![“M” is for Mouse]()
by Catherine | Nov 7, 2013 | The Homefront
You know how they say, “The good borrow; the great steal”? Well, I always applied that to my time as a high school Spanish teacher, and I’m definitely applying that philosophy to my time at home with the kiddos. No need to reinvent the wheel with so many fun ideas out there!
Remember how I said I wanted to do more homeschool-esque activities with the kiddos as one of my November Happiness Project Resolutions? The kids are very into letters these days, so I decided to get back into making alphacritters (letters that look like animals).
Today, we made an “M” that looked like a mouse. I stole the idea from The Measured Mom. If you’ve never checked out that blog before, do yourself a favor and head over there for some great preschool crafts!
Back to the “M” Mouse…
First, I made my own mouse model while Jane was at preschool.
Then, I laid out my model with two blank “M”s for Jane and Walt.
I gave each kiddo a glue stick and a few pieces at a time to glue to their “M”s.
As I expected, Jane was super into attaching the pieces to her mouse while Walt preferred playing with the glue stick. He quickly lost interest in craft time and decided to play with his trains!
The ears and the nose…
The whiskers…
We couldn’t resist pretending we had whiskers!
Final touches…
Ta-da!
Silly monkey always smiles better when she can see herself on the iPhone!
Our mice creations are hanging together on the kitchen wall. Jane says, “They’re mouse friends!”
I like Jane’s “M” Mouse better. It has character.
!["M" is for Mouse]()
by Catherine | Nov 7, 2013 | The Homefront
You know how they say, “The good borrow; the great steal”? Well, I always applied that to my time as a high school Spanish teacher, and I’m definitely applying that philosophy to my time at home with the kiddos. No need to reinvent the wheel with so many fun ideas out there!
Remember how I said I wanted to do more homeschool-esque activities with the kiddos as one of my November Happiness Project Resolutions? The kids are very into letters these days, so I decided to get back into making alphacritters (letters that look like animals).
Today, we made an “M” that looked like a mouse. I stole the idea from The Measured Mom. If you’ve never checked out that blog before, do yourself a favor and head over there for some great preschool crafts!
Back to the “M” Mouse…
First, I made my own mouse model while Jane was at preschool.
Then, I laid out my model with two blank “M”s for Jane and Walt.
I gave each kiddo a glue stick and a few pieces at a time to glue to their “M”s.
As I expected, Jane was super into attaching the pieces to her mouse while Walt preferred playing with the glue stick. He quickly lost interest in craft time and decided to play with his trains!
The ears and the nose…
The whiskers…
We couldn’t resist pretending we had whiskers!
Final touches…
Ta-da!
Silly monkey always smiles better when she can see herself on the iPhone!
Our mice creations are hanging together on the kitchen wall. Jane says, “They’re mouse friends!”
I like Jane’s “M” Mouse better. It has character.
![Need to organize your recipes?]()
by Catherine | Nov 7, 2013 | Everything Else, The Homefront
I’m one of those people that has ZERO patience for new-fangled technology. I am terrible at taking the time to figure out how to use new software unless it’s something I’m really interested in. Fortunately for me, I’m married to a man who relishes playing with new gadgets, using shortcuts, and reading blogs or news sites about this stuff.
I was getting frustrated by having recipes all over the place–websites, e-mail & Facebook inbox, Excel doc, dog-eared cookbooks, etc. My brilliant and handsome hunk of a hubby discovered a fantastic app designed to organize recipes. The app is called Paprika. ***I DID NOT GET PAID TO DO THIS ENDORSEMENT! I JUST LOVE IT!!!*** Here’s what it does:
Paprika is pricy compared to other apps ($20), but, in my opinion, it’s worth every penny.
I’ve been transitioning away from using paper cookbooks (aside from a few of my absolute favorites), and I almost exclusively use websites. I had an Excel spreadsheet with my recipes categorized, but it was cumbersome and not very user-friendly. If Philip tried to find a recipe on the Excel doc, he struggled. With Paprika, I open up the app, and I can find any of my recipes using the categories that I created. The recipes can go into multiple categories, too. You’re making the categories and assigning each recipe a “home,” so it’ll all make sense to you!
If you’re putting recipes in, it couldn’t be easier–even for a non-techie like me. If it’s a recipe you’ve found online, you click on the “Browser” function. Then, you copy and paste the link to the recipe, and, VOILA, the ingredients and directions are inserted for you! Brilliant! If you’re like me, you’ve accumulated a bunch of random e-mails, recipe cards, or Facebook messages with recipes from friends and family. I am finally getting all of these recipes in one spot using Paprika. I love how easy it is to navigate and add/edit recipes. We like to switch things up a bit with our recipes, so I love that I can insert/delete ingredients or include a preparation tip. I love that you can scale the recipes up or down, too.
Here’s what the screen looks like opened up to my “Chicken” recipes:
In addition to organizing your recipes, you can generate a grocery list and insert your meal plan into the app. Helpful, huh?
Since Philip is such a tech geek, we have a bunch of Apple devices, so Paprika goes between all of the devices. If I need to look up a recipe away from my computer, I can access Paprika on my phone when I’m at the grocery store (if I’m not already using it to review my grocery list). It’s easy to e-mail recipes from the app, too.
It is SO NICE to finally have one place to access my recipes. I’m still in the process of putting my favorite cookbook recipes and a few others on there, but it is so satisfying to click on a category like “Beef” and see it all right there.
***AGAIN, I MUST EMPHASIZE THAT I DID NOT GET PAID TO WRITE ABOUT PAPRIKA! I JUST LOVE THIS APP AND HAD TO SHARE!***
![November Happiness Project Resolutions (and a quick October Resolutions Recap)]()
by Catherine | Nov 4, 2013 | Faith, Family, Marriage, The Homefront
Wow! Where did October go? I don’t know how it’s already November, but a new month means new resolutions to add to our Happiness Project. (If you’re wondering what in the world I’m talking about, read this post where I explain what our Happiness Project is all about!)
Like last month, it’s our hope that sharing the monthly resolutions via my blog will help hold us accountable. We are adding to the October resolutions, so that means we will continue working on the October resolutions.
In case you forgot, our October Happiness Project Resolutions were:
- Exercise
- Catherine: Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Level 1 (Tuesday & Thursday after preschool drop-off, Saturday)
- Philip: Running/elliptical 3x per week before leaving for work (This will need to change for the month of November since Philip will be leaving EARLY in the morning to get to the hospital)
- Sleep
- Harry’s last feeding at 9:00 p.m. In bed by 9:45, lights out by 10:30.
- Faith
- 1 decade of the Rosary followed by nighttime prayers at the dinner table
Overall, I’d say October was a great month for our start to our Happiness Project. We need to make a few adjustments to our exercise resolution because of the kiddos’ schedules and Philip’s work schedule. Getting to bed earlier is wonderful! Being a night owl is for the birds–especially when the kiddos wake up at 5:30 a.m….and the newborn has a 4:00 a.m. feeding…and daylight savings times ends or starts or whatever causes us to have “fallen back” an hour. The nightly decade of the Rosary and nighttime prayers at the dinner table continues to be a regular thing around here. We even got to have our friend, Fr. Craig, join us for prayers one night when he came for dinner!
Having these resolutions gave me the energy to tackle a few nagging tasks. With a move to Lincoln on the horizon, I’m starting to purge and organize areas of the house.
- I cleaned out, reorganized, and labeled the kitchen pantry. Oh, how I love looking at the alphabetically ordered spices!
- I finally tackled the headache of going through my clothes and unburdening myself of all of the clothes I don’t fit into. Ironically, freeing myself of the clothes that don’t fit made me feel like I lost 10 pounds. Now, when I open my closet door, I can and will actually wear every item in there.
We also tried to incorporate more fun:
Onto a new month! Here we come, November!
November Happiness Project Resolutions
- Couple prayer time right when we get to bed–no dozing!
- “You can do anything for 15 minutes.” Work for 15 minutes daily on these 4 things:
- 1 Shutterfly album (To be completed & ordered 11/30)
- Add & edit recipes to Paprika (recipe organizing app)
- Return/draft e-mails
- Decide on & prepare activity to do with the kids for the next day
- Do at least 1 of the following activities daily with the kids, and do each at least once a week:
- craft
- baking
- library
- outing
- play date
- enrichment/homeschool-esque activity
- write letters
- Family thankfulness
- Share & record favorite moment of the day/what we are thankful for over dinner
- Budget
- Streamline
- Agree on limits
- Organize all passwords/account information
- Transition job to me
- Will
- Complete & make it official
- Philip’s Resolutions
- Eat four salads a week for lunch
- Do 10 pediatrics boards questions a day
- Put away all electronics from dinnertime to kids’ bedtime (for both of us)
- Read 1-2-3 Discipline book
I am working on a resolutions chart to post on the fridge that will help hold us accountable. I’ll share it as soon as it’s made. Please keep our Happiness Project in your prayers!
Do you have any Happiness Project Resolutions? Share away!
![7 Quick Takes Friday (Volume 2)]()
by Catherine | May 24, 2013 | Everything Else, Faith, Family, Marriage, The Homefront
7 Quick Takes from this week:
– 1 –
I started facilitating “The Bible Timeline“ study by Jeff Cavins and Tim Gray this month. Holy Toledo! I am learning so much, and we’re not even halfway into Genesis. Not only do I feel like I’m growing in my head knowledge of Sacred Scripture, but the structured study is instilling the desire to read Sacred Scripture as my own personal love letter from God. I love, love, love it!
– 2 –
As fantastic as “The Bible Timeline” study is by itself, I’m learning so much more by doing the study with Jeff Cavins’ book “Walking With God: A Journey Through the Bible” at my side. Basically, the book breaks down the story of salvation history into 12 periods (the same 12 periods explored in the Bible Timeline), and draws you into the story.
For example, have you ever read the story about Noah getting drunk and passing out naked in his tent? Then, remember how his son Ham shows up and “uncovers his nakedness”? Yeah, I know. I thought it was strange, too. Well, that whole story would have thrown me for a loop had I not had Jeff Cavins’ book nearby. I wouldn’t have known to explore the passages in Leviticus that explain that this Hebrew idiom (“uncover your father’s nakedness”) actually means to have an incestuous relationship.
Having this book as my reading companion (as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church) is helping me to confidently read Sacred Scripture within the heart of the Church.
– 3 –
My hair dryer of 3 years broke, and I got a brand new one. It’s nothing fancy, but I had no idea how terrible my old one was until I got this new one. Am I the only one that was just introduced to the hair dryer retractable cord?! Wow! That feature is amazing! I just push a button on the hair dryer and *zoom* the cord is gone. Even though I carefully kept my old hair dryer cord untangled, it managed to twist itself so tightly that it ended up being more like one of those old school spiral telephone cords. With each use, it would wind itself up more and more, and I’d end up untwisting it at least once a month.
Not only am I loving the retractable cord, but new dryer cuts my hairdrying time in half, and my hair seems less frizzy. When your getting ready time is limited with little kiddos, this is a big deal! Have I dedicated an entire paragraph to my new hair dryer? Yes, yes I have.
– 4 –
We found a steal of a deal on Craigslist for Jane’s new big girl bed. We picked it up the other day, and Jane was so excited that she asked all morning, “Is it naptime yet?!”
 |
| Pretending to sleep in her big girl bed after we got it set up. |
Jane and Walt are going to share a room, and Baby will move into the nursery when he/she arrives in August. (Jane will sleep in her new big girl bed, Walt will sleep in Jane’s old toddler bed, and Baby will sleep in Walt’s crib.)
The day we got the bed, the kids slept in their own rooms at naptime, but they insisted that Walt get to sleep in Jane’s room that night in the toddler bed. Long story short, it didn’t go so hot, and we haven’t attempted putting them together since. We’ll wait a few more weeks until we attempt it again.
– 5 –
Speaking of attempting things again, Jane finally warmed back up to the idea of potty training. For awhile, she was absolutely terrified of the potty. I think a lot of it had to do with constipation. Thanks to a steady regimen of Miralax, I think we, uh, got that problem all worked out. Unfortunately, she just doesn’t care if she’s wet. In fact, I think she’d stay in the same pull-up all day long if I’d let her. Blech!
She told me before naptime this afternoon that she wants to wear her big girl underwear, so I told her we had to go on the potty to wear them, and she said, “OK!” with a big smile. Here goes nothing!!!
I never thought I’d be potty training a three-year-old, but here we are, and I’m not letting myself worry about it. We’ll get it figured out. As one mom told me, “You know, they never ask you when your child was potty trained on college applications.”
– 6 –
I officially start my third trimester of pregnancy tomorrow. Yay! At yesterday’s OB appointment, I did my blood glucose test for gestational diabetes, and I’m still waiting on the results. I’ve never had it before, but I’m a little nervous about the results this time around for two reasons: 1. I was up 5 lbs. from my last appointment, and 2. I was measuring 31 weeks instead of 28 weeks (and technically, I was still 27 weeks at my appointment). Both of those things don’t bode well. Until I get the results, I’m trying not to obsess over it. If I do have gestational diabetes, I know I should be able to manage it with diet. I guess I’m just nervous that I’ll have a baby that will be so big that I won’t be able to deliver vaginally, and I’d like to avoid a c-section if possible. Hopefully I’ll get the results before the weekend…
– 7 –
Can I break out the violin and play a sad song for my poor body?
The old mare is exhausted. After all, I got pregnant with Thérèse August 2012, miscarried November 2012, got pregnant two weeks later (yay!), and this baby is due August 17, 2013. So, by the time Baby arrives, I will have been pregnant for a year with a two-week “break” from my miscarriage. Don’t get me wrong! I am so, so, so thrilled to be pregnant, and I can’t wait to meet Baby, but my body doesn’t seem to be up to the job these days.
First, I had the back-to-back first trimesters with the two pregnancies. With both, I battled some rough “morning” sickness. The second trimester was pretty uneventful, but the sciatica keeps getting worse, so my OB wrote me a prescription for a maternity belt. If the belt combined with the physical therapy exercises I learned last pregnancy don’t help, I’ll probably start physical therapy up again. Spending any amount of time on my feet makes my legs throb, so it might be time for some sexy compression stockings. More and more varicose veins seem to be appearing on my legs. Youch! Having to sleep on my side doesn’t help matters. Whatever side I’m sleeping on goes numb after awhile, so I wake up to roll over, and I end up having to make a bathroom run. I’m averaging 3-5 bathroom trips a night. I just keep telling myself it’s all practice for the nighttime feedings, right???
Wah, wah, waaaaaaah!
All things considered, this pregnancy has been pretty darn good, and I’m counting my blessings that Baby seems to be doing great in there. I’ll gladly take the physical stuff on my end in exchange for a healthy baby. I just know my limits, and I know that sleep deprivation is the fastest way for me to become a meeeeeeeeeeeeeeean mama. Perhaps a little nighttime Benadryl is in order…
Have a great Memorial Day weekend!
Want to join the fun?
Head on over to Jen Fulwiler’s blog at Conversion Diary and post your own 7 Quick Takes!
![What We Had For Dinner: Pork Chops With Pineapple Fried Rice]()
by Catherine | Apr 24, 2013 | The Homefront
I found this recipe for Pork Chops with Pineapple Fried Rice from Ree. You may know her as “The Pioneer Woman,” but we’re on a first name basis. At least I like to think we are…
Anyhoo, this made a fantastic weeknight meal! You know what made it even more fantastic? Philip got off work early today, and he made it! I have absolutely no criticisms of this dish. Every member of our family thought it was DEEEEEEEEEE-VIIIIIIIIIIIINE!
Without further adieu, I give you (or, I should say, Ree gives you) Pork Chops With Pineapple Fried Rice
 |
| Photo from The Pioneer Woman |
Ingredients
- 1/2 whole Pineapple, Cut Into Spears And Skewered
- 2 cups White Or Brown Rice, Cooked
- 6 whole Pork Chops
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Peanut Oil Or Canola Oil
- 1 whole Large Onion, Sliced
- 6 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (more To Taste, Or If More Liquid Is Needed)
- 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
- 1 Tablespoon Sriracha, Or Other Hot Sauce
- Salt To Taste
- 3 cloves Minced Garlic
- 2 whole Eggs
- 1 jar (small) Drained Pimentos
- 1-1/2 cup Frozen Peas
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (additional)
Preparation Instructions
Cook rice according to package instructions. Set aside.
Grill or saute pineapple spears until they have good marks/color on the outside. Slice, then set aside.
(Note: soak wooden skewers in water for a few hours first.)
Heat butter and oil over medium high heat, then add the pork chops to the pan. Saute on both sides until they have nice color.
Throw in the sliced onions and work them into the crevices between the chops. Shake the pan and move the onions around and let them cook for a good couple of minutes.
When the onions are starting to soften, add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, and hot sauce. Shake the pan,
stir it around, and let it cook and bubble up for a good couple of minutes until the pork chops are completely cooked and the sauce is thicker. Remove the pork chops to a bowl, then let the sauce bubble up and cook for another 30 to 45 seconds. Pour it over the pork chops. Set aside.
Add a small amount of oil to the same pan (without cleaning it) and return it to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir it around, then crack in the eggs and immediately stir them to scramble them a bit. Add peas, pimentos, and a couple of tablespoons (additional) soy sauce. Add cooked rice and stir it around to cook for a couple of minutes.
To serve, pile rice on a plate, then top with a pork chops and onions from the sauce. Drizzle a little bit of sauce over the top.
Divine!
