Notes To Self: Time Change

Next year when it's time to "spring" ahead an hour and it's still the dead of winter...and it's still cold out...and it's still hard to move quickly because it's the dead of winter...do the following:

1. Go to bed early the day before time change.
2. Go to bed early the next FEW days after the time change.
3. Change the clocks in the cars FIRST. This will prevent being late for your own dinner because you are taking your time thinking you have all the time in the world when you don't because your clock is WRONG!
4. Have a couple of frozen meals ready so that when you're too exhausted from not doing 1 & 2, you'll still have something to eat and THEN you can go to bed early!

Menu Plan Monday: March 10-17

Whew! It's Monday again. Today we are dragging our little footsies as we come careening out of changing our clocks yesterday. We could barely get up this morning. It's almost 1 o'clock and nobody is hungry. We're a mess! On a brighter note...it's currently 43 with a peep of sunshine and promises of no precipitation for at least a couple of days. Of course, we know how accurate weather "promises" can be!

On to menu planning!--I just added my new meal patterns to my menu planning form and even a few regular weekly items to the grocery list. My intent is to get this done BEFORE Mondays from now on so that if husband is doing the shopping, I can hand him the list in the morning. Having to text (Oh no! Email is NO good for Mr. Palm Pilot!) it to him is a ROYAL PAIN! I love my form! (I've also added a new section for forms in my sidebar! I'll be adding all kinds of goodies to it over time!)

So here are the specifics added to my meal patterns for this week. What's not listed are the regular, repeat items to fill in, and the vegetable and fruit selections.

Breakfasts:
Gingerbread waffles
Anchor Watch Orange French Toast
Scrambled Eggs
Johnny Cakes

Dinners:
Sesame Chicken
Stuffed Pork Roast
Fettucine Alfredo w/Prosciuto
Tacos
Colorado White Chili
Chicken Garlic Pizza

For more menu plan Monday visit Laura @ Organized Junkie.

The Things of Man

I am learning the most interesting things about Easter. For instance, did you know that for several hundred years, Easter was not even called "Easter." Prior to the fourth century, Christians observed Pascha, or Christian Passover, in the spring of the year. Adapted from Jewish Passover, Pascha was a festival of redemption. As Jews, these early followers of Jesus celebrated both their liberation from slavery in Egypt, and their new liberation from the power of death itself.

As Christianity spread throughout the Roman world, however, the celebration became more and more a distinctly Christian one. But there also developed some disagreement about when and how the holiday should be observed. One of the principle reasons for organizing the council of Nicea in 325 CE was to set a firm date for the celebration.

There was a few problems with this however. There is a historic comtempt, and blatantly un-Biblical misunderstanding in regards to the Jews which led the papacy to change, not only the Sabbath to Sunday, (Biblically it is Saturday; the seventh day of the week) but also Passover to Easter. The reason? To ensure that Easter would not be celebrated at the same time of the Jewish Passover. The council of Nicea (A. D. 325) decreed that if the Jewish Passover fell on a Sunday, then Easter was to be celebrated the following Sunday in order to have "nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd." (Constantine the Great.)

Easter, or Eostre, which was the original spelling, was actually a holiday to celebrate the return of spring and the balance between light and dark around the time of the Spring Equinox. It was named after Eostre, the pagan goddess of dawn, fertility and new beginnings (and this worship was started in Babylon, of which we are constantly warned throughout scripture!). Eostre gave a rabbit the power to lay eggs once a year, on the Spring Equinox to symbolize new beginnings. The rabbit symbolized fertility. The Christian celebration of Christ's death and resurrection did, in fact, get its name from Eostre.

Interesting. There's more, of course, which I may post on later. Right now my prayer is that the things of man will stay the things of man and not replace the things of God.

Excellent!

I've been chosen by Kathy at Restoration Place for the Excellent Blog Award. I am very, very flattered. The guidelines require passing this on to ten excellent blogs. Wow! That's a tall bill to fill. You all have such excellence about you and many of you already have this award! For now, I'll mention a few that you may want to check out.

Melissa at In the Sparrow's Nest. Her excellent nature study posts have encouraged and inspired! We also share the same name which is excellent in itself!

Crystal at Biblical Womanhood. Crystal's blog is filed under "inspirational". She has a great way of sharing the day to day and also stimulating your thought process. I've picked up several good ideas from her.

Jennifer at Scraps and Snippets is a motivator full of more of those good ideas you homeschool moms keep sharing!

Angel at For the Sake of the Call. Angel is one of my dearest friends and I am blessed. She shares her wisdom, her growing pains, and her victories so transparently that you can't help but know you've met a sister.

Renae at Life Nurturing Education. Renae is also a motivator--specifically in her use and knowledge of teaching principally and Biblically. I so appreciate her Godly wisdom and know you will too!

Netherfieldmom at Under the Grow Light. This fine woman has brought some joy to my weariness, especially with her comments! Her excellence as a side-by-side comrade shines through!

There are so many excellent blogs out there, because there are so many excellent women! I'm only listing six because of overload in my tiny brain! Consider this just my personal introduction to a few. Some of these women are old friends, while some I'm just getting to know! Either way, they've blessed me with their excellence so I pass on this award!

Piled So High, It Almost Touched the Sky!

It was over the top of that basket you see, before requiring intervention. As I mentioned earlier, I've researched ideas thoroughly and laughed and cried till I'm sick with it.

Here's what doesn't work:

• Doing all the laundry in one day. This hurts my back, wears me out and depresses the tar out of me till it's completely finished. Then it usually sits for days before it's put away. Not a good plan.
• Doing one person's per day doesn't work. Too many variables--size and color of load.
• Doing what's needed and sorting into baskets by family member. They never get folded or put away with this method!

Here's what works!:

• Do one load per day to completion! That means put away too!

I've been doing this a week now and have discovered side benefits. Don't you just love side benefits!! This is actually how it's worked:

• I have my sorters in the laundry room and everything is brought in over the weekend and sorted.
• Each day I start a load after daughter goes to bed.
• When son goes to bed an hour later, I move it to the dryer.
• The dryer is already full from the day before. I take THAT load and fold and sort.
• I put away husbands, and my own.
• I stack each child's and the next day they are required to put it away.

Time? Hardly any! I love it. Daughter has really gotten in to this, too. She seems to look forward to her "stack"! For son, he's not overwhelmed with a huge load all his, so it's gone quickly and there have been no complaints!

By doing things this way, I finally have a sense of accomplishment with laundry! It's not perfect, but it's regular completion. No body is running out of anything (so far). I used to do about ten or so loads per week. That's more than one per day. For some reason, I'm not having that much! I think I was actually going closer to two weeks before attacking it--thus the tall pile! Oh. I also have available laundry baskets now, instead of them being full and stuffed into the laundry room. So where you see the pile above, is now two baskets--one for lights and one for darks. They are not overflowing before it's time to carry them in. Do you know how hard it was to carry THAT pile to the laundry room? Grrrrr!! My laundry room is neat and orderly and usable!

Husband said to me this very morning--and with a smile on his face, "I'm not even close to running out of laundry. I don't have to looking for socks! This is working great! Keep it up!" I was encouraged.

So this is my laundry victory! Next step? Homemade laundry soap. I have the ingredients and am waiting till I use up my current stash.

A Glimmer of Basketball Love

I didn't want the son to play basketball this winter. The main reason was because his past experiences were not very positive, nor helpful. An opportunity presented itself (because of dear friendships and prayer!) which had son assigned to a team with his best buddy and his best buddy's dad as coach, and the possibility of his own dad assisting. His buddy is also homeschooled, which makes a difference on a public school league involving 3rd graders! These were the only conditions that gave me any peace regarding his playing.

So he joined the team and grew and learned! He was well coached--which means A LOT! He gave it his all and began to show improvement. Then he had the fall. Ugh. That set him back, but he got right back in the fray as soon as possible. His team did very well and entered the tournament full of hope, making it to the semi-finals. Mostly, he was joyful in his time!

As soon as it was all done and they'd played their last game, received their trophys and said goodbye, something clicked. Maybe it was the promise of spring, but that boy could not keep his hands off a basketball for a week--a week of fairer weather. He practiced constantly, shooting hoops on the driveway.

It's very cold and snowy again, but I think he's got a glimmer of basketball love. Time will tell!

What Son Wants For Breakfast

So this is what met us as we came down to prepare breakfast this morning! Son had a plan--complete with sign and manners--and the only details he forgot were the milk and the spoons! It's all in the details: He's opened the jar of oatmeal, seasoning, and the brown sugar sucanat. He's chosen a large bowl for himself, and a small bowl for his sister--no bowls for the Daddy and the Mommy! Hmmm. No body misses boxed cereal in THIS house! :)

P.S. Son just informed me he "couldn't put out the milk, Mom!!"

The View From Where I Sit

This is the view from where I sit as I've determined it's time for a springy theme! Down will come the last remnants of all things wintery and up will go all things bright and cheery just as I hold out hope, this snowy day, for sunshine, flowers and outside time!!!

Ever curious about the origins of certain things in common life? I have found it interesting just how "of the world" some of our daily life has become. Take for example the names of months and the days of the week. God warns us about Babylon throughout scripture--Babylon being the source of all things pagan.

"Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations." Rev. 17:5

We should probably really know of what is spoken. Food for thought.

Month	Latin	Origin
January	Januarius	Named after the god Janus.
February	Februarius	Named after Februa, the purification festival.
March	Martius	Named after the god Mars.
April	Aprilis	Named either after the goddess Aphrodite or the Latin word aperire, to open.
May	Maius	Probably named after the goddess Maia.
June	Junius	Probably named after the goddess Juno.
July	Julius	Named after Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.E. Prior to that time its name was Quintilis from the word quintus, fifth, because it was the 5th month in the old Roman calendar.
August	Augustus	Named after emperor Augustus in 8 B.C.E. Prior to that time the name was Sextilis from the word sextus, sixth, because it was the 6th month in the old Roman calendar.
September	September	From the word septem, seven, because it was the 7th month in the old Roman calendar.
October	October	From the word octo, eight, because it was the 8th month in the old Roman calendar.
November	November	From the word novem, nine, because it was the 9th month in the old Roman calendar.
December	December	From the word decem, ten, because it was the 10th month in the old Roman calendar.

source: http://webexhibits.org/calendars/year-history.html


Sunday: From Latin dies solis, meaning "sun's day": the name of a pagan Roman holiday.
Monday: From the Anglo-Saxon monandaeg, "the moon's day"--this second day was sacred to the goddess of the moon.
Tuesday: Named after the Norse god Tyr. The Romans named this day after their war-god Mars: dies Martis.
Wednesday: The day named to honor Wodan (Odin).
The Romans called it dies Mercurii, after their god Mercury.
Thursday: Named after the Norse god Thor. In the Norse languages this day is called Torsdag. The Romans named this day dies Jovis ("Jove's Day"), after Jove or Jupiter, their most important god.
Friday: The day in honor of the Norse goddess Frigg. To the Romans this day was sacred to the goddess Venus, and was known as dies veneris.
Saturday: This day was called dies Saturni, "Saturn's Day", by the ancient Romans in honor of Saturn. In Anglo-Saxon: sater daeg.

source: http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/origin_days.html

Grandma Never Imagined!

Grandma never imagined these things would ever be on a to do list:

Check, purge and sort all computer bookmarks.

Read all 218 saved blog posts.
Print out website recipes saved.
Finish archiving digital photos.
Post how-to on digital Bible usage.

Calendar: Star Spangled Banner Day

Today is the anniversary of the day that the "Star-Spangled Banner", by Francis Scott Key, was made our National Anthem. Won't you sing along with us today?--and don't forget that bit about God in the last refrain! :)

Read more about it in "Francis Scott Key: God's Courageous Composer" (Sowers Series), by David R. Collins or here.

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.'
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Menu Plan Monday: March 3-9

I've been having a bit of frustration with the amount of time it's taking to plan my menus! Ergggh! :) What I've decided to do is to stick to meal patterns ("15 Minute Meal Planning," by Sue Gregg) with only minor changes and specifics each week. Part of my problem has been too many new recipes to look through and choose from. I'm going to put new recipes right on my upcoming meal plans and that way I'll remove some guess work. I always serve fresh fruit (or the occasional all-natural applesauce) with every meal, as well as fresh as many fresh veggies as I can find.

Breakfast Meal Pattern
Mon--Granola OR Oatmeal, & Yogurt
Tue--Waffles, Turkey bacon OR Sausage
Wed--Eggs OR Muffin w/Yogurt
Thu--French Toast w/all fruit jelly
Fri--Granola OR Eggs
Sat--Pancakes, Sausage OR Turkey Bacon
Sun--Oatmeal & Yogurt

Lunch Meal Pattern
Mon--Soup OR Raman Noodles w/Egg, Salad (This will probably change as the weather warms!)
Tue--Meat & Cheese Sandwich w/veggie
Wed--Snack Lunch (Turkey Pepperoni, Cheese cubes, carrots, Whole Grain Crackers, Sunflower Seed Butter, & fruit)
Thu--Quesadillas (Cheese, Meat & Cheese, or Veggie) & salad
Fri--Macaroni & Cheese w/Broccoli
Sat--Sunflower Seed Butter & Jelly Sandwich w/veggie
Sun--Sandwiches OR Left-overs

Dinner Meal Pattern
Mon--Chicken, veggie, toast OR rice
Tue--Turkey, salad OR veggie, rolls
Wed--Pork OR beef, veggie OR salad, rice OR grain
Thur--Pasta, veggie OR salad, bread OR rolls
Fri--Turkey OR fish, salad, rice OR grain
Sat--Crock Pot (including veggies), rolls OR corn bread
Sun--Homemade Pizza (veggie & meat), salad, bread sticks (opt)

This week's specifics include making:
Citrus Waffles
Sweet Spiced French Toast
Homemade Granola
Grahamcake Pancakes

Coconut Chicken
Lemon Poppy Turkey Burgers
Easy Garlic Pork Roast
Spaghetti
Grandpa's Fish
Texas Style Chili

I'll post more recipes soon! :) For more Menu Plan Monday go HERE!

Three Places I Hope to Visit

There are two places that I think about going to all the time, and have for years. Actually, they are events. I added a new one this year after becoming a Bach fan.

1. The Cherry-blossom festival in Washington, D.C.
2. The International Hot-Air Balloon Fiesta every October in Albuquerque, NM
3. The annual Bach Festival in Eugene, Oregon.

Where are you hankering to go?

Every Day or Periodic

I believe with Spring finally around the corner, I'm turning my own corner. I'm coming out of the hum-drum mode and sparks of thought are flying. Lots of itty bitty light bulb moments are helping me reach new milestones in my planning, homekeeping, and daily caretaking of my family.

Spark #1: We are more daily driven as a family, than periodically driven. I'm referring to routine and the ability to easily move from one task to the next. I'm beginning to see that things I do daily, whether for lessons or homekeeping, come much easier in both time and motivation. At the same time, things we do less often, don't always happen. It's those things that have become obstacles and have restricted our progress, to a degree.

Lesson learned? Well, this may seem dumb to those of you to whom this comes naturally, but I'm slow. Anything I have down for once or even twice a week (especially if not a two-day back to back) is not happening. Re-think, re-do. One "for instance" on my list was art. Even having a different sort of art each day did not help. What DID help was having one part of art always the same everyday, plus something different. This came very naturally with Bible, and I've also applied it to history and it works like a charm. It's routine.

Spark #2: Laundry! Throwing in laundry everyday and even sorting it does NOT work for me. I'm now on to laundry system number 47--One load. Just one load. Everyday. To completion. That means put away. It's ALL about getting it put away! That still leaves me with gathering it once a week, but I'm NOT depraved enough to do THAT everyday--yet. AND! What I've discovered is that the kids don't mind folding and putting away their clothes when there isn't a 100lb basket full each time I ask them! Who'd a thought?

Looking Forward

As I watched my children tromping about the yard yesterday, through a window beaming with fingerprints and sunbeams, I realized that--yes! indeed--spring is coming. This began a natural pondering of all kinds of things popping into my head--things I'm looking forward to.

Things like not wearing socks. My feet ache from socks! They feel puffy and dry and they crave a nice pair of flip flops. Those little sock creases feel like they are cutting off the circulation to my brain. Their end is coming!

I'm looking forward to soft butter. No longer will I have to scrape the stick (a nasty habit my husband got me in to). It will be a hardy, usable room temperature.

Flowing honey. Not crystallized and hardened with the cold ache of winter. Real flowing honey that drips and pours and measures without an hour hot bath in the sink.

Air. Real air pouring in every window and door, airing away the staleness of months spent trapped in a barren winter-ness.

Spring flowers. Last year was my first time ever to plant any spring bulb--miniature daffodils--and lo-and-behold! yesterday I saw their green tips pushing through to sunshine.

Oh! And sunshine. Where oh where has all the sunshine been? I've missed it. I've longed for it. My skin aches for it. My children crave it's beckoning.

Long days. Long days that allow for more completion. Days that start with daylight, rather than darkness. Days that end in warmth, rather than cold. Days without coats.

Gardening. One of my great hopes and joys. So much to look forward to. I yearn to pluck something from my own yard to feed my family. I long to see the beauty of growing things all around me.

The urge to go. I'd lost a lot of my urge to go anywhere. It's only recently that I've realized how much the cold has kept me home. Though I enjoy being home more than anywhere--after all, there's no place like it--I also enjoy a good road trip; a good visit with good friends; a nice trip to the ice cream parlor.

There's so much more...

The companionship of books in sunlight.
The feel of heat that warms the bones.
The smell of a good park.
The taste of sun-tea.
The joy of finding something that was lost for a time...a season (or three!).

The incredible, delicious sound of children screaming and laughing and running and playing, and joyfully going about the business of being outside.

I can't wait. God really does have mercy on us. He truly shows us new seasons, with new purpose. He puts away the cold and worn, and brings forth a new day.

It's all good.