Cranberry Muffins..An Experiment in Frugality.

In my quest to be a better homemaker and manager of all things homey, I am trying to make sure that everything gets used up. Right now I have a few things left over from Christmas dinner that need to be taken care of. I have the ham sorted and ready for beans tomorrow and some for casseroles later. Dave just took care of the last little bit of turkey. All that is left is cranberry sauce and some sweet potato casserole. I decided to work with the cranberry sauce first. It's homemade sauce. It's just cranberries, water, sugar, and a couple scoops of orange marmalade. It was yummy.


So, right now I have some muffins in the oven. They smell yummy. I figured cranberry muffins would be good. I guess we'll see. I am going to make another batch, but do it a bit different. I think I will mix the sauce into the muffin batter this time. The first batch, I put a spoonful of sauce on top of the batter and baked. They look like they turned out great, but it would be easier to just mix the berries into the batter. At least that's what I think.



Not sure on what to do with the sweet potato casserole. There isn't much left, so if it ends up getting dumped, I won't be too upset. :)

I'll fill you in later on how the muffins turned out and post the recipe I used and the changes I made.

Last Day of 2006

Well, it's the last day of the year. :) Nothing exciting going on here. Well, I think every day is exciting, but my standards may be different than yours. ;)

Dave and I made a trip to the commissary. Apparently so did everyone else on the base. LOL We only got enough stuff to last us a couple of days. I will be working tomorrow on the meal plan and grocery list for the next 2 weeks and then I will go back.

We finally decided on our "special" dinner for New Year's Eve. We're doing hot dogs and chips. I know it's hard to control your excitement. I know you are intimidated by my awesome kitchen skills. OK, brace yourselves. I also made onion dip. You know the kind. Mix a package of onion soup mix and a container of sour cream. Oh oh oh... I'm also opening a jar of Bush's chili heating that up as well. Wait, that's not all. I'm also going to shred cheese. With the food processor. ROFLOL


We might play a game later. It depends on whether or not we can find one that everyone can play. We may have to resort to something like Go Fish, but that's fine. The important thing is that we will be doing something together as a family.


So, we will be bringing in the new year exactly how we want to. No big fancy parties, no huge get-togethers. Just family. Just how we like it.

So, I am off to finish up here and get my magnificently special dinner served to the family. :)

I hope you have a great evening and a wonderful new year.

The Baking of the Bread

Ok, over the past 3 days I have made 3 different bread recipes. First I made one called Angel Bread. Apparently I miscopied the recipe because it listed no water. So, I ended up added a few TBSP of water. Dave loved the flavor, but said it was a big crumbly. So, I need to see if I can find where I got the recipe from. Normally I keep the source, but apparently not for this one.

The second loaf was called Crusty Cuban Bread. I loved this one. The only problem I had was I used the light crust setting, so it looked a little pasty. LOL It is a great chewy type bread.


The third loaf was Honey Wheat Bread. It was.... well, it was wheat bread. It's pretty dense and I'm not sure how the family will like it. I think it will make great toast, not sure how it will do for the sandwiches though. I guess we will find out at lunch time. LOL.


Right now I have another batch of the Crusty Cuban Bread going in the breadmaker. I'm thinking this just might be our family staple. Of course, it depends on what the rest of the family decides.

So, I am going to post the recipes I used. I found these on line. If I made changes, I noted them.
***********************************************************************************
*Angel Bread *

Ingredients
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. melted cocnut oil
2 tbsp. sugar
2 c. bread flour
1 -1 1/2 tsp. yeast

Instructions: Put ingredients in order suggested by your bread machine manufacturer. Use light crust setting.


(the coconut oil is essential because it gives the texture as if you used shortening. Shortening is very bad for you. You can substitute melted butter, but the texture won't be quite as soft and fluffy)

My Notes:
I must have missed an ingredient when I copied and pasted this recipe. I added 6 TBSP of water to this as well. Just enough to make the dough form a ball. I think I might add more water next time I try this.

***********************************************************************************
* Crusty Cuban Bread-medium loaf *

Ingredients
1 1/4 c Water
1 1/2 ts Sugar
1 t Salt
3 c Bread flour
2 ts Yeast

Instructions: Bake according to your machine's directions using French or Basic cycle. This is a low rising bread due to the lack of oil and small amount of sugar. Keep an eye on the dough and add a tablespoon or so of water if the dough looks dry or if the machine sounds like it's struggling.
The Bread Machine Cookbook by Donna Rathmell
***********************************************************************************

* Honey Wheat Bread *

2 lb loaf
Ingredients
1 -1/2 cups warm tap water
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Instructions:Measure the ingredients into the bread pan in the order listed. Make a well in the flour and sprinkle the yeast into it. Set the machine to it's Whole Wheat Cycle. On my machine this lasts for 3 hours and 40 minutes. Press Start, and let the machine work it's magic. Remove the cooked bread from the pan after baking and allow it to cool before slicing. Makes a 2 lb loaf.

Notes from original poster:
This is my kids favorite whole wheat bread. The honey makes it very sweet, and soft. This bread lasts longer than some machine made breads before going stale. The honey acts as a natural preservative.

Tired......

I am so tired. I didn't get much sleep last night. I think I crawled into bed around 2:30 and was up at 9:00. I have these boughts of insomnia every so often. They normally last just one or two nights, so it's not that big of a deal.

Anyway, I am hoping I to get to bed soon. Of course I can't do that until the bread gets done baking. Yep, I'm baking bread. LOL I've decided that I want to make the bread our family eats. The store bought stuff is getting more expensive. I can't get it for less than $1.40 a loaf around here. Plus, nutritionally it's just not all that great, ya know? I can add all sorts of stuff into the bread I make and it won't make much of a difference. The family is getting used to homemade bread, so as long as it isn't horrible, they won't care. LOL

With all of us home for lunch during the holiday break, we are going through one loaf a day of the homemade stuff. Even the store bought stuff was barely lasting 2 days. So far I have made 3 different recipes. The first one Dave loved the taste of, but he thought it was a bit crumbly. The second one I loved, but I love slightly chewy bread. The third loaf is baking right now. It's a honey wheat bread and it smells yummy. Plus it has enough honey in it to make the kids like it.


I figure I'll post later on the trial and error bread making process. It should be interesting. LOL


If anyone has a favorite recipe, please share. It can be a bread machine one or a basic by hand one. It doesn't matter, as long as it's a winner with your family. :)

New Year, Learn Something New

I recently re-joined a great yahoo group. It's called Making It Home. Anyway, a challenge was just issued. Here's the challenge.

We have just a few days left of 2006! Can you believe it?

For the next few days, as you go about your home, think about at least 3 things that you would like to learn how to do in your home that you have not be able to learn as of yet.


So, I picked 3 things, but I think I might add to them later. I'm thinking that as I master one thing, I might replace it with another. I'm not sure yet. So, here are the 3 things I chose.

1. Learn to keep my mouth shut. You know the whole "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all" thing. I need to work on this. - Now I know this may not seem like it has anything to do with my home, but I figure my attitude affects my home, so it still counts. :)

2. Learn to manage my home, using the Home Management Binder I've been working on.

3. Declutter. We are moving this year and a lot of stuff needs to go away.


So, you can find out more about the challenge here, as well as a list of ideas of thing you can change, if you can't think of anything.


I hope you have a great last few days of 2006 and that your 2007 is full of blessings.

Sharing a poem

Christians - By Maya Angelou
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say.. "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say.. "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!

Random thoughts about mistakes and Christianity

You know, I am not perfect, I'm human. I make mistakes. I make huge ones. I can do nothing more than apologize and learn from the huge mistakes I make. I don't know if that is always enough sometimes, but it's the best I can do. I'm only human. Just because I am a Christian does not make me immune to sin. It does not make me perfect. It does put me in a difficult place. People assume that because I am a Christian I must be perfect. I am not allowed to screw up or make mistakes. I know I am held to a higer standard than most because of my beliefs. Maybe not by everyone, but by most people. I know that comes with the territory. But, I am still a human being, full of sin and fleshy ways. It's just as much of a struggle for me as it is for any non-Christian. I'm not a perfect person, I have never claimed to be. I am sinfull, I am pridefull, I gossip, I do all the things "good Christians" should not do. I dissapoint people and hurt them with my words and actions. It doesn't matter if it's done intentionally or not, it's still hurt. I act before I think. I don't always keep my mouth shut when I should. I let anger and pride take over sometimes. I am selfish. I can be mean. Sarcasim is my worst enemy and sometimes my best friend. I make wrong choices every day. I will probably make wrong choices every day for the rest of my life. I can only do the best I can do. Of course, my best is only as good as I let it be. If I try to handle it all myself, I might as well just start digging my hole. That's where my faith and my beliefs come in. I know that no matter how much I screw up, God is there to forgive me. I am not saying this makes every bad thing I have done all better. I'm not saying that everyone I have hurt should forgive me. I have done unforgivable things. I will lose and have lost friendships over stupid choices I made. That's all my fault. I know that I am responsible for the situations I have put myself in. I can't put the blame on anyone else. I'm not saying that those things are forgotten because I am a Christian and turn to God for forgivness. Those things will always be with me and those they have affected. I can't change that. I can only move forward and learn from those situations. Some lessons are harder than others, but they are all lessons. I do know that God forgives , and sometimes that's all you have. I don't expect to be forgiven by everyone I have hurt. It is not going to happen. I know that the reprecussions will follow me and that others will judge me on what they have heard and what I have done. I can't change that. That's part of life. However, I can only apologize so much. I can only dwell on it so long. I can only re-live it so many times. I have to use it as a life lesson and move on. I'm not saying that the moving on is happy thing, it's just necessary. I know that in Christ all is forgotten and forgiven. I know that through mistakes and trials, whether they are of my own doing or not, I can and will learn and make better choices. I am a work in progress, just like everyone else.

Some people just don't get it....

Some people just don't get it, and it's rather depressing really.

We don't buy a lot of things for our family, Dave and I included. We don't spend thousands of dollars at Christmas or birthdays. Our kids don't have the newest gaming system or the coolest clothes. Not buying those things don't make us bad parents. It doesn't make us selfish, or neglectful. Our kids are happy, healthy, and well cared for. They are just cared for differently than yours. It's what works for us. It doesn't have to work for you.

However, there are always those that equate material posessions with happiness. That buying equals love. I feel a genuine sadness for those people. They just don't get it.

It's not my job as a parent to provide every single want and desire for my children. It's my job to provide for their basic needs, which I do. It's my job to make sure they are happy, which they are. It's my job to make sure they have a sense of vaule and appreciation for the things they have, which they do. It's my job to show them that family matters, stuff doesn't. I think that I am doing a good job and my husband thinks I am doing a good job. That's all that matters.

I must have said it a thousand times. What works for my family may not work for yours and what works for your family may not work for mine, but as long as we find what works for our own families, that's what matters.

New Year Traditions

It's almost the New Year and I've been thinking about traditions. Other than having the kids go outside at midnight to annoy the neighbors, we don't have any traditions for New Year's Eve. No special foods, no special activities, nothing. I'm wanting to start something this year though, so I'm on the lookout for what other people do during this time.

I'm thinking maybe some sort of game night, or movie night. Since Griffin is 5, we are a bit limited on the games we can play. And when I say games, I mean traditional board games. So, I'm thinking maybe an appetizer buffet sort of thing, games, maybe a movie, outside to annoy the neighbors , then calling it a night. Of course I would need to plan a menu, but I love that part.

Another thing I am wondering about are actual New Years Day traditions. I'm guessing most people are up until the wee hours of the morning, so anything that happens on New Year's Day wouldn't start until late morning/early afternoon. Again, I'm looking for laid back family activites.

So, please share any traditions you and your family has during this time of year.

Boxing Day.

I thought I would share some information I found online about boxing day. It's sad to think that this is our last holiday season in England, but I know that God has great things in store for us. :)

Boxing Day is the following day after Christmas Day. Like Christmas Day, Boxing Day is a public holiday. Where does the name Boxing Day came from? The name of the day goes back to medieval times, more than 800 years ago, when alms boxes were placed at the back of every church to collect money for the poor. Traditionally, it is on this day that the alms box at every English church is opened and the contents are distributed to the poor. Historians say the holiday developed because servants were required to work on Christmas Day, but took the following day off. As servants prepared to leave to visit their families, their employers would present them with Christmas boxes. Interesting Facts The Christmas boxes were made from clay and were not made in the shape of a box. They were hollow clay balls with a slit in the top. Boxing Day is a holiday in the United Kingdom, Canada, and many other Commonwealth nations. During the late 18th century, Lords and Ladies of the manor would "box up" their leftover food, or sometimes gifts and distribute them the day after Christmas to tenants who lived and worked on their lands. The tradition of giving money still continues today. It is customary for householders to give small gifts or monetary tips to regular visiting trades people (the milkman, dustman, coalman, paper boy etc.) and, in some work places, for employers to give a Christmas bonus to employees. Boxing Day is also known as St. Stephen's Day (when Good King Wenceslas looked out). 'Good King Wenceslas looked out, On the Feast of Stephen...........' He lived in Rome and was the first man to be killed for believing in the teachings of Jesus. His story is told in the Acts of the Apostles 6: 1 to 8: 2. Some people claim that he shares this day with another St Stephen, who came from Sweden. St Stephen of Sweden is the patron saint of horses. Boxing Day has long be associated with outdoor sports, especially horse racing and hunting. Boxing Day Hunts Traditionally Boxing Day is a day for fox hunting. Horse riders dressed in red and white riding gear, accompanied by a number of dogs called foxhounds, chase the fox through the countryside in the hope of tiring it out. Eventually the hunters hope the fox will be so tired that the dogs will be able to catch it and kill it. Before a Boxing Day Hunt, the huntsmen and huntswomen drink hot wine. The tradition of the December 26th hunt is changing. The 'sport' is slowly dying out due to the growing support for the fox. In November 2004, MPs voted to ban hunting with dogs in England and Wales. It started on 18 February 2005. Family Time Traditionally, Boxing Day is the day when families get together. It is a day of watching sports and playing board games with the family. Shopping In recent times, some shops have broken from tradition and started opening on Boxing Day to start the New Year sales. Hundreds of people now spend Boxing Day morning in queues outside shops, waiting to be the first to dive for the sales racks as the doors opened. Hunting of the Wren It is unlucky to kill a wren on any day apart from Boxing Day. Hunting of the Wren on Boxing Day was once a popular activity in England. Groups of young boys know as 'Wren boys' would hunt a wren and then tie the dead bird to the top of a pole, decorated with holly sprigs and ribbons. With blackened faces, the group would sing at houses in hopes for coins, gifts or food. "The wren, the wren, the king of all birds On St Stephen's Day was caught in the furze, We hunted him far and hunted him near And found him under the bushes here. Hurrah, my boys, hurrah! Hurrah, my boys, hurrah! Knock at the knocker and ring at the bell, And give us a copper for singing so well." Those that gave money to the boys would receive a feather from the wren as thanks. The collected money was then used to host a village dance. This odd ritual was not restricted to England. It was prevalent in some continental countries on Boxing Day as well as the Isle of Man, Wales and Ireland. http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/boxingday.html

Christmas Eve

Well, it's after 10pm on Christmas Eve here in jolly ol' England. :) Dave and I still have gifts to wrap, Griffin and Lucas are still making noises upstairs, and David is down stairs watching football with Dave. I have a french toast casserole in the fridge for the morning.

We have gift opening, cooking, and family time planned for tomorrow. I'm hoping the kids will sleep in a bit. I know we have a late night ahead of us and I'm already beat. :)


I hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas with your families. :)

Gearing up for the New Year

I think most people plan to start the new year out with a bang and then sorta fizzle out with their "New Year, New Me" concept around April, or sooner for some of us. So I figure in order to be successfull, I need a plan. Now, I balk at plans. The rigidity, the structure, the "lack of freedom" plans stand for drive me bonkers. In my fleshy-ess, I want to be in control and a plan screams "failure to control" to me. I must be a huge loser if I have to make a plan or a schedule in order to run my household or my life. I have come to realize that by resisting a plan, I am setting myself up for failure. I have no focus, I have no goals set out, I have nothing to follow. I expect to flit aimlessly through life and accomplish something. Yeah, right. Talk about setting yourself up for failure. I've been doing it every day of my married life, pretty much.

I have finally realized that if I don't set goals, I have nothing to aim for. It's taken me years to figure this out. I never said I was the sharpest crayon in the box. :) It's just hit me. The meaning of the quote "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail". DUH Hello, McFly!!!!!

So, in my quest to finally get my household in order, I have decided to put together a Household Management Binder. There are several sites online full of information on these binders. The one I am using right now is www.keepingthehome.com . I find her site the most helpful for me, personally. She uses scripture to back up her choices and looks at the whole thing from a biblical perspective. Here is a list of other sites you may find helpful when putting together a Household Management Binder.

Organized Home
Home Works Best
Mrs Happy Housewife
Prayz God
Be Not Conformed
Fly Lady

So, I have been busy working on schedules, chore charts, and basic everyday things my family does or is involved in. I plan to post updates as I progress with the Binder. So, today I have to go and get more printer paper because I exhausted our meager supply last night. :)

So, anyone interested in joining me in the quest for a smoother running household? Post a comment and share your journey as I share mine.

Another Saturday with the family.

Well, it's another Saturday with the family. :) My favorite kind of Saturday. We all slept in a bit and I made pancakes for breakfast. Griffin and Lucas ate 4 each. Guess they are growing boys. :) I used the following recipe, with these changes. I added a few shakes of pumpkin pie spice and some cinnamon sugar. They were yumy. :)

Not much planned today except for hanging out. Dave and I may have to make a run for wrapping paper and I need printer paper to finish up my household management binder. (I'll have to post about that in a bit)


Pancakes
Yields: 4 Servings posted as 120089
Ingredients
2 c Flour
2 tb Sugar
3/4 ts Salt
3 ts Baking powder
2 Eggs
1 1/4 c Milk
1/4 c Salad oil or melted crisco.

InstructionsSift to-gether flour,sugar,salt and baking powder.Beat eggs and add milk.Combine with dry ingredients,mixing smooth.Add shortening or salad oil.Drop by spoonfuls on hot griddle. From Geminis MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini Making this today? Don't forget to rate the recipe! Load BigOven, or visit www.bigoven.com, and enter the BigOven ID: 120089. Ratings help connect everyone with great recipes faster!

Life Lessons from 2006

So, I thought I would post a blog about what I've learned this year. All the cool kids are doing it. ROFLOL

1.) Be true to yourself. There is no need to change who you are or to let other people change you. I have been guilty of changing to fit in. I am sure most people have. However, I don't place all the blame on those people. I made wrong choices, I suffer those consequences. No one held a gun to my head and made me do anything, I chose to do it. Ya, know? I knew in my heart it was the wrong thing, but I did it anyway. No one to blame but me.
Now, I have experienced the other end of this too. I have been attacked, as well as my family, for being who I am and expressing that. It hurt. A lot. However, I didn't continue to argue my points, I just decided that maybe this person and I should agree to disagree. Apparently that wasn't what they wanted to do. They wanted to continue to take every oportunity to dig the knife in, so to speak. That's fine, I don't control what other people do anymore than they control what I do. I'm not saying it didn't hurt, I'm just saying it was a learning experience. It was hard to not give into the gossip and backstabbing and ugliness, but I think I did a pretty good job. I'm not saying I made the best choices all the time, but I don't think I did anything to be ashamed of. If you think different, please let me know. I'm not one to blame others for my bad choices. I'll own up and apologize if it was truly my doing.

2.) Take responsiblity. Yep, as adults we should be able to take responsiblity for the things we screwed up. It's not easy. No one wants to be wrong, but it's the responsible thing to do. Everything that has gone wrong in my life can't be blamed on everyone else. I have to take responsiblity for my actions. I have to accept my share of the blame.That's life. That's being an adult.
3.) Never believe what you hear, unless it comes straight from the source, and even then be cautious. I hear tons of things about tons of people. People talk about people everywhere. You can't go anywhere in public here and not overhear something about someone that you probably know. However, it's not your business. I do occassionally vent to friends about people I know. However, it's mostly just a " I just don't understand why ....". I don't do the whole "did you hear about so and so" thing. I have done it, it wasn't right and I apologize to anyone that I have hurt in doing that. Honestly from the bottom of my heart. If you are one of those people and you don't think that's enough, then contact me privately and we'll talk about it.
4.) Different things work for different people, and that's ok. My family works differently than yours. Thats' fine. I'm no better than you and you are no better than me. I may make different choices than you.I may have different beliefs than you. I may hold different things close to my hear than you. That doesn't make me better than you. I don't think I'm better than you. If you think that I think I'm better than you, that's your problem, not mine.
5.) You can't complain about a situation, if you don't work to change it. You can't complain about the government, if you didn't vote. You can't complain about the way organizations are run, if you don't participate. You can't complain about squadron parties, if you don't help plan it. You can't complain about your children's play group, if you aren't active in it. I think a lot of things are just jacked up in the world, but unless I'm trying to change it, I have no right to complain about it. Sure, I can be upset about the way things are, but unless I am willing to sit down and talk to those in charge, then I can't complain. I know that sometimes you can't change things. Sometimes you can talk to those in charge until you are blue in the face and get nothing. That's life. Everything doesn't work out like we want it to. Now if you've talked to those in charge, then complain away. You've done your best to fix the situation. No one can hold that against you. I just can't stand it when people have nothing but complaints about stuff, but want nothing to do with fixing what they think the problem is. Sure I complain about stuff, everyone does, but I don't make it my life's mission to completely bash something because I disagree with the way things are run.
6) If you have a problem with someone, let them know. I have a hard time with this because I am very non-confrontational. I know how it feels to not want to cause waves. However, I don't go sharing the problems I have with other people with everyone I meet. I don't blog about how I was mistreated and how I am always done wrong. If I have a problem with you I probably won't let you know. :) (I know I'm going to get a lot of "practice what you preach" posts, but that's ok) I don't want to start trouble and I usually just chalk it up to a mutual misunderstanding. I usually figure it was unintentional and nothing to bicker about. However, when it seems as if you are going out of your way to point out things about me, or avoiding me, I can only believe it is intentional and that you have some sort of problem. I don't know if you don't tell me. Heck it could just be a mood swing. I get those. It could just be stress. Everyone has stressors. If you don't let me know, I can't fix it, and you have no right to complain about it. See lesson # 5. :)
7.)You don't have to be exactly the same as someone to be their friend. You do have to have some things in common,but I don't think it's necessary to have everything in common. You don't have to have the same beliefs, the same family values, the same morals. I have friends that have different beliefs than I do.I have friends that have family values that differ from mine. I don't think any less of them for that. I like having friends that are different than me. I, as a Christian, have non-Christian friends. I like hanging out with them. I like talking with them about their beliefs. I like sharing mine with them. I'm not out to convert them or force my views on them, and they don't do that to me either. It's a respect thing. I respect my friends, and I expect the same in return. I don't always have to agree with what they do, I don't always have to like the same people they like, I don't have to have the same hobbies they do and they don't have to like those things about me. If someone feels like they need to change to be my friend, or act differently when they are around me, that's their issue, not mine.

8)If you are not happy with yourself, you are not going to be happy period. You can't count on others to make you happy.You have to find your own joy in life. I'm still working on this.
9) You can't please everyone. I used to be more of a people pleaser than I am now. I have cared more about what other people think than what I think. It comsumed me. I worried about what people would thinkabout what I was wearing. I worried about what people would think about what I said. I worried about what people would think about the graphics on myspace. I worried about what people would think of my car, my house, my kids, my everything. I finally had to stop worrying about everyone else when I realized I cared more about what other people though more than what my family thought. I have learned to be the best person I can be, no matter what other people think. I found what worked for me and my family and learned to ignore what everyone else says. See lesson # 4.
10) It's my job as a parent to raise responsible, self-confident, functional kids. They need to be able to function as productive adults in society. I can't leave that up to anyone else. I can't let the school do it. I can't let tv do it. I can't let me friends do it. Making my kids clean their rooms, won't kill them. Teaching them to do laundry won't give them a complex. Making them do their own homework, will only make them smarter no matter how much they protest. Leaving my 15 year old home with the younger 2 for a few hours a month will not kill him. Making my 8 yr old clean the litter box will not kill him. Having my 5 yr old unload the dishwasher will not kill him. I am not a bad parent for making my kids do these things. I am a great parent. The one thing I am not is my kids' friend. I am their mother. They have a lot of friends. They only have one mother. They know they can come to me with anything, and they do. They know I will listen to what they have to say. They know I love them. They know there are rules in life that need to be followed. That's just the way the ball bounces.


Now, I am sure some that some of the things I have said here are going to tick some people off. I'm sorry if you are offended or whatever. However, it's my blog and no one made you come here. If you have issues, let me know privately. If you think this is the most horrible thing ever written, fine that's your opinion. You know I monitor my blog comments. As long as they aren't vulgar and written specifically to cause trouble, I post all the comments I get. Don't think that's fair? I'm sorry. It's my blog and I get to make the rules. :)

New Year, New Blog

Ok, so technically it's not a new year, but I'm gearing up for it now. :) I figured that are quite a few changes that I need to make in my life. Sorta an "out with the old, in with the new" thing. So, in keeping with that mindset I decided to start a new blog. I figure it's time to put the past behind me and look toward the future.

So, here's to a wonderful new year full of God's blessings.