Yearly Archives: 2008

Daily Life, Parenting Tips, Recipes/Food

Out of Time

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I wanted to post a clever Tips for Tuesday parenting blog today. Our new chore/house organizing is going GREAT and I know it would make an excellent blog.

After all, someone who’s been successful for a whole week at keeping her house clean should share the news with the world.

But, I was too busy doing school, breaking up fights, making delicious homemade meals (yes, that’s plural because I fixed grilled cheese sandwiches at lunch today), and participating in family fitness that I didn’t take any pictures that would accompany the post. And without pictures, our blog gets a little dull.

For example, it’s a little boring right now, isn’t it. You’re wishing I would break up the rambling with a picture.

Sorry.

Without pictures and the time needed to write a helpful blog on chores, I’m forced to ramble. Oh, I do have this one picture that I can share. It has nothing to do with parenting or chores or blogging in general but it was taken today.

soup in a bowl

I fixed a yummy stew this evening for dinner and made bread bowls in which to serve it. How cool is that! We’re practically our own Panera Bread. I made our family’s famous Mesa Manna bread recipe (created by my Nana) and then shaped the dough around over-turned (greased) glass bowls. They came out fantastic! I can’t wait to try it again.

I'll have some cheese with my bowl.

Sarah is hogging the blog photo attention these days but she’s so darn cute, it’s hard to resist taking a few extra pictures of her. Joshua is more than willing to give her his share of the photo time.

Sarah and Rachel don’t like stew so they had their bread bowls plain. Garnished with a little cheese of course. :) It’s hard to please everybody. Wouldn’t that be a great Parenting Tip post – How to Please All of Your Children without Going Crazy. Maybe next week.

Kathy
Project 366 – Day 14

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Events, Grandparents, Project 366

Happy Birthday, Grandad!

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Sarah has a new calendar in her room. We put it up on the wall by her bed. She loves this calendar and has filled the pages with birthdays of everyone she knows. We wrote down when we’ll be at co-op and when we go to PE, church events and some holidays.

Birthdays, however, are the most exciting. Birthdays mean presents, cake and parties.

Sarah smiles

Sarah came downstairs Saturday informing me it was Grandad’s birthday. She proceeded to tell everyone she saw that it was Grandad’s birthday. If the mail man had slowed down a little more she would have told him as well. And how does she know?

“Cause it’s on my calendar and I love Grandad!”

what do you think, Sarah?

Sarah and Grandad have a serious conversation. July 2002

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Wish we could have been there to celebrate with you. We miss you!!

Kathy
Project 366 – Day 13

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Holidays, Project 366

Packing Up Christmas

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We don’t like to rush through Christmas here, nor do we hurry along the close to the holiday season.

how many do you have?

An Advent train – Daniel counts the boxes.

But at some point you have to put things away.

You must say goodbye to red bows, ribbons and Advent Calendars. Christmas dishes, mugs and even lights.

some more boxes

I have a Christmas notebook that I bought at Barnes and Noble several years ago. I use it to record decorations, recipes, gift ideas, and more. I have a section where the contents of all of our Christmas bins are detailed. For example, Bin 3 has Christmas party supplies, a small poinsettia plant (obviously not real) and an angel (also not real). I love having everything all organized. I can find what I’m looking for by flipping to the decorating section in my Christmas notebook and then tracking down the appropriate bin.

If only the rest of my house were so well ordered.

so long, farewell

Sarah waves goodbye to Christmas.

Our Christmas tree, however, remains in its place of honor. Every morning, first thing, Tim comes down and turns on the Christmas lights. “It brings me joy,” he says.

How can I deny him holiday joy? It turns out the only reason, in years past, we used to pack up all of our Christmas adornments in a timely fashion is because we had a real tree. There weren’t enough needles to hold up the ornaments and the lights.

With a fake tree, we might still be celebrating Christmas in March. Anyone ever heard of a St. Patrick’s Day Tree?

I checked the official blog records (aka our archives) and it looks like we didn’t pack up the tree until January 20th last year. I’m obviously rushing things this year.

Just don’t call me Mrs. Grinch!

Kathy
Project 366 – Day 12

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Games

Game Review — Saga

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Over the last several years, Kathy and I have made a concerted effort to find and buy a whole passel (maybe a passel and a half) of interesting board games for our family. At Christmas time, I research which games have won awards and (more importantly) are on sale, and then I buy a whole box-load from my favorite online retailer. This year they were all labeled, “To Rudolph”, since they are considered to be presents to the whole family. Joshua chortled whenever another “Rudolph” gift was discovered, as a pattern began to emerge.

Joshua looks smug
A rare moment when I seemed to be winning.

(I’ve written to my favorite game store, asking them to offer a discount for my readers; if they do, I’ll be sure to post the details of the discount and a link to games I recommend.)

The game of Saga
The knights and districts of Saga

Tonight I gathered my two oldest boys and we played a quick game of Saga, in which players compete to capture and retain six kingdom districts. There are only a few simple rules, and it is easy to pick up the basics of the game, but it has unexpected depth in playing strategy. Kingdom districts change hands as the players marshal increasingly large armies of knights, looking ahead three and even four turns to outwit opponents. The game ends when one player manages to get all his knights in play (either attacking or defending), leaving his opponents shaking their heads in consternation.

Knights attacking Castle-land
Several knights and the Castle province

I’ve played the game three times so far, and lost every time — but I really enjoy its deceptive simplicity. Tonight Joshua timed it beautifully, snatching the critical forest-land district from my control as he played his last knight, leaving me with my forces in disarray and an abysmal score. I haven’t been defeated that badly in a game in a long time … it was an exhilarating experience.


Players
Time to Play
Where to Buy
2-4 players
ages 12 and up
40 minutes
Check back later!
Duckabush Summary
This is a fun, easy to play game recommended for players 12 and up (although younger players may enjoy it as well). Since there are several layers of strategy to the game, it is possible for one person to play the game at face value while another player expends great effort trying to predict and thwart enemy strategies. Early on, it may seem that the game will never end, since you take your knights back into your hand whenever one of your provinces is captured by an enemy. Don’t become complacent, though, because the end of the game can really sneak up on you suddenly — it really does only take about 40 minutes to play.

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Daily Life, Project 366

Starbucks Anyone?

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In the past two days I’ve been to Starbucks three times.

Three different Starbucks.

In two days.

Yes, that means today I went to Starbucks twice. Can you feel the coffee rush from here?

notice those starbucks cups

Nancy, Beckie, Michelle and I hit Starbucks for a power meeting.

Let’s see, I had a women’s retreat planning meeting one night. We finished our session over coffee and scones. Today I double booked Starbucks. Nothing like living in the suburbs and having multiple coffee shops around town. At 4 pm I met with an awesome young woman who works with the middle school group at church and then at 5 pm I scooted over to another Starbucks to visit with a homeschooling mom.

Not a typical week, even if I do love a tasty Americano with steamed milk. I am trying to be open to who God is placing in my life at this time and take the effort to carve out some quality time with them. Too often I find the weeks pass by in a blur and I haven’t connected meaningfully with anyone outside my family.

Daniel and I are reading Colossians in our daily quiet time. These verses are my prayer this week:

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. (Colossians 1:10-12)

Kathy
Project 366 – Day 9

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