A Mother's Heart

Back From New Jersey!

Here we are, safe and sound and back from vacation. Hmmm, vacation, I guess that's what you'd call it!  No, we really did have a good time, it's just that with 2 little ones, travelling is never easy, especially for Mom!

We were visiting my husband's parents and his sister and her family.  It WAS a great time visiting with family.  We were able to take Adam to the Jersey shore for the second time, but he didn't really enjoy it all that much.  Pictures to come!

We were also able to spend the day in NYC sans children, which was great! We went to a great italian restaurant and to a Broadway show.

The rest of our time was spent relaxing and visiting with family.  Even though my husband and I are very much alike, it's amazing how different our families are.  It's just a different speed of life, I guess.  Our speed = slow, their speed = fast!!  Andrew said, "I wonder if I would be like that if we had stayed in NJ or NYC?" 

"No," I said.  "We left for a reason.  It just didn't fit us!"

The 4 days in the car went exceptionally well.  I have 2 GREAT travellers!  More pics on that, too!  The nights in the hotel weren't quite so great, especially on the way home, when the boys decided to wake at 3:30 AM!!!  After a little while of denial, Andrew and I decided to just get a VERY early start.  We were on the road by 5AM!

So, all's well that ends well, and Mamma is very happy to be home!!

Leslie 

Low Sodium, Here We Go!

Well, my husband has been diagnosed with some pretty severe high blood pressure.  He went to the doctor for daily headaches....I'm so glad he did!  It turns out his BP was around 150/117, I think. 

He was immediately put on meds to bring it down, and now we've jumped on the low cal, low sodium wagon!  At first, I felt daunted.  I had just gotten my meal planning down pat, and now I had to throw ALL my recipes out!  But after extensive search on the internet, and examining my recipes, I'm confident I'll be able to build a recipe box full of good, healthy, EASY meals for my family. 

I know this will be a great blessing when all is said and done.  We needed a boost toward healthy living and weight loss (especially my wonderful husband), and this was what it took. 

So, here's to healthier eating, and setting a great example for my boys!!!

If anyone has web site recommendations for recipes, I'm all ears.

Leslie

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

We have had so very much rain lately!  It seems annoying now, but it is awesome for my garden.  My beautiful garden is sprouting like crazy.  Everything is at least up now, I'm just holding on to 2 plants that need to go in to replace some storm casualties.  I lost 2 tomato plants!

As you can see, my Adam loves to play with my um-be-da....umbrella.  Good thing!

I've been feeling very disorganized lately.  I'm not the most organized person in the world on the best of days, and it seems that lately many things have happened to even further throw me into chaos.  We have all been sick in the last few weeks, with my almost one year old even needing a trip to the ER for dehydration. 

Also, little Ryan is coming into that stage where he is needing more supervision and training.  Add in the fact that he is now down to one nap per day and you have one busy mom!

I don't like feeling out of kilter, and I'm thinking the time has arrived for a real schedule.  Up to now, the boys and I have led a pretty fancy-free life.  Time to crack that whip!  I knew this would come sooner or later, so now it's time to bite the bullet and figure out a daily schedule.  I think we'll all be better off for it.

Leslie

How Does My Garden Grow?

Here is a shot of my beautiful garden, with its load of beautiful manure!  Who knew you could get so excited about waste matter!!!

My wonderful husband and I spent an evening spreading all this out with shovels, as it was dumped in a big pile just to the LEFT of my garden.  I wish they could have dumped it ON my garden, but oh well.  We got some good exercise!

As of right now, my tomato and pepper plants are in, as are all my seeds.  Now we wait! 

Adam loves to water Mamma's garden.  Such a big helper!

I hope all your seeds are germinating as we speak.  I love spring!!!

Leslie

My Beautiful Home

Here is a picture of my house with our wonderful NEW front porch and front door!  Previously, we had treacherous, uneven concrete stairs with no railing, and some really bright fuscia outdoor carpet.  Also, our front door was installed wrong, and I would repeatedly scrape my knuckles on the door frame when opening the door.  Frustration!

We are so very happy with our new - up to code - porch and stairs.  My mom has MS, so it seemed particularly urgent that we get some safe stairs, unless we never wanted Grammy to come over again!!

Now for some moonflowers, and I'll be in heaven!

Leslie

In the Garden...

I, like most of you in the midwest, am itching to start my garden, but the weather is not cooperating!!  I'm curious to see if I can pull a better garden out of my sad soil this year!  I'm armed with fertilizer!  I have dreams of peat!  Organic material!  Death of groundhogs!!

Adam can play near me when I'm working in the garden, but I'm not sure what I'll do with my 10 month old!

I think maybe Adam is ready to help, don't you?

Whole Chicken Woes

I know this is going to shock most of you out there, but Tuesday was the VERY FIRST time I have ever roasted a whole chicken.  My other whole-bird efforts have consisted of one turkey on each Thanksgiving. 

The reason for this was pure laziness, I'm sorry to say.  Deep down I knew that whole chickens actually taste better, go farther in meals and are cheaper, but I was still unwilling to put in the effort.  I mean, come on, first you have to roast it, then carve it up, to say nothing of boiling the carcass and picking the meat off, something I truly despise for some reason.  See?  Lazy!

So, I finally got my lazy self in gear, bought the chicken and roasted it.  Did we ever have a bang-up dinner that night!  It was delicious!  I was converted to a whole-chicken believer!

Then, the meal was over.  The party had ended and I was faced with a half-eaten chicken carcass.  What to do?  Well, I was smart enough to carve most of the meat off and use it for the next evening's meal, but that left a mostly-eaten chicken carcass.  Back to square one. 

Ok, so now I make soup with this nasty thing, right?  So I boiled it in a big pot for a couple of hours, then promptly put it in the fridge because I didn't want to deal with it.  I'm very embarassed to say that my wonderful husband picked all the meat off, and took care of it for me. 

All that to say, ladies, please help me!  Not to overcome my laziness (which I will have to do!) but to help me with some whole chicken tips!  I want to be one of you!  How long do I boil it?  How much water?  Then what?  Do I strain it?  Any other tips to make it easier?

I knew that if anyone could help, it would be you!

Leslie

TOO glad?

Yesterday was a wonderful day at our home.  The product of much thought and preparation and research was attained.  Yes, it's true.  We have a new roof!

It was certainly time, and several water spots on my ceilings can attest to that fact.  The shingles were very old and the tar patches that my husband and father put on were not able to stymie the flood of rain and ice we have had in the recent weeks.

So, my 2 boys and I joyfully retreated to my mom's house for the day while the roofers did their job.  Although they were fixing my roof, it sounded inside like the whole house was coming down!

When I returned, the roof was done and looked so wonderful!  No more fear of rain at our house!

But today I was wondering, am I too glad?  Is my heart too set on earthly things?  How would I have reacted if we hadn't been able to afford it? 

I need to be careful to give to God everything in my life, and remember that He is in charge!  So, thank you Lord for the provision that allows us to be warm and dry!!

Leslie

Clutter

I was reading an entry just now about clutter.  Oh, how I hate it!  I am definitely someone who throws out.  Sometimes I probably get rid of too much, but I would rather get rid of things then look at them for years only to get rid of them later!

I recently went through all my clothes drawers and my closet.  First of all, if it didn't fit, it went!  I've had 2 babies in 2 years, and let me tell you, some things will NEVER fit again!

Also, if I wore it pre-baby, it went.  Most of it didn't fit anyway!  I think my personal style, while never very flaunting, has become even more subdued.  I have 3 trash bags of clothes to give away!  I encouraged my husband to do the same.  I was so tired of cramming clothes into drawers after every laundry day.  Anybody with me?

Also, I think I wear more of my clothes when they are organized.  Otherwise, I just grab the first thing in the drawer, and wear the same 3 or 4 things all week!

I think my kitchen needs tackled next. 

Leslie

My Meal (dis)organization!

Has anyone else become frustrated trying to plan meals for the week?

I really have no excuse for being so disorganized.  I can't understand it! I have many organizational devices in place.  I have a calendar on my fridge, and I plan one week's worth of meals at a time, and write a grocery list.  I (usually) obtain everything I need at the grocery store.  I even created a "meal box", which is a file box containing index cards with every meal I make for the family, and corresponding recipes with similar ingredients, to minimize cost. 

So....how is it that the end of every week finds me without any food???  Where am I going wrong?

I end up feeling very frustrated at the end of the week.  Maybe I need more choices?  New recipes? Maybe I should plan lunch and dinner for each day?  We usually eat leftovers for lunch.  Hmmmm....any help??

My Castle

Some other ladies on Homestead Blogger have given photo tours through their "castles".  Unfortunately I can't give an actual photographic tour through my home right now, but I would like to say a little about it.

I think our homes say so much about us, don't they?  And not just how we keep it, but the actual home, the use of space, and the decorating (or lack of!!)

I love my home.  I can't say it enough!  This is my husband and my first home, and we have lived here just over 2 years.  We bought it when we moved here, to my wonderful hometown.  It was actually the very first of many houses we looked at.  At first, I dismissed it because I thought it was too close to a busy road.  You can hear it, but not see it.  However, after touring many other homes, we returned to the first.  How glad I am that we did! 

It is an older home, about 50 years old.  It is red (I love it, my husband is not so crazy about it!) and ranch style, with a full basement.  My husband works from home, and his office is down there.  We joke and call it his dungeon, and we call the bugs his "friends"!  But all in all, the basement is not that bad.  Someday, we would hope to replace the paneling, and put down some carpet.  You know how those home improvement projects go!!

Upstairs is my little kingdom.  Three bedrooms and one bathroom.  We recently remodeled the bathroom, and replaced some very questionable, leaking pipes!!  We have no idea what some of the previous owners were thinking!  But let's just say, I LOVE my bathroom.  Being an obsessed cleaner, I love that everything is all brand new, and I revel in keeping it spotless.  Now, understand that my little ones are 2 and 5 months, so I have no trouble keeping them out of things, and we are all still in diapers!  I think I will have to loosen up the standards as little ones grow.

The large bedroom is my husband's and mine, and we decided to paint before we moved in.  The result is, shall we say, adventurous!  I think we went a little too dark!  It is burgandy and a dark yellow.  I forsee a new paint job sometime in the future.  The guest room (and also where baby sleeps for now) is sage green, and the tiny room is Adam's, and is BRIGHT yellow.  Needless to say, we are not the best at picking out colors!  We eventually want the boys together, but Ryan still gets up in the night, so we are waiting until he sleeps through.

Our living room, dining room and kitchen are very open, which I love.  We recently painted the dining and kitchen a soft yellow, and replace an UGLY wagon wheel chandelier over the dining table!  Such joy it brought me!

But the best part of our home is the outside.  Our house is situated on 3 lots.  I feel like we have 4 yards - front, 2 side and 1 back.  My garden (YAY!) is on one side, and we built a volleyball court on the other side.  We also have a little deck, which holds another joy of mine, my grill.  I love to grill! Presently, we have lots of leaves to rake, but that is fun, because Adam loves to be outside and help. He's got to pull his weight, right? Ha ha!

All in all, we love our home, and keep saying we never want to move.  Did I also mention that our house is only 7 minutes from my parents?  Also a plus!!!

Have a great day,

Leslie

Any obsessed cleaners out there??

I admit it.  I'm addicted....to Swiffering!!  I could be that company's entire publicity campaign! 

I have always liked to clean, and since I moved to a house with wood floors, Swiffer has become my best friend.  I don't buy the Swiffer brand cloths, however, because they are too expensive. 

At first I was happy with the regular Swiffer, then I moved on to the hard stuff - the Sweep N Vac!  What did I do before this wonderful invention??

I draw the line at the wet mop, however.  The mop and bucket are fine by me. 

And what have I done to my 2 year old?  The excitement on his face when I say it's time to Swiffer is priceless.  He runs to the closet, helps me unplug it, gets his own Swiffer, and goes to town.  I let him use the old swiffer without the vacuum.  He loves it!  Mama thinks it's fun, so it must be, right?  How long can I fool him.  I hope he always finds it fun to help Mama with the chores.

My husband just laughs, and says I have a crazy look in my eye when I get the Swiffer out.  Hey, we all have our obsessions, right?