Footprints on the Fridge

Savoring Summer with the Snoring Scholar

I'm lucky enough to be guest posting over at Sarah Reinhard's place today, and we've whipped up some quick summer fun for you that includes ice cream, flip flops, and give away!  Don't miss out. Go! Read! Grab the button.  And come play with us this summer!

Good Shepherd's Garden Party Week 1

Early on in the week, as I still tried to recover from my Easter haze, I realized that given the week that lie ahead of us, one large tea party wasn't a likely option for this week.  That realization was followed shortly by the realization that I was at the park, my husband was due home shortly, and I had no dinner plan.  These anxious thoughts combined into a quick brain storm that led to Shepherd's Pie and Shepherd's Crook bread sticks for dinner that night, which in turn led to reading the accompanying Scripture verse at the table and a lively discussion about Jesus as the Good Shepherd.

I seasoned the ground beef with onions and powdered seasonings, added jack cheese and spread it in the bottom of the pan.  Then added a layer of corn (we have always used corn in Shepherd's Pie as my kids don't eat cooked carrots) then I layered a bag of hash browns and covered that in cheese.  It was a hit.

The next evening was family movie night, which gave us the perfect opportunity to pop popcorn and talk about the sheepfold.

The day we made our ram and ewe cupcakes we were invited for a spur of the moment visit with friends, so we got to bring them to share.  It was fun, but in the craziness, I forgot to take a picture. To be honest, they weren't that photo worthy anyway.  But the kids enjoyed them and it was nice to share our Easter joy.

I knew that as the weekend rolled around we were unlikely to get to any more special treats. We had a 9th birthday to celebrate on Saturday in our own family and Sunday included Mass, a church fair, and a birthday celebration for my nephew. 

So instead I brainstormed a little game that we played with Daddy.  His arms were the sheep fold and one child was the lamb.  Someone else was the wolf.  The lamb had to try to get around the wolf and safely into Daddy's arms, while the wolf tried to catch him.  It was good, rough and tumble boy fun and it worked well in this house. We had great discussions all week about the Scriptures and Jesus' role as the Good Shepherd.

I want to remember next year to include our 23rd Psalm picture books in the Easter book basket to read during this week.  There are so many lovely versions and it would fit nicely.

We are using Charlotte's print outs for our calendar and I had hoped to end this post with a photo of it with the week's symbols added, but the camera left for work with Daddy before I remembered, so I'll have to come back and add it later.

We are really enjoying our Easter celebration and can't wait to see what this week brings.

Check out everyone else's Garden parties at Catholic Cuisine!

St. Patrick's Day

Here are our plans for celebrating the patron of Ireland and all things green and lovely:

Breakfast:

Green Eggs and Ham

Irish Cocoa: hot chocolate with whipped cream and green sprinkles

Morning Prayer:

Saint Patrick's Breast Plate

Books to Read:

Saint Patrick, Ann Tompert

Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland, Tomie de Paola

Saint Patrick's Day in The Morning, Eve Bunting

Fin M'Coul, Tomie De Paola

The Last Snake in Ireland

O'Toole and the Wee Folk, Gerald McDermott

Tea Time Snacks:

Shamrock Toasties  (HT: Jessica)

White Chocolate Dipped Mint Oreos with Green Sprinkles

Dinner:

Cabbage Rolls

Guinness Glazed Carrots

Irish Soda Bread

Dessert:

Brownies with York Peppermint PATTY centers and Mint Chocolate Ice Cream

Crafts:

Wee Leprechauns

Learning:

St. Patrick and St. Joseph lapbooks, adapted from Jessica's plans 

I'll upload photos when our celebrating is done.

Welcome to July

 

The Mantle This Month

 

Nesting: The Plan for Survival Mode

As part of this weekend's nesting mania, I redid our chore chart for the summer, thinking about some of the wisdom in Katherine's post here and the way life with our new baby will play itself out.  I am blessed this time around to have helpers lined up a few days a week for the summer.  And they are helpers who are fully capable of directing my children to complete their assigned tasks as well as  taking on a few of my jobs themselves.  I am grateful for that.  Nonetheless, life with a newborn will inevitably bring its share of "survival mode" days.  The chore chart is ready to go, printed and posted.  But my thoughts the last few days have been less about the days where we'll get it all done and more about the days where we'll just make it through. Life in a lrge family provides plenty of these days--early in pregnancies, the first months with a new born, days nursing sick kids, and weeks loaded with outside commitments. How can we survive those days without frustration and without letting go of all the habits we work so hard to form when we are clicking along through rhythmic, orderly days?

Here are the rules I have come up with for survival mode. 

Rule 1: Put the laundry on a schedule.  Elizabeth and I share a theory that "as the laundry goes, so goes the house."  In survival mode, the laundry is one of those things that is likely to fall woefully behind without a plan.  I try to keep a daily laundry routine in mind as we move through our week so that everything that needs to be laundered gets its due attention.  Making a weekly laundry schedule and committing to memory will be a huge help in survival mode.  The morning duty of sorting can be simplified by directing a child to go to the hampers and grab all of whatever item is up that day.  Folding and putting away is simplified by having one type of laundry in the basket.  And if you have a helper asking what she can do, you have a ready answer: " Could you wash a load of....?"  And when the day comes that no one touches the washer and dryer, you can count backwards and know exactly what you need to do to play catch up.  That eliminates the "this is all so overwhelming I just can't think about it right now" syndrome.  Here's what a week worth's of laundry looks like at our house:

• Monday: bed linens
• Tuesday: whites and light colored clothing, diapers
• Wednesday: bath and kitchen linens
• Thursday: dark and brightly colored clothing, ironing
• Friday: bath and kitchen linens, diapers
• Saturday: special care items, ironing
• Sunday: diapers, mending

I'll simplify for a few weeks after baby by using disposable diapers and skipping ironing and mending as needed.  Normally on a Monday, we'd not only wash sheets, but air out comforters in the sun for a few hours.  In baby mode, we'll settle for a quick spritzing with some lovely smelling linen spray I recently ordered along with my beeswax furniture polish.   

Rule Two: Keep the kitchen sink empty.  Try to be aware (or better yet, assign a child to be aware) of the next step in the dish cycle at all times.  Then when an offer of help presents itself, or you need to send a child off to do something productive, or you happen to have a quick five minutes, you know what to do.  I love the advice for homemaking to "do the next thing", except that when you're functioning in a sleep-deprived fog you often can't wrap your brain around what the next thing is.  If you can walk into the kitchen and assess quickly the next step in the dish cycle, you can actually make a big impact in a short time.

Rule Three: Stick to the Morning Swish and Swipe.  Keep some of those handy cleaning wipes near the bathroom sinks, a bottle of all purpose cleaner near the toilets, and some of that daily tub spray near the shower or tub.  Each morning get someone to wipe out the sink, swipe the brush through the toilet, and spray down the tub in each of the bathrooms in the house.  They'll still need a good scrubbing when life allows, but they'll stay fresh smelling and cleaner than filthy until you get to it.

Rule Four:  Work the quick pick-up system.  Put a system in place for tidying up quickly and easily.  In our house, it'll be the laundry basket system.  I'll put a laundry basket in the corner of each room, labeled for that room.  Each evening, the kids can head to assigned rooms and pick up everything lying around and toss it into the basket.  On a good day, the pick-up process can be: Gather dirty dishes and place in sink, throw away all trash, place all dirty clothes in a hamper, place the rest in the basket.  On a bad day, dump it all the basket.  On a good day, the pick up can be followed by a quick sweeping or vacuuming of the floor underneath, on bad day, not so much.  In the morning, the kids bring all the baskets to whereever mom finds herself with, and the items inside are sorted into the basket for the room where they belong.  The kids then take the baskets to the rooms and empty them.  If they don't know where an item goes, they leave it in the basket.  Mom can quickly put away on her next sweep through that room, dad can do it in the evening, or it can sit in the basket until the next morning when Mom can tell the child where to put it. 

Rule 5: The rest is the rest.  The last rule in survival mode is to realize all the rest of the things you would normally accomplish--dusting, mopping, scrubbing tubs--is the rest.  It will get done, eventually.  Dad will pick up the slack sometimes, days of miraculous cooperation from kids will appear unexpectedly, and angelic helpers in the form of friends will sweep through occasionally.  And then, soon enough, you'll wake up one morning with the energy to tackle more than just the basics, and get to work.  Until then, let the rest be the rest.

And I give you all permission to remind me of these words when I am feeling totally overwhelmed about a month from now.

Nesting: A Summer Babymoon Meal Plan

Part of my nesting plans have been to get a simple, easy menu rotation together that will serve us throughout the summer.  I've tested what I've come up with over the last couple of weeks and the kids seem heartily satisfied, the shopping trip really is quite easy, and meal prep is quick and simple. My goal was to have a simple shopping list that could easily be handed off to someone else who offered to stop at the store for me, and a menu that could easily be prepared by Dad, a willing helper, or a Mom with a baby attached.  I think we have a plan that will work.  This morning I filed copies in both my kitchen companion and summer binders, and laminated a copy for the fridge.  Then I typed up the shopping list, put a copy in each binder, and printed twelve copies which are now in a page protector on the fridge, ready to be handed off to whoever will be doing the shopping in the weeks to come.  If time allows this weekend, I'll start some advance prep and freeze components of a lot of these meals to make things even simpler--taco meat already seasoned and brown, chicken legs already boiled, shrimp sauteed, perhaps I can even blend the sorbet and freeze it in individual portions.  But even if that ends up being wishful thinking, I know we can work this plan for the summer and that makes me one satisfied nesting mom.

If I can figure out how, I'll make a pdf of the plan and the shopping list for here.  But just in case, here's the run down (sans the really cute header that for some reason won't paste into typepad):

Breakfast Rotation:

·         Bacon, Egg and Cheese on Toast

·         Bagels with PBJ, fruit

·         Granola, yogurt, and berries

·         Sausage biscuits

·         Ham and egg in crescent braid

Lunch Rotation:

·         English muffin pizzas, carrots and celery with Ranch

·         Mac n cheese with ham, apples and PB

·         Grilled turkey sandwiches, snack crackers, peppers with hummus

·         Baked beans with sausage, watermelon

·         Chili dogs, salad, grapes

Dinner Rotation:

·         Meatball Marinara Subs, Caesar Salad, Berries and Cream

·         Shrimp Parmesan Pasta, Spinach Salad, Sorbet

·         Tacos in Dipped Corn Tortillas, Corn on the Cob, Spanish Rice (Guacamole, Salsa etc…)

·         Grilled Honey Chicken Thighs,  Roasted Potatoes, Broccoli and Cheese

·         Chicken and Spaghetti, Peas, Green Salad, Italian Bread

·         Grilled Steaks, Baked Potatoes, Squash

·         Pork Kebobs, Fried Rice, Green Beans

Little Bits of Beauty ~ Valentine's Weekend Edition

I am deeply committed to improving in my skill as a homemaker and in enjoying the satisfaction and creative outlet the domestic arts provide.  However, I must admit, that my state in life slows my progress in this area down to baby steps.  Every day is a lesson in humility as I accomplish less than I desire and then watch a good portion of what I have accomplished unravel.  I find great inspiration in home-y country magazines and blogs, but they can also make me frustrated because half of the beautiful things I see there just won't work in my home.  Not now, anyway.  Of the half that are do-able, I might find time, energy, and budget money for a rare few.  Occasionally, I'm ashamed to say, I that might make me sulky.

But most days, I am reminded by the simple joys and pleasures of my family life that the beauty is in the details.  It is an art to recognize the opportunity to make one moment of each day a little lovelier with a creative touch.  It is satisfying to find  one small item at the bargain store that will bring not only order but beauty to some small aspect of your family's life.  Homemaking is about making the little things count...the tea cups that adorn the table are lovely even if the laundry pile isn't.  The single antique copy of Shakespeare's complete works is a nice touch even if it isn't accompanied by a whole shelf full of such beauties.  And the simple pleasures of joyful days are the blessings that MAKE a HOME--that is the goal of homemaking, is it not?

And so I have decided that every so often I'll spend some time intentionally recognizing the little bits of beauty I have been able to bring to our home, instead of lamenting all the lovely things I don't have, haven't done, or have lost to little fingers and horse play.  It'll inspire me to keep working at the art of domesticity, and I'll have a record so that in those details, traditions can born, comforts can be recreated, memories can be ingrained on the hearts of those I love and live to serve.  In those little bits of beauty, I hope to be reminded of my true pursuit, a home where hearts and minds are touched by the beauty in the details, the blessings of the ordinary, the hand of the Creator at work, the depth and detail with which the Heavenly Provider knows the desires of their hearts. 

Bits of Valentine's Beauty:

The latest addition to my apron collection from Boojiboo.  You must get yourself one of these delicious treats.  The choices are endless, quality amazing, and service flawless.  

 A new valance for the window over my kitchen sink.  It's a set of kitchen towels I scooped up at Tuesday Morning this week for $3.00!  They're just draped over a tension rod.

The boys and I made these origami heart baskets on Friday afternoon, and then I sent them outside to pick fresh camelias from the bush in our yard to fill them with.  They adorned the pegs of our kitchen shelves for the weekend and were just adorable.  Please excuse the smudgy pics...toddler fingers and camera lenses don't mix!

  

I made bigger versions of the same paper hearts to fill with Valentine's treats.  They hung from the chandelier over the table at breakfast.  (HT:  Charlotte)

Here's the whole table, and the little loves I did it all for:

 And that afternoon, we made (and munched) a tray full of those Valentine's Buttons  everyone  has been  enjoying so much: 

   

It was a lovely weekend, and there was so much to enjoy in the details! 

Spring and Lenten Meal Planning

After my small successes post, Aimee asked about the new menu rotation.  It really came together pretty easily this time, mostly because I had lots of inspiration from the daily meal threads over at 4 Real.  Seeing what everyone is cooking every day for a few weeks got my brain going again.  I think it's natural to get in a rut with the cooking and planning, but I also know it's important to find fresh inspiration and get going again.  Our family life runs so much more smoothly when  the kitchen is functioning properly.

First, nutrition and diet are important for everyone in this family.  The pregnant, diabetic mommy needs a plan to keep herself going.  The daddy needs access to heart-healthy foods and comforting meals.  And the kids need nutritious meals and snacks devoid of too many processed ingredients, dyes, and sugars.  When that happens, there is less irritability throughout the day, energy levels stay consistent, and meltdowns are rare.

Second, meals set the rhythm of the day in this house.  If I know what's going on the table for breakfast in the morning, we get our day started earlier and in a more pleasant way than if I don't.  If there is a game plan for a morning snack and lunch, then we sit together at the table to eat and I get two blocks of time for read-alouds and discussion.  Our schooling is much more productive.  And then there is the sweet joy of afternoon tea.  It is a warm comfort in the witching hour of the day.  Just when everyone is starting to unravel from a long day worth of living and give up on maintaining the sense of peace and order that have prevailed, out comes the fine china, the table cloth, simple snacks arranged sweetly on pretty plates, and something warm to sip slowly.  Add a lovely book and the presence of Daddy returned to his nest, and it truly is one of the most worthwhile moments of the day.  We go through phases where tea is an occasional treat, but when we get back into the groove of sitting down daily to tea and I am reminded of all the comfort and joy it brings, I am all the more committed to make it the norm to our routine rather than the exception.

So, here is how I've planned this stretch.  There is a weekly breakfast and lunch rotation, a menu of possible tea time snacks (These are not for everyday, often tea time is PBand J finger sandwiches or apples and cheese or some other simple snack.  But these are thoughts for when we have time to incorporate baking into the day or have something special to celebrate or discuss at tea.)  Dinner is a two week rotation that allows for a lot of substitution of matching ingredients and double cooking to make the next week easier.  This week, it has worked out wonderfully.

Breakfasts:  slow-cooked cinnamon oatmeal

                        yogurt, granola, and berries

                        bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches

                        pancakes and sausage

                        biscuits, scrambled eggs, grits

                        cinnamon rolls and fruit

                        PB and J bagels, cold cereal

Lunches:  mac n cheese with ham bits

                    grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches, cucumber slices

                    mini pita pizzas, apple slices

                    bean and cheese burritos, chips and salsa

                    PB and J, boiled eggs, carrots and celery

                    Usually on weekends, we eat our larger meal for lunch and then just pick on leftovers or other things in the house in the evening.

Tea-Time ideas:  banana nut bread with peanut butter, grapes

                                homemade bread with butter and jam, cheese slices

                                soft pretzels with cheese dip (a Lenten tradition)

Monday meals:  Red beans and rice, cornbread, salad

                                  black-eyed peas and rice, sauteed cabbage with peppers

Tuesday meals:  Curried chicken and jasmine rice, sesame green beans

                                 Ginger fried chicken, fried rice, stir fry veggies

Wednesday meals:  Cheeseburgers, sweet potato fries,  corn

                                       meatballs and spaghetti, salad, garlic bread

Thursday meals: seven grain rice, sweet sausage, green beans, homemade bread

                                   andouille sausage, peppers, and pasta, salad, fruit

Friday meals: shrimp, sundried tomato and artichoke heart pizza, salad

                              honey-pecan crusted mahi mahi, spinach salad, cauliflower

Saturday meals:  chicken and broccoli in alfredo pasta

                                   chicken taco rice and corn on the cob

Sunday meals:  teriyaki pork tenderloin, lettuce cups, stir fry veggies, lo mein noodles

                               pork butt roast, potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms, rice, biscuits

I'm sure I'll tire of this eventually and be ready for the new plan when the time comes, but right now, I am totally satisfied and feel like I be happy eating this rotation for years.  And every meal here has the family's stamp of approval as well.  Sometimes it's hard to wrap your brain around a plan, but it's so worth it.  I hope you find some inspiration here.

It's Almost Advent: Preparing our Home

So the beginning of the holiday season is just around the corner and I'm hoping to use that as motivation to break out of my first trimester slump.  The fact that this post was just interrupted by an overturned stomach and the current state of my home, which leaves me in constant fear of a visit from some governmental agency or another, makes me wonder if I am just being wistful here.  But we are in week 10 and I can hope that the end is near, right?  Anyway, I wanted to blog the details of holiday preparations so that I have record for myself.  In this post, I'll focus on how we're preparing our home for the approaching season.  I hope to add posts on how we'll prepare our hearts, minds, and hands in the next few days.

So, here's what's in the works around our nest:

This weekend:

• declutter and deep clean kitchen and den
• finish pulling up bedroom carpet
• finalize Christmas budget and show to Greg

This Week:

• clean and organize little boys' room, purge toys
• clean and organize upstairs, purge toys
• prepare for Evan's birthday--afternoon tea with friends on Friday, family BBQ on Sunday, put together his train table
• Evan's three year check-up
• finish online ordering
• make plans for early December trip to Houston

Thanksgiving Week:

• declutter and deep clean dining room/school room and living room/prayer room
• open advent box and check status of everything/prepare advent book basket
• grocery shopping for Thanksgiving dishes
• dental appointments for the boys
• Sunday: place Advent decorations
• take Christmas card photo

First Week of Advent:

• finish local shopping
• gather all St. Nicholas Day items
• deep clean and declutter master bedroom and bathrooms
• get Christmas tree and decorate
• order Christmas cards
• spend weekend in Houston: Nutcracker, ice-skating at the Galleria, Christmas light displays

Second Week of Advent:

• address and mail Christmas cards
• mail packages
• shop for Christmas baking goods, begin baking
• attend Catholic community Christmas event
• make Christmas grocery list
• take evening boat ride to look at lights
• check on holiday clothing, purchase any necessary items

Third Week of Advent

• wrap gifts
• make and deliver friends' gifts
• finish all handwork projects
• plan overnight in New Orleans, Christmas in the Oaks
• popcorn and cranberry strings for tree
• schedule cleaning help or child care for me to clean
• Christmas date with Greg
• Christmas grocery shopping

Christmas Week:

• relax, celebrate, cook and eat
• attend Christmas Eve Mass
• celebrate Christmas Day
• head to Houston for Christmas with the Mitchells
• celebrate Greg's 40 th birthday on New Year's Eve

Some Plumage of My Own

When Dawn started feathering her fall nest last week, I wanted to go there, truly I did.  But the vast geographical gap between us, made fall decorations seem sensible for her and just plain silly for me.  Until yesterday, when the looming threat of yet another evacuation order completely overwhelmed me. 

My response: Let's pretend the ugly monster in not at the door and make things pretty instead.  So very me.  So added we a bit of fall plumage to our own nest, and although we're not done, we're quite satisified with our first efforts.  And with the threat of power outages this evening, it'll make spending a candlelit evening at home seem intentional and cozy, rather than forced and stressful.  So I hope.

• The dining/learning room table....

• it's candle has been placed in the stockpile, so they can all be easily lit at once...   
• The learning room windows:  
• The french doors:                                                                                  

• And the seasonal table: