Sledding

The Hill

Trudging up the hill ...

Timothy
Miss Tammy and Elizabeth
Mary, Anna and Rachel
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Mary and Rachel at the bottom
Luke
Timothy
Yeeeeehaaaaaaaaw!
Luke

Benjamin's 10th Birthday

My dear baby Ben is ten! How can this be? My mom sent Ben a card with the top ten reasons being ten is awesome and my favorite was #10 ... "You can't get any better than a Ten!" Ben and Jacob having birthdays just 6 days apart has in the past made decorating and planning in the past expensive and tricky but this year they both wanted a GI Joe theme making all this much more manageable. Ben is our resident fruitarian and pretty much requested fruit for his birthday as well as Captain Crunch, sausage, pizza and hot dogs. I'm guessing my boys get a year's worth of pork and nitrates during this one week in January.
Ben also asked for the super duper Nerf gun which he oped first thing before Mike left for his trip. Ben's birthday falling on a Sunday morning in which Mike was leaving at 7:15 made for a pretty chaotic morning as we celebrate, said goodbye, made a birthday breakfast and got ready for church ... but we did it. The kitten even enjoyed the opening of presents.
Never mind the mess she made! Bill and Tammy came over for lunch after church which was fun and a nice treat. In the evening John' s family came and not only did we celebrate Ben's birthday but we loved and adored our new niece Lily. I made a tank cake for Ben which proved really cool. Giant Tootsie Rolls make for great treads!

Doesn't Ben have a great smile!

The Tank!
Mary and Baby Lily

On the Friday before Ben's birthday we went to Fort Fun as a family. It was an absolute blast but I can't get the videos to post ... so I'll have to figure that out another day.

Jacob's 9th Birthday

Yesterday was Jacob's 9th birthday. We had such a wonderful day! He picked his menu for the day which included Lucky Charms, bacon and eggs at breakfast, hot dogs for lunch and pizza for dinner. Our kids birthdays seem to be a lot about the food.

Anyway, we had a nice relaxing breakfast then his brother's did his chores for him while he dug a T-Rex fossil out of a block of sand.
In the late morning we met Miss Tammy at Fossil Creek park and played and played and played.

Three monkeys just hanging out.

Luke, Ben, Rachel, Timmy, Mary and Jacob on a Woolly Mammoth.
Jacob being eaten by a Woolly Mammoth.
Mary, Ben, Timmy, Jacob and Luke ... Jacob said the Woolly Mammoth ate his arm so he kept it tucked in his jacket ... hard to balance with one arm.
Rachel
Anna

We came home so I could make Jacob's cake and Tammy took a batch of kids to the park near our house. We had to eat, sing, open presents and eat cake quick to leave for BSF by 5:45.
But hurrying didn't take away from Jacob's delight in his new Nerf CS-35! Look out Blosser boys ... he's ready for you now!

Four changes that have made life so much easier ...

#1. Instead of getting up at 5:30 I've been getting up at 5:00. Those extra 30 minutes have allowed me to spend more deep time in prayer, get a plan for my day and spend an hour in quiet. It's amazing the difference 30 minutes can make!

#2. Doing extra school 4 days a week so we can play and clean on Fridays. I don't feel nearly as behind all the time or buried in school when we do this. In past years this is what we've done but this fall I felt the need to get more school done ... which we did BUT the house wasn't kept up as well.

#3. The new menu plan is a great success. I've been diligent and have stuck to it instead of cooking on a whim when I feel like something different. There is just no room for my whims these days.

#4. Putting the girl's preschool supplies in bins labeled by day has worked perfectly. They grab the bin are are so excited to see what they get to learn about and play with that day. Painting day turns out to be more popular than even playdoh and also messier!

These changes have made for the best start of a semester we've ever had and I'm so thankful.

Salad Lunches

Monday - Taco Salad

Layer on dinner plate:

Romaine
Bell Peppers
Green Onions
Tomatoes
Kidney or Black Beans
Black olives
Shredded Cheddar

Dressing:

2 T Ranch, Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt
2 T Salsa

Top with crumbled tortilla chips.

Tuesday - Greek Salad

Layer on dinner plate:

Romaine
Shredded Carrots
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Black olives
Sunflower Seeds
Feta Cheese

Dressing:

We like either Newman's Own Light Greek or just balsamic vinegar/olive oil

Wednesday - Spinach Salad

Layer on dinner plate:

Spinach
Dried Cranberries or Cherries (or fresh strawberries in season)
Chopped pecans
Red Onion
Sprouts
Blue Cheese

Dressing:

Balsamic Vinegar/Olive Oil

Thursday - Asian Salad

Layer on dinner plate -

Romaine
Shredded cabbage
Spinach
Cucumbers
Carrots
Sprouts
Soy Beans
Toasted Almonds/Crushed Ramen

Dressing:

Newman's Own Light Sesame Dressing

Friday - Mandarin Salad

Layer on dinner plate:

Romaine
Spinach
Cucumber
Mandarin Oranges
Red onion
Sprouts
Almonds

Dressing:

Light Catalina or balsamic vinegar/olive oil

I don't usually make one giant salad because I can't stand the waste when "people" pick off the cucumbers or onions so I make them on individual dinner plates. A giant salad really fills me up and satisfies.

Happy New Year 2010

I have yet to post pictures from Christmas but instead of waiting to post until I get my camera downloaded I thought I'd just jump in and begin with our new year plans. I'm actually much better at staying on task after December than in September when school starts. With summer still lingering, the garden still producing, holidays approaching I just can't stick to a schedule as well as when January hits. It's cold out, there are just a few minor holidays & birthdays before Easter and Birthday Month in April. I'm planning on working extra hard on school for 3 months so that April is more fun than stressful.

I've created a 6 week rotating menu plan that includes 6 new lentil recipes paired with easy, likable favorites. I've added it to my Menu list on the right side but am having a hard time getting it to open ... so if you would like to see it before I get it fixed e-mail me and I'll e-mail you back a copy. Instead of posting weekly menus like in the past we'll stick to this plan each week. It will eliminate on more planning thing for me. My very spoiled kids are murmuring about eating so much toast and oatmeal to which I reply, "oh, cry me a river!" Poor abused children having to eat homemade bread or hot oats with honey and pecans! Sheesh.

I have also simplified school a bit. I made bins labeled Monday, Tuesday and so on and put in each bin the little girls (Rachel and Elizabeth mainly) projects. Monday is Letter Day & Cut/Paste, Tuesday is Number Day & Watercolors/Markers, Wednesday is Color Day & Playdoh, Thursday is Shape Day & Sponge Paints and Friday is Sight Word Day & Coloring. This way the girls can grab the bin of the day and everything is ready for them I'm not scrambling to find craft supplies, workbooks or dvds. The key to managing dear Lizzy is to keep her occupied as the saying goes, "Idle hands are Lizzy's workshop." Science will be planning our garden for the Spring. We actually have radishes and garlic growing in our cold-frame. The other plants just couldn't take the cold we've had this Winter. It's a cold, snowy year. But how cool is it to have even two things growing when everything around them is covered in a blanket of ice and snow.

The newest thing I'm struggling to juggle are 6 kids in orthodontia. When there were 3 it was hard enough to get appointments scheduled together but with 6 it is impossible. In any given week we have at least one orthodontia appointment and rarely at the same day or time. Randomness like that just blows my schedule all to bits but what's a mom of tiny-mouthed children to do? Poor Timothy has two front teeth filling the space of what should hold 6 adult teeth. My goal had been to get the older kids out of braces before starting the 3 little boys but their teeth just aren't cooperating ... and Anna is on the verge ... it's ridiculous.

I'll get my camera downloaded and Christmas pictures posted soon. We had a wonderful Christmas and New Years Eve. Lots of fun, relaxing, laughing and eating. I couldn't have asked for a nicer time.