More Healthy School Lunches

As a photographer I am really ashamed of these pictures, but I thought I would post them anyway for those who are interested! I normally grab the lunch box right before they dig in a snap a picture with my phone, hence the bad shots and messy table.

  Here's another week of homeschool lunch boxes that I try to keep as healthy as possible. Sometimes they are leftovers from parties (as you'll see), or there's a cookie here and there. I believe in everything in moderation, especially for kids.

Tuna-fish pumpkins, pretzel thins, ants on a log, watermelon and grapes

PB and J squares, pretzels, grapes and yogurt

Leftovers: Whole wheat macaroni and broccoli, grapes, oatmeal cookie

(Oh look, my filthy table made it into the picture too!) Leftover pizza, chips, grapes, healthy bean cookie (recipe here)

Turkey Man, Cheesestick, kashi natural crackers (thanks to a $1 off coupon), plums, healthy bean cookie

PB&J triangles, kashi cheese crackers, cheesestick, carrots and grapes

The Here and Now

This past Sunday was the church's annual anniversary service to celebrate 28 years and it was packed with several hundred people! There is always a huge Texas style bbq picnic meal planned after the service, and it's usually smoldering hot. This year was much different as it was raining...and raining..and raining, with no hopes of stopping at any point throughout the day. Our church does not have the facilities to feed that many people inside, so they quickly packed up over 100 to go boxes and served the rest of the people in the small fellowship hall that we do have. I ended up working in the nursery that day so I didn't get to experience the service firsthand, but I do know that the Lord really worked and over 10 people were saved. Praise the Lord!

We had meetings Monday and Tuesday night with Larry Brown and Terry Angela, and the messages could not have been more perfect for our church. Each one was great, but this is what I got out of it: Show your children through actions how much you love them. Kiss them, hug them, give them little treats. Make your home a haven and place that they'll miss someday.Get off your computer, get off your phone, look into their beautiful eyes and give them your undivided attention. Be present.

 I know for a fact that most of what I got out the messages wasn't even preached, but God knew just what I needed, just like he always does.

 Our week so far:

Already interested in football at 6 months old

Mom. Let me enjoy the game, will you?!

 Sometimes the realization of how blessed I really am just overwhelms me as I watch 3 healthy, beautiful children play together in perfect harmony. It doesn't happen all the time but when it does it creates a beautiful song that I want to share with the world.

Coming in from playing to give me flowers

I've wanted to try a picture like this for a while. Edited ones on my photography blog soon!

Brothers... 

There are way too many techincal distractions for us living today. Phone calls, text messages, emails, Facebook, Instragam, Twitter, Blogging, Pinterest and probably a whole slew that I don't even know about yet. Focus on whats important--being present in the here and now, enjoying those around you and giving them your undivided attention.

Our Week

We just finished our third week of school and I wish I could say I was settling into a routine, but I'm not. Mornings usually get started later than I hope, but I'm learning to accept that it isn't always going to run perfectly. As long as we've accomplished what we want to at the end of the day, I'm happy. Even if I am cleaning the kitchen at 10:00pm.

 I've been inspired by another blogger to do a home purge, and that started this week. My closet was rid of 4 garbage bags of clothes and trash. It's embarrassing to even admit that, but it feels good to have everything neat and organized. My closet is huge, (like the size of a small bedroom) so it's easy to let everything pile up and not even know what I have. Of course it didn't stop me from going to the thrift store 2 days later and buying 2 new shirts. Seriously? I do have my ways of justifying it, like now that I know what I have, I know what I need. Also, I have 3 kids, which means my body has changed tremendously over the last 6 years. There. Justified.

Cleaning Break

Homemade sauce 

9-11 Anniversary. I told the kids about it and we watched youtube footage of the planes hitting the towers

The weather started to cool down this week. I'm in the mood for sweaters, boots, coffee and friend get-to-gethers, but it will be a while before that happens. For now we're enjoying the fact that it's in the low 90's and we can sit outside and enjoy the end of summer.

Another thrift store find-- Brookie said he looked like a bee. It's size 12 months and fits him so good!

See his pink ear? The kids found out that if they touched him with their sidewalk chalk hands, he would turn pink. He's had half of a pink head for 3 days now.

This week, we started to put letters together even though we weren't quite to that point yet in the curriculum. I just wanted to see if she could sound letters out. We have done it a little bit before, but this time she really got into it. I laughed out of sheer joy and excitement to watch her slowly slur out each sound and realize that she had just read the word. It's like observing a butterfly emerge from it's cocoon--you want to help, but they have to figure it out for themselves. 

And figure it out she did. One of the main reasons we decided to home school this year was so that I could experience this with her, and it did not disappoint. It was one of the best thing's I've ever witnessed as a Mom!

Handwriting is her least favorite subject--the big smile was only because she was done with that page!

On the way home from church Wednesday night, Brookie said, "Mommy, when I grow up I want to be a missionary." I almost started crying as she told me the story she had learned in her class and how it made her want to be a missionary and tell others about Jesus. My heart wanted to burst with happiness. I know a lot can change in 20 years but her innocent, sweet, happy face the day that she told me this news was something I never want to forget.

Happy Weekend, friends!

2 Weeks of Healthy School Lunches

I've had several people comment about packing lunches and how they really like the idea for homeschooling. I thought I would post pictures of our last 2 weeks of healthy lunches (one day is missing because of Labor Day) to give you some fun ideas! Really, they don't take long at all even though some of them look like they would.

 I try to follow this basic idea for kids lunches:

• Sandwhich or wrap (or other "main" dish)
• Crunchy Thing
• Fruit or Veggie
• Dairy (either on the sandwhich or seperate)
• Treat 

Obviously, I don't always get each of these items in the lunch box every day, as you'll see, but it's a basic formula that I like to follow!

Turkey Sandwiches, pretzel things, cheese stick, peaches, chocolate covered raisins

Turkey and Cheese Roll up, multi-grain crackers, carrot sticks, raisins, Oreo's

Turkey sandwiches, peanut butter granola bar, cheese stick, strawberries, chocolate covered raisins

Turkey and Cheese Skewers, Pretzel thins, carrot sticks, Butterscotch chips and raisins

Leftovers: Tomato Pie, Macaroni and Cheese and caramel chocolate trail mix. (Yes that is trail mix. Obviously I didn't take large caramel rice cakes, break them up and throw some chocolate chips in there. That would be totally un-cool. Duh.) 

(Just Kidding.)

Tomato, Olive and turkey skewers, Pretzels, Yogurt, pineapple slices

Turkey sandwiches, multi-grain crackers, cheese, grapes and oreos

Peanut butter and jelly roll ups, pretzels, yogurt, grapes, chocolate peanut butter ball (healthy recipe here)

Turkey sandwich, Whole grain pita chips, pineapple slices, peanut butter cup (I was in a rush this day, as you can see)

I was home-schooled, so I know how disruptive the middle of the day lunch prep, eating and clean up can be. I highly recommend trying this! The kids loves seeing what is in their lunch box each day. I also pack a lunch for myself as I pack theirs, so my clean up is 100% eliminated, besides rinsing out containers!

Six Months

What I really want to do in this post is sit and moan and whine about how fast little ones grow up, wonder if time really cares about Moms (because if it did, it would slow down for Pete's sake), and pout that my little guy has already hit the 6 month milestone.

What I will do is focus on the fact that I haven't missed a second of it. I've hugged, held and cuddled him for a lot of his 6 little months on this earth and I don't regret it one bit. That's something that I've learned over the few years I've been a Mom: You can't hold and spoil them enough as babies. Yes, I've given him the fair amount of "alone time", tummy time and he sleeps in his own crib, but other than that I've loved on him every second that I could.

His longest sleeping stretch ever was 12 hours, and for the first time in years, I slept 7 hours without moving or waking up one time. That was a miracle in itself, and strangely, I was way more tired the next day than I normally am! I think my body had too much sleep. :) His normal stretches are 6 hours, which works out to getting up once a night to feed him, so I can't complain. He's a great napper, usually 2, 3 hour naps and one little cat nap in the evening if we happen to be home.

He started on baby food and rice cereal this month and loves it. He gulped up his first spoonfuls like a pro, never even making a funny face. He was so ready! He eats about 1.5-2 jars a day, depending on how much cereal he gets, and nurses every 3-4 hours.
 He doesn't sit up for more than a few seconds without support--translated, he doesn't really sit up at all--and he's not crawling. Just doing the scooting in a circle thing, rolling onto his tummy as soon as I lay him on his back (that makes diaper changes fun) and does some pretty complicated workouts on his tummy.

His 6 month check up is next week, but I'm thinking he's around 18 pounds. Yes, 18 pounds. I think half of that is head, for real.
 He is seriously an angel baby, and who knows, maybe he'll become human at some point but right now he is so good. He does not fuss unless something is wrong: dirty diaper, tired, hungry, upset stomach. He will sit in his bouncer or play on his tummy for ever, happy and content as can be. He was a very easy transition into the "I'm a Mom of 3" phase and I am so very, very blessed. I know that it's annoying when Mom's brag on their kids, but I know it's just the Lord making it nice and easy on me and I'm so thankful for that!

I'll end with a picture I took the other night before church. Why is it that the unplanned, "kids lay on the floor so Mommy can take a picture!" pictures turn out so darn cute?!

Happy Weekend!