I saw a great recipe for fresh pea soup the other day by Ina Garten. I decided to try it out and loved it, so I thought I'd share it with you all. I've actually simplified down her recipe as it was more flavors than were needed in this nice refreshing spring feeling soup. It's amazingly simple and quick to make and tastes so refreshing!
Ingredients:
2 C chopped leeks (white and light green parts-2 leeks)
1 C chopped yellow onion
4 C chicken stock
20 oz frozen peas (or 5 C freshly shelled peas)
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Garlic Croutons (optional)
Optional Ingredients: (these are what I took out and liked it better without, but feel free to try them as it might add something you like)
2/3 C chopped fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
1/2 C sour cream (or creme fraiche if you can find it)
1/2 C freshly chopped chives
Put a couple TBSPs of the chicken stock in the bottom of a large saucepan, add the leeks and onion, and cook over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, until the onion is tender (original recipe calls for butter instead of the stock, but isn't really needed). Add the rest of the chicken stock and increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 3-5 minutes until the peas are tender (frozen peas only take 3 minutes). Remove from heat.
*if you want the mint leaves add them at this point*
add salt and pepper, then puree the soup (if you have a hand wand for this it's perfect, if not do about 1 C at a time in a blender to puree the soup, adding more soup while blending until the blender is 3/4 full-then put that soup into bowls and repeat until all soup has been pureed).
Serve hot with garlic croutons
*also top with sour cream (or creme fraiche) and chives if you so desire*
Joshua loves this one too. The kids ate it as long as they had tons of croutons, but I have to admit the bright green color I think scared them some.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Not Perfect. . .
I want to be the first to admit that I am NOT perfect. I often have felt the pressure to put on the show of a life with no problems or mistakes. I've never wanted or been able to actually pull that kind of a facade off. But I feel like this could be a factor in why I am an introvert, quiet in groups, and would rather watch and listen than talk.
I think as a parent we feel that pressure even more. We don't want to be judged by others, or deemed to not be a good enough parent. So in turn we then put this pressure on our kids and ourselves to look perfect and not let others know when we struggle.
I was reminded of this a couple of weeks ago when I mentioned in a group of parents that Jaden's teacher had requested a parent/teacher conference. The immediate response by those there was "oh, really! We weren't asked for that." I could feel the wheels in their minds turning wondering what must be up for such a request, and felt judged as a parent by their questioning stares of what I must be doing wrong to have a child that needed a parent conference.
To be fair I'm sure some of my pressure comes from within as well. What if there is something wrong with me as a parent that has caused issues for my children. But I know when I sit and look at my life as a parent (while I freely admit I'm not perfect and definitely make my share of mistakes) that I love my kids and am doing all that I know how to for them.
I've come to the realization that no matter what we do as parents, our kids aren't any more perfect than we are. They have their strengths and weaknesses, and as parents we love them anyway. I hope that we can show "love" for other parents as well when they struggle instead of judging them.
But I digress. And I'm sure you are all wondering about the previously mentioned parent/teacher conference. So let me now admit, my kids aren't perfect either.
I had the conference yesterday, and after worrying about it for weeks, it actually went really well. I was so encouraged after talking to Jaden's teacher. His writing continues to be a stuggle for him (he still has issues with fine motor skills) and staying on task, paying attention to details, and speed are issues that he stuggles with. But she had great things to say about him as well, that he's a great reader and that she just loves to listen to him read as he uses expression, has nice flow, and just does a great job for his grade level. He's very quiet in class, won't ask questions when confused, and doesn't volunteer answers unless called on. But she commented on how Jaden continually shocks her with how smart he is, just when she doesn't think he understood something or wasn't paying attention she'll ask him something and he'll give great answers that surprise her with how much he knows. Now we just need to figure out how to get that knowledge consistently down on paper. Anyway, although he's testing on grade level we talked about the option of summer school for him, it's 3 hours a day for 3 weeks in July. Jaden thrives on schedule and his teacher thinks that having that structure and extra push in mid-summer will really help him succeed in returning to the classroom in the fall. The summer school is carefully set up to Not be a punishment, a behavior management scenario, or anything like that. Not only is it divided by grade level, but also by their testing scores so Jaden would be with others that are considered on grade level or close to it, and not in a room of students that aren't near his abilities. Anyway, after talking to her we think it could be a good option for Jaden this summer, and are leaning towards doing it (since he is on grade level it isn't required). So don't look at me with pitty or wonder what I did wrong to have a child in summer school. He's an amazing boy, and I couldn't be prouder of him. We're doing all we know how to help him succeed in a traditional classroom, which is his weakness, so that he can show off his strengths in other areas.
I think as a parent we feel that pressure even more. We don't want to be judged by others, or deemed to not be a good enough parent. So in turn we then put this pressure on our kids and ourselves to look perfect and not let others know when we struggle.
I was reminded of this a couple of weeks ago when I mentioned in a group of parents that Jaden's teacher had requested a parent/teacher conference. The immediate response by those there was "oh, really! We weren't asked for that." I could feel the wheels in their minds turning wondering what must be up for such a request, and felt judged as a parent by their questioning stares of what I must be doing wrong to have a child that needed a parent conference.
To be fair I'm sure some of my pressure comes from within as well. What if there is something wrong with me as a parent that has caused issues for my children. But I know when I sit and look at my life as a parent (while I freely admit I'm not perfect and definitely make my share of mistakes) that I love my kids and am doing all that I know how to for them.
I've come to the realization that no matter what we do as parents, our kids aren't any more perfect than we are. They have their strengths and weaknesses, and as parents we love them anyway. I hope that we can show "love" for other parents as well when they struggle instead of judging them.
But I digress. And I'm sure you are all wondering about the previously mentioned parent/teacher conference. So let me now admit, my kids aren't perfect either.
I had the conference yesterday, and after worrying about it for weeks, it actually went really well. I was so encouraged after talking to Jaden's teacher. His writing continues to be a stuggle for him (he still has issues with fine motor skills) and staying on task, paying attention to details, and speed are issues that he stuggles with. But she had great things to say about him as well, that he's a great reader and that she just loves to listen to him read as he uses expression, has nice flow, and just does a great job for his grade level. He's very quiet in class, won't ask questions when confused, and doesn't volunteer answers unless called on. But she commented on how Jaden continually shocks her with how smart he is, just when she doesn't think he understood something or wasn't paying attention she'll ask him something and he'll give great answers that surprise her with how much he knows. Now we just need to figure out how to get that knowledge consistently down on paper. Anyway, although he's testing on grade level we talked about the option of summer school for him, it's 3 hours a day for 3 weeks in July. Jaden thrives on schedule and his teacher thinks that having that structure and extra push in mid-summer will really help him succeed in returning to the classroom in the fall. The summer school is carefully set up to Not be a punishment, a behavior management scenario, or anything like that. Not only is it divided by grade level, but also by their testing scores so Jaden would be with others that are considered on grade level or close to it, and not in a room of students that aren't near his abilities. Anyway, after talking to her we think it could be a good option for Jaden this summer, and are leaning towards doing it (since he is on grade level it isn't required). So don't look at me with pitty or wonder what I did wrong to have a child in summer school. He's an amazing boy, and I couldn't be prouder of him. We're doing all we know how to help him succeed in a traditional classroom, which is his weakness, so that he can show off his strengths in other areas.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Thanks. . .
I've been feeling thankful to God for the little things. . .
-we won some PTA contest that I didn't even know we were entered in and won a free family pizza meal (2 pizza's, cheesy bread, drinks) so we got to have a fun splurge night without having to pay anything
-When we gave in and decided to take the kids to Krispy Kreme for breakfast on Sunday, the lady thought that we had to wait too long for our donuts so gave them to us for free.
-Friends decided to stop by Sunday night for a nice relaxing evening with friends, and they brought dinner with them (what could be better?)
Ok, I'm noticing a lot of these have to do with free food, but really it's the little things that make my day, that and food.
-When Ashtyn decided to sneak and cut things with a pair of scissors, she only cut the living room's chair's arm cover and not the actual chair.
-Getting to see pictures of friends far away, and keeping up with them on Facebook.
-Spending time with my kids, gosh they are fun, and I've been doing better at remembering to slow down and just enjoy them lately.
-Jaden thought ahead and brought home an assignment he didn't have time to finish in class, without anyone telling him to, so that he could get it done for homework.
-Spring break is only a couple days away now, and the sun is shining.
-we won some PTA contest that I didn't even know we were entered in and won a free family pizza meal (2 pizza's, cheesy bread, drinks) so we got to have a fun splurge night without having to pay anything
-When we gave in and decided to take the kids to Krispy Kreme for breakfast on Sunday, the lady thought that we had to wait too long for our donuts so gave them to us for free.
-Friends decided to stop by Sunday night for a nice relaxing evening with friends, and they brought dinner with them (what could be better?)
Ok, I'm noticing a lot of these have to do with free food, but really it's the little things that make my day, that and food.
-When Ashtyn decided to sneak and cut things with a pair of scissors, she only cut the living room's chair's arm cover and not the actual chair.
-Getting to see pictures of friends far away, and keeping up with them on Facebook.
-Spending time with my kids, gosh they are fun, and I've been doing better at remembering to slow down and just enjoy them lately.
-Jaden thought ahead and brought home an assignment he didn't have time to finish in class, without anyone telling him to, so that he could get it done for homework.
-Spring break is only a couple days away now, and the sun is shining.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
End of an age. . .
I am very happy to announce that our house is officially diaper/pull-ups free! After constantly having at least one child in them for the past 7 1/2 years it feels very liberating to not to have to ever buy another package of diapers! Ashtyn has only been wearing them at night when she sleeps for quite awhile now (she's been potty trained since she was 18months old) but we've finally put them away at night time too.
On a different note (and I'm knocking on wood as I say this) winter is over here! We spent a glorious afternoon on Sunday working in the yard cleaning out the winter grasses, etc. We followed that with a nice long walk, and then grilled dinner outside in the backyard with friends. What a change from just a few weeks ago. I find it very energizing to be outside again(and the kids are loving it too). Now I'm getting itchy to start all those projects that didn't quite get to last year.
Hope you are all having a great St. Patrick's Day! The corned beef is cooking right now and we have way more than we can eat so stop on by if you'd like some.
On a different note (and I'm knocking on wood as I say this) winter is over here! We spent a glorious afternoon on Sunday working in the yard cleaning out the winter grasses, etc. We followed that with a nice long walk, and then grilled dinner outside in the backyard with friends. What a change from just a few weeks ago. I find it very energizing to be outside again(and the kids are loving it too). Now I'm getting itchy to start all those projects that didn't quite get to last year.
Hope you are all having a great St. Patrick's Day! The corned beef is cooking right now and we have way more than we can eat so stop on by if you'd like some.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Sleep Walking. . .
As some of you know my husband on occasion will sleep walk. You might have heard some stories of this, but he doesn't do it often (or at least doesn't get caught often). Well it seems that this trait has been passed on to at least 2 of our children. We've caught Jaden several times wandering through the house, and last night we caught Colten in just the most hysterical incident to date.
Now before I tell the story I have to have you promise to not tease the poor boy about this-well, at least not until he's 20 and can look back on things with more of a laugh and a little less self consciousness.
So now that I have your promise, here's the story. We've been working hard on trying to get Colten to wake up and use the potty in the middle of the night so that he can stay dry all night. He sleeps so heavily that just about nothing usually wakes him up, but he's done great as long as we wake him up before we go to bed and make him go. Anyway, last night we were watching a movie on the couch when we hear movement upstairs. Within a few moments Colten staggers into the family room, and although we call his name he doesn't respond and walks straight up to the TV until he's literally only an inch from it. We keep calling his name and he finally turns around and seems to "wake up" and then says "mommy". We ask him what's wrong and he seems confused as to where he is and why he's even out of bed. We finally figure out that he is wet and console him as he is now getting upset. We take him upstairs to change him and his bed when we see that Jaden's room lights are on as well as his bedside touch lamp. Joshua goes in to investigate what is going on there while I take Colten into his room and discover that his bed is actually dry, which was really puzzling to me. Then Joshua calls from Jaden's room that his bedside table is soaking wet (meanwhile Jaden is sound asleep on the bed and doesn't even notice us talking and walking around his room). I go to see what Joshua is talking about and we can't find any source for the wet, and it's a sizable amount. There is no cup around, no leaks in the ceiling, etc. It's when Joshua goes to clean it up with a towel that we start to piece it all together. Evidently Colten in his "sleep" was confused as to what room the bathroom was, entered Jaden's room turning on the overhead lights, walked around the bed to the far bedside table and proceeded to go potty on it. We think (and here we are just trying to put it all together) that when he peed on the bedside table that it triggered the touch lamp on the table turning that on and startling him so that he then ended up wetting on himself the rest of the way, at which point he headed downstairs still not really aware of his actions.
So by the time we piece all of this together I'm rolling with laughter. Now I guess that says a lot about where I've come to that I'm not sitting there mortified at the idea but instead laughing hysterically over having furniture peed on-but such is the life of a mother. This morning Colten has no recollection of anything beyond the fact that we made him change his pajamas in the middle of the night and then sent him to bed. I wonder what other sleep walking incidents we'll have in our future.
Now before I tell the story I have to have you promise to not tease the poor boy about this-well, at least not until he's 20 and can look back on things with more of a laugh and a little less self consciousness.
So now that I have your promise, here's the story. We've been working hard on trying to get Colten to wake up and use the potty in the middle of the night so that he can stay dry all night. He sleeps so heavily that just about nothing usually wakes him up, but he's done great as long as we wake him up before we go to bed and make him go. Anyway, last night we were watching a movie on the couch when we hear movement upstairs. Within a few moments Colten staggers into the family room, and although we call his name he doesn't respond and walks straight up to the TV until he's literally only an inch from it. We keep calling his name and he finally turns around and seems to "wake up" and then says "mommy". We ask him what's wrong and he seems confused as to where he is and why he's even out of bed. We finally figure out that he is wet and console him as he is now getting upset. We take him upstairs to change him and his bed when we see that Jaden's room lights are on as well as his bedside touch lamp. Joshua goes in to investigate what is going on there while I take Colten into his room and discover that his bed is actually dry, which was really puzzling to me. Then Joshua calls from Jaden's room that his bedside table is soaking wet (meanwhile Jaden is sound asleep on the bed and doesn't even notice us talking and walking around his room). I go to see what Joshua is talking about and we can't find any source for the wet, and it's a sizable amount. There is no cup around, no leaks in the ceiling, etc. It's when Joshua goes to clean it up with a towel that we start to piece it all together. Evidently Colten in his "sleep" was confused as to what room the bathroom was, entered Jaden's room turning on the overhead lights, walked around the bed to the far bedside table and proceeded to go potty on it. We think (and here we are just trying to put it all together) that when he peed on the bedside table that it triggered the touch lamp on the table turning that on and startling him so that he then ended up wetting on himself the rest of the way, at which point he headed downstairs still not really aware of his actions.
So by the time we piece all of this together I'm rolling with laughter. Now I guess that says a lot about where I've come to that I'm not sitting there mortified at the idea but instead laughing hysterically over having furniture peed on-but such is the life of a mother. This morning Colten has no recollection of anything beyond the fact that we made him change his pajamas in the middle of the night and then sent him to bed. I wonder what other sleep walking incidents we'll have in our future.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Great quote from one of our great leaders
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.
--Abraham Lincoln
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.
--Abraham Lincoln
Scrapbooking
Hey, I just wanted to announce (drum roll please...) I FINALLY FINISHED ASHTYN'S SCRAPBOOK OF HER FIRST YEAR!!!!!! I am so excited to finally be finished with this!
Ok, yes, I do realize that she is already 3 years old and I am just now finishing her scrapbook for her first year of life. But better late than never.
The other exciting thing about this is that now I can be done with my "paper" scrapbooking. I told myself that once I finally finished her book I could begin to do the rest of my scrapbooks on the computer and then have them printed off.
I have done one digital scrapbook. I did one for Joshua's 10th anniversary present and just loved it! It was so nice to be able to work on it, save it, and not have any mess to clean up. I could stop in the middle of something and it was just fine. Not to mention you can use an embellishment as many times as you want, change it's size, color, etc. so easily without multiple trips to the store and spending money. And my big weakness with scrapbooking has always been those alphabet stickers so now I don't have to waste my money on that! I am so excited that now I can sit down at the computer and make my scrapbooks that way. Oh, and another big plus, when printed the scrapbooks are so nice and thin even when they are 100 pages long, unlike my huge tombs of scrapbook albums currently. Oh, and also you can change the size you want to print it in-ie print off a nice big 12x12 for you and a smaller 8x8 for the grandparents, etc. with no extra work on your part. I love it and now can't wait to get started on my next scrapbook project.
Ok, yes, I do realize that she is already 3 years old and I am just now finishing her scrapbook for her first year of life. But better late than never.
The other exciting thing about this is that now I can be done with my "paper" scrapbooking. I told myself that once I finally finished her book I could begin to do the rest of my scrapbooks on the computer and then have them printed off.
I have done one digital scrapbook. I did one for Joshua's 10th anniversary present and just loved it! It was so nice to be able to work on it, save it, and not have any mess to clean up. I could stop in the middle of something and it was just fine. Not to mention you can use an embellishment as many times as you want, change it's size, color, etc. so easily without multiple trips to the store and spending money. And my big weakness with scrapbooking has always been those alphabet stickers so now I don't have to waste my money on that! I am so excited that now I can sit down at the computer and make my scrapbooks that way. Oh, and another big plus, when printed the scrapbooks are so nice and thin even when they are 100 pages long, unlike my huge tombs of scrapbook albums currently. Oh, and also you can change the size you want to print it in-ie print off a nice big 12x12 for you and a smaller 8x8 for the grandparents, etc. with no extra work on your part. I love it and now can't wait to get started on my next scrapbook project.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Detox
Ok, so that title sounds off. But, I did just finish my last day of my "detox" diet. Not as in alchohol or drugs or anything. But it's a 10 day plan I decided to follow to rid my body of chemicals, metals, and other unnecessary buildup. And maybe I'm doing this report a little early as I am just finishing my last day on the plan.
It's been a rough 10 days. Each day I had to further limit what I was eating (the first day I had to give up all sugar, sweeteners of any kind, caffeine, and meat and any products that had any of that in it). By day 5 I could only eat broccoli, cauliflower, apples and pears. That continued for several days until I was allowed to add back other fruits and vegetables yesterday, and legumes and nuts today. Going along with the restrictive eating are these lovely shakes I had to drink. My best description would be apple juice with sand in it. They didn't taste bad, it was just the trying to drink grit that really was just too much for me. But I survived, and have been victorious in completing the program with not one cheat in the whole 10 days! I'm very proud of myself. 80)
I must say that I feel like I have a lot more energy the past several days and I'm contributing this new energy to ridding my body of the sludge it was laden with previously. Tomorrow I get to start adding back normal food as I feel ready for it. I have to admit the chocolate will be the first thing I go looking for in the morning. But once I have a mouthful of that, I really am planning on trying to keep up and have better eating habits. We'd really like to further rid our pantry of processed foods, anything with any coloring, or other chemicals, junk food, etc. It's not an easy road ahead of us. But as Joshua and I talk it is a road we'd really like to lead our children on. Of course we'll have our exceptions here and there, just want to set good patterns for normal life (don't worry our kids definitely wont be deprived, and no I don't think this includes Joshua giving up Dr Pepper). I think my biggest fear is the cost of eating healthy-it is definitely cheaper and easier to get the processed foods over stocking the fresh stuff. Since our normal food budget is a stress to me, I'm not really sure how it's all going to work out and still fit in our monetary guidelines as well, but we are going to do the best that we can. If you have any great suggestions I'd love to hear them!
While this "detox" diet wasn't designed to actually lose weight, I am hoping to see some nice results when I get on the scale tomorrow. I'm hoping this plan has helped to show me that I can beat the cravings and snack attacks and resist them so that I can finally lose those pounds I've been wanting to lose for quite awhile.
So, if anyone wants to drink juicy sand for a week let me know and I can hook you up. 80) And as I poke fun at it, I must say I'm glad that I did it!
It's been a rough 10 days. Each day I had to further limit what I was eating (the first day I had to give up all sugar, sweeteners of any kind, caffeine, and meat and any products that had any of that in it). By day 5 I could only eat broccoli, cauliflower, apples and pears. That continued for several days until I was allowed to add back other fruits and vegetables yesterday, and legumes and nuts today. Going along with the restrictive eating are these lovely shakes I had to drink. My best description would be apple juice with sand in it. They didn't taste bad, it was just the trying to drink grit that really was just too much for me. But I survived, and have been victorious in completing the program with not one cheat in the whole 10 days! I'm very proud of myself. 80)
I must say that I feel like I have a lot more energy the past several days and I'm contributing this new energy to ridding my body of the sludge it was laden with previously. Tomorrow I get to start adding back normal food as I feel ready for it. I have to admit the chocolate will be the first thing I go looking for in the morning. But once I have a mouthful of that, I really am planning on trying to keep up and have better eating habits. We'd really like to further rid our pantry of processed foods, anything with any coloring, or other chemicals, junk food, etc. It's not an easy road ahead of us. But as Joshua and I talk it is a road we'd really like to lead our children on. Of course we'll have our exceptions here and there, just want to set good patterns for normal life (don't worry our kids definitely wont be deprived, and no I don't think this includes Joshua giving up Dr Pepper). I think my biggest fear is the cost of eating healthy-it is definitely cheaper and easier to get the processed foods over stocking the fresh stuff. Since our normal food budget is a stress to me, I'm not really sure how it's all going to work out and still fit in our monetary guidelines as well, but we are going to do the best that we can. If you have any great suggestions I'd love to hear them!
While this "detox" diet wasn't designed to actually lose weight, I am hoping to see some nice results when I get on the scale tomorrow. I'm hoping this plan has helped to show me that I can beat the cravings and snack attacks and resist them so that I can finally lose those pounds I've been wanting to lose for quite awhile.
So, if anyone wants to drink juicy sand for a week let me know and I can hook you up. 80) And as I poke fun at it, I must say I'm glad that I did it!
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