind of scary.

Anyway, what I'm trying to get to is this. I've spent five years trying really hard to be a good mommy. I've failed so many times. But this is a learning experience. Hopefully, I'm learning from my mistakes. What I've realized recently is that during all this struggling, I've been slowly veering off course.

Off course of what? Of my walk with God. I didn't jump off all of a sudden. It's been a slow meandering away from His best caused by little choices and mixed up priorities. I forgot that He doesn't expect me to figure it all out alone, to face each day of diapers, messes, tantrums, tears, piles of dishes, and four little lives on my own. Or, maybe I didn't actually forget this, I just stopped asking Him for help. Somehow I am finding myself frantically peering around, looking for that path I used to be on. The path where I was in daily communion with God. Where I spent time in His Word, building my self up to face any life could throw at me.

So, now I'm in the process of trying to get back on course. I'm realizing that I can't be a good wife and mother if I'm always running on empty. I'll try to post an update now and then as I work to get back where I should be--spiritually and physically; work on taking care of myself as well as my family.

Home

We are home.

We were away for a whopping five weeks! It was a long time to be away, but it was nice to have time to see friends and family more than once and get some time to relax and enjoy the summer up in our old stomping grounds. We played at the lake, the park, various Grama's houses.

We visited with friends, cousins, aunts, uncles, Gramas, Grampas and Papas.

We met Smokey.

We boated, floated, picnic-ed, and barbecued. We went though lots of sunscreen and flip flops.

We got new teeth.

Not that you can see them in this photo...

And we experienced a few firsts.

We had a great time.

But it's so nice to be home.

Now the school year is just around the corner, but we are going to try to squeeze in a little more summer magic.

Side note:

I am in the process of assessing my purpose here on this blog. I'm contemplating different directions that I want to take. I want to be more consistent with posting. So, if anyone is out there, if anyone is reading, please don't give up on me. I will be back soon!