I MAY BE HOMESCHOOLING TWO KIDS ON MONDAY

Less than two weeks ago I said that one of our boys said they'd like to finish this school year in public school, but that they'd want to come home next year.  A couple of days later he said he was leaning toward coming home even sooner.  A day later, the last day of school before Thanksgiving break, he said he didn't want to go back to public school at all.

I said we'd talk about it over the break, partly because I wanted to wait until he'd gone to his conference that was scheduled for last Monday (conferences are mostly student led and I didn't know if his feelings would change if he saw a summary of his school experience in black and white), and then we'd make a decision.  Every day he has become more confident that he doesn't want to go back.  We had a lengthy discussion about the pros and cons of both staying in school for the duration of the year and of coming home now.  We also discussed the problems of last year and how we would do things differently if he came home now (or next year, for that matter).

The boy is Silas.  Nothing bad has happened, he has a list of things he loves about public school, his teachers and administrators have been great to work with, he's made lots of friends, and it's been a positive experience ... but he wants to homeschool again.  

Classes start in less than 36 hours and we need to make a decision.  No, we don't have to decide by then, but we have to make a decision at some point and there's no sense in dawdling.

On one hand I would love to have him home, think a new way of doing things at home would work well, believe his time at public school was a good experience on multiple levels, but don't see any point in keeping him there if he'd rather not be and we have another option available to us.  

On the other hand I believe there is a lot of value in sticking something out to the finish, especially since there's nothing horrible going on that would make us withdraw him without question.  And, if I'm going to be totally honest, I think it's really awkward to do a bunch of fundraisers for outdoor school, then bail on the school altogether.  I know outdoor school isn't a reason to stay in public school, but still ... that just seems ... I don't know ... unethical or something.  

So, yeah.  Big decisions looming.  As always, schooling choices aren't lifetime commitments and I'm so glad we put Silas and Devon in public school this year.  It was the right choice, no doubt about it.  But now we need to do some more deciding.  I'm not stressed about it, we simply need to choose one or the other.  

Maybe I'll flip a coin.  

MENU - FIRST HALF OF DECEMBER 2013

A few new recipes.

* peanut butter chicken vegetable soup - The peanut butter adds a subtle twist to regular chicken and veggie soup.

* caramel apple cookies - These got twelve thumbs up at our house.

* zesty chicken green salad - A quick meal when you pull the pre-cooked chicken from the freezer.

Here's our meal plan for the next couple weeks.

BREAKFASTS
* doughnuts x3
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, raisins, fruit, huh-koe-pee milk, and energy mix as optional toppings 
     - with cottage cheese and fruit x4
     - with yogurt and fruit x2
* egg & potato scramble (ours are always made with a ton of chopped spinach, often some chopped tomatoes, and always a sprinkling of some type of cheese)/toast x4
* cranberry granola

* pumpkin pancakes

WEEKDAY LUNCHES 
* meat & cheese sandwich/peas/apples x2
* peanut butter & jelly sandwich/carrots/apples x2
* crackers/cheddar/cukes/olives

* pumpkin muffins/homemade applesauce/cheddar

* trail mix/pea pods/bananas

* almonds/mandarins/crackers/cheddar

* tuna sandwiches/red bell peppers/pea pods
* black bean dip/crackers/carrots

DINNERS

* leftovers x2
* tacos (meat and crockpot beans from the freezer) x2

* sweet potato, carrot, apple, and red lentil soup/e-z drop biscuits

* rice, kale, & eggs

* beans (crockpot, from the freezer)/rice/roasted broccoli

* new salad recipe (not bad, but not worth making again)/sesame honey chicken (raw from the freezer, crockpot)/rice

* string cheese/chips/almonds/bananas (Tyler's birthday meal of foods he loves)

* black bean dip/chips/olives/pomegranates

* burgers/potato wedges

* spaghetti salad/garlic roasted cauliflower

* new pork recipe (we're going to try it one more time before we decide if we like it)/mashed squash/salad with pears & cranberry vinaigrette

* lentil bean chili

* six layer casserole/frozen green beans

SNACKS & DESSERTS
* produce
* hummus for veggies
* homemade trail mix
* nuts - pistachios & roasted almonds
* popcorn

* soft ginger cookies

* birthday cake

11/28/12 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I am thankful for the time we'll spend eating good food and playing fun games with special people today.

What is something that you're thankful for?

SOME NEAT WAYS GOD HAS MET OUR NEEDS

Pictures - I think I may have only mentioned this on Facebook, but I shared during the summer that I had found some money I'd hidden (and I never hide money) quite a while ago.  It was intended for something that's no longer relevant to our life, so it was up for grabs.  It just so happened that right about that time I was wanting to get Naomi's annual pictures taken, but didn't have the money to do so.  Well, the hidden treasure was enough to pay for a renewal of our portrait club membership at Penney's, Naomi's August pictures, and to set some aside for Tyler's birthday month pictures and our annual family pictures, both of which happen in December.  We were hoping Tim would have a job by then, but it was nice knowing we had money set aside for those pictures if he was still unemployed.  

Then October rolled around.  We had to pull money from two sources that were intended for something else in order to pay our bills.  One of those sources was the picture money.  I was really grateful that we were able to make ends meet, but still disappointed that we wouldn't have money for pictures when December rolled around.  Needs before wants, though, and life goes on. 

Then November rolled around.  A friend asked for my mailing address because of something she wanted to send our kids.  She had already talked to me about something she was giving them for Christmas and so it made sense that she'd need our address.  A few days later, however, I discovered she had ulterior motives.  Not only did she do something for the little Ws, which they are currently unaware of, but she actually needed our address because she was sending a Christmas-ish check to Tim and I.  

Any guesses on what we're doing with it?  Pictures!!!  Isn't that awesome?!  Pictures won't take up all the money, so we'll split the balance and each have some fun money of our own or spend it on something together.  Either way it will be a blessing!

Gas - Our gas budget is different from last year, as Tim isn't driving a 75 mile round trip each day to the school he did his practicum at last year and my driving has increased because of taking the big boys to school each day, and we're still trying to figure out what's normal.  

In September our budget was the same as it's always been and we spent it all.  In October we budgeted the usual amount, but ended up with a significant chunk of money left over.  In November we had $30 available to add to what was left from November, bringing our total gas budget to just under $130.  Needless to say, that's not much money for an entire month of driving to church (about 30 miles round trip, twice a week), school (about 13 miles, twice a day, five days a week), and other places, such as grocery stores.  Especially when many of those trips happen in a minivan, which is not exactly the most fuel-efficient vehicle.  There wasn't anything we could do about it, so we just carried on with life.

Well, the month is about to end and we not only have more than enough gas in our vehicles to get us through the last few days, but we also have a couple bucks left in our gas budget.  So thankful!  We started the month with tanks that were mostly full.  Tim subbed several days at or near Silas' school and they were able to carpool, which saved me two trips in the van those days.  Tim's after school job was close enough that he could walk.  We earned enough Safeway Rewards to fill the van for a great price one time.  The boys didn't have school this week.  

I don't think we've ever had a gas budget of $130 in our entire married life, but God worked it out!

Christmas - I broke my "no Christmas before Thanksgiving" rule yesterday.  Scandalous, I know.  I'd received a bunch of envelopes from friends and they encouraged me to open them pre-Thanksgiving.  So, while some Ws were gone and others were napping, I hunkered down in my room and opened each one.  What a blessing!  People from all over the country (and beyond) gave us the means for some gifts to be exchanged at our house this Christmas.  What a treat it was to open each envelope and say a prayer of thanks for each person who was willing and able to bless our family!

Also on the topic of Christmas, we're getting a free tree this year. How cool is that?!  Last week I was wondering what we'd do about that expense and started brainstorming some creative tree alternatives.  Then someone mentioned to Tim on Sunday that we were invited to cut one from their property.  We actually got one from them last year, which was a blessing, but we thought their extra trees were gone now and wouldn't have expected them to offer us one anyway.  Evidently we were wrong.  They have more and they offered us one.  So we'll be decorating a tree this weekend!

Granny -  My grandma's 90th birthday is in nine days.  She's lost a lot of her memory over the last year and can't recall any of my family member's names anymore. That's really hard!  She lived close to us from before I had Silas until my pregnancy with Teebs.   She loved spending time with Tim so much that we'd often joke she loved him more than me and she thought my kids were amazing.  So, it's hard that they're now "the girl", "your husband", and so on. 

Anyway, I have given her a desktop photo calendar for the last three or four years as a birthday present.  Now that her memory is failing, that calendar is the only way I can help her connect my family members' names to their faces, even if only for the few seconds she looks at the picture.  Every time I talk to her on the phone she spends time reading me the captions under each picture and telling me what the picture is of.  That calendar is her only link to them now.  

I've been so disappointed that I wasn't going to be able to make a calendar for her this year, especially when I think how a 90th birthday could very well be a last birthday.  Our needs have been met, but I simply didn't have money to spend on birthday gifts.  

But now I do.  

You see, most of those envelopes I opened yesterday had gift cards in them.  One, however, had cash and a note that said, "To use as you see fit".  I realize there weren't conditions on how the gift cards get spent, but seeing those words on the cash gift was perfect.  Not only will I be able to send Granny a calendar for her birthday, but my gift came early enough that her gift won't be late.  And I'll have money left over.  I love how God used someone else's generosity to help me do something that wasn't essential for survival or anything, but that was really important to me!  The fluff of life.  

SO BLESSED BY MY SONLIGHT SISTERS

A friend, someone who is part of the Sonlight Sisterhood, sent me a note earlier in the week saying she had a turkey her family couldn't use and she wanted to give it to us.  She also said she'd won a pie from Willamette Valley Fruit Company and wanted to let us have it.  Not only did she offer us her pie, she also let us pick which type we wanted.  So many to choose from!  I appreciated her generosity and we set up a time today for her to stop by.

She and one of her sons came by a little while ago, visited for a bit, then went on their way.

This is now in my freezer.

So is this.

But that's not all.

My friend said something like "I also brought this" and touched a card on top of the pie box.  After she left I went to pick up the card.  It was then that I realized what "this" was.

It wasn't a card from her, as I'd assumed, but a whole stack of cards from my Sonlight Sisters.  I may have said "Oh. My. Word." about 17 times in a row when I realized what had happened. Just maybe.

I haven't opened any of the envelopes yet, but what I can see tells me that these dear friends just sent a little bit of Christmas magic to our family.  I'm so thankful for generous friends, sneaky scheming, and a family of friends who consistently reach out to each other.

ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE BOOK OF MATTHEW

Beep and I are reading through the book of Matthew together, a Bible study we do on our own during the week and talk about via Skype on the weekend. Well, on my weekend anyway. A few verses have stood out to me in the last few weeks and I thought I'd share them here.

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Matthew 10:8b  Freely you have received, freely give.  

Freely. Freely. Freely. These words come right on the heels of Jesus sending out the disciples with instruction to take care of spiritual matters and practical ones. Do I serve and bless others freely? Do I have strings attached or keep score of how much I've done for them compared to how much they've done for me? Do I seek or expect accolades when I give my time, money, skills, or other resources? Do I show love and grace, offer spiritual encouragement, and give practical help to others as eagerly as Jesus does? In what ways am I making a tangible difference in other people's lives?

I know this isn't shocking, but sometimes I find myself feeling resentful about cleaning up other people's messes for the gazillionth time or of having to take care of household stuff when I'd really like to put on jammies and curl up with a good book. Not to say there's never a time where I ask other people to help or choose to let the work wait while I relax, but lately I've been whispering "freely I've received, freely I'll give" to myself during the day in an attempt to adjust my attitude. I've still barked at my family and had rotten attitudes at times, but it's been less than usual. Saying that phrase encourages me to treat people better than I may feel like treating them.

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Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

I know this is a popular verse and I don't have any profound thoughts to share, but life can make certainly make you weary and burden you. Careers, family, friends, health issues, finances, school ... any one of them can be overwhelming at times, and sometimes several of them weigh you down at the same time. But Jesus? Time with him is a burden lifter, not a burden increaser. He offers rest for our souls, if only we will turn to him. Do I turn to him when life is hard? Do I turn to him regularly? Do I turn to him first? I should!

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Matthew 12:9-14 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"

He said them, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."  

Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

Do I care more about how things should be (rules, structure, being right) than about how they could be (love, healing, kindness)? The "shoulds" are often perfectly good things, but maybe I get so focused on them that I miss something wonderful in the "coulds".

I want to follow the letter of the law, so to speak, but not to the point where I miss the spirit of the law. I want to see lives changed for the better more than I want to be right. I want to remember that God doesn't treat me like he should. I want to treat the people around me how I could, rather than how I should (or at least how I think I should).

At least that's what I say I want. But it's a lot easier to say that's what you want than it is to live like it.

And thus concludes my random thoughts on some verses in Matthew.  Class dismissed.

STYLISH. OR NOT.

Silas and Devon recently went through a bag of hand-me-downs that someone gave them.  Devon tried things on, put things away, and moved on with life.  Silas, on the other hand, decided to make a fashion statement and even took the time to watch some online videos to learn how to tie a tie.  Clashing plaids, mismatched tie, flip flops with socks, pockets hanging out ... it's all here in the photo shoot my (not so) stylish son asked for.

I love it when my kids are goofballs!

11/21/13 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I am thankful for the internet because it allows my extroverted self to regularly interact with other adults during a season of life where I'm almost always home.

What is one thing that you are thankful for?

ANOTHER JOB CHANGE

No, Tim is not working full-time.  However, his employment situation has changed again and, despite it seeming like a bad change, it's working out well for us so far.

Last Wednesday night I expressed some frustration with Tim's job situation, specifically about the decision we had to make about choosing a stable job with lower pay or an unpredictable one that pays more.  We had chosen the stable job and I believe that was the right thing to do at that point.  He hardly got any sub jobs last year and we weren't expecting that to change this year, so he chose the job that assured us of some sort of steady income and picked up morning sub jobs whenever he could.  I think that was wise.  A month later, with lots of full-day sub jobs turned down, I wasn't sure if that was still the best option for us.  I was also frustrated that his interview for the position had been a month earlier, but he still hadn't been told whether or not the job was his to keep, and missed having him home for dinner during the week.

The following evening, last Thursday night, Tim was unexpectedly released from his interim site supervisor job (there's the answer we'd been waiting for) and offered a position at the after school program on a different campus.  (Sidenote: There's no scandal, he likes his boss, she has advocated for him all year and wasn't expecting this change either.)  He told his boss that he'd talk to me and get back to her.  Needless to say, we thought the timing was interesting.

We crunched numbers and confirmed that the pay for one week of working at the after school program was equal to one full day of subbing.  If he subbed one full day each week, which he was already meeting or exceeding in the form of multiple morning sub jobs each week, then we'd break even financially and have four other full days to earn money in.  Not only that, but he'd see his family during the week again.  It was a no-brainer.  He sent a note to his boss, showed her the math and turned down the job, though he did make himself available to sub in the after school program on days he wasn't subbing at a teaching job in the afternoon.  She understood.

He immediately called the sub finders for the two closest districts, the ones he primarily subs in, and let them know he was available for full-day sub jobs again.  He got a person on one of those calls, which was at 9:30 Thursday night, and she immediately offered him a job for the following afternoon.  He got a machine on the other call, but that district called him at 5:30 the next morning with a full-day job.  He had to decline that one because of the half-day job he'd already taken, but it was encouraging to us that he was offered work so quickly.  He got a call on Friday offering three days this week (that district only has 3 1/2 days this week) and two the week after Thanksgiving (there's no school next week).  He's also had at least one call every day this week with offers he's had to turn down because of the jobs he accepted last Friday.

Being unexpectedly let go from your position is never a fun thing, but I believe it was a blessing in disguise.  It has allowed him to get more sub jobs, which pay a lot more and are unpredictable, without having to decide whether or not to keep his part-time job, which paid less, but he enjoyed and was dependable.  It's like God just made the decision for him.

The negatives to this job change are that he was getting some supervisory experience, which is handy when you're looking for administrative jobs and which he can't get subbing, and we don't have any dependable income.

The positives are that he is home every evening again and has earned enough in subbing over the last week to make up for a month of the other job, which is an extra blessing when you consider there's almost a month of vacation time (meaning, he can't work) in the next six weeks or so.  He's still working a part-time job two nights a week, but subbing allows him to be home for a while before heading out to that job.  That's a pleasant change from the 13 hour days of subbing in the morning, doing the after school program in the afternoon, and doing the evening job immediately after the after school job.

We have no idea what's in store for the rest of the year or if the sub jobs will keep coming on a regular basis, but the last 10 weeks of subbing, having a part-time job, having a different part-time job, and then subbing again have shown us that we're getting better at rolling with the punches and that God continues to meet our needs.

TEN ON TUESDAY - 11/19/13

Half the fam, then just the parents - Devon and Naomi were given the opportunity to attend a grade school function at church on Friday night and Silas was asked to help at the event, so Tim and I had four hours with only Teebs.  We ate pizza with the littlest W (who couldn't stop feeding his face long enough to smile for the camera), did a few things around the house, put Teebs to bed, played Quiddler, and just enjoyed a mellow evening between a busy week and a full weekend.  It was nice, an at-home date of sorts.

Listening, remembering, and encouraging - There are a few ladies who I have shared a struggle with recently, something I don't generally talk about with other people, and they've all been such a blessing to me.  Some have just listened while I shared what was on my mind, some have been able to share similar experiences that validate how I'm feeling.  Some have written to me or pulled me aside in person to let me know they've remembered a date that was significant for me, some have prayed.

I know it's annoying for people to share this kind of thing without giving the details, but I'm doing it for two reasons.  First, it's been a blessing to me, an encouragement in the midst of something that's hard, and I'm just grateful.  Second, I want to challenge all of you to be that person for someone in your life, someone who is hurting.  Be willing to listen.  Pray for them.  Say things that are encouraging.  Remember details that matter to them.  Validate their feelings.  

Oregonian - You're know you're an Oregonian when you look at this page of a toddler book and think "Civil War".

Pockets - Teebs is currently obsessed with pockets.  He has a vest with pockets in it and loves to walk around with his hands tucked inside.

Facebook quotes - I sometimes post quotes of the day on Facebook, things the little Ws have said that make me laugh.  Naomi has recently started saying, "Go ahead and post that on Facebook" every time I laugh at something she says.  Oh my.

Christmas cactus - My plant often blooms in February, but this is what it looked like several days ago.  I love it!

Teachers and performers About a week ago the bigs treated me and each other to an evening class.  We all assembled in the living room with the white board handy, then Devon kicked things off by teaching us some math.  Silas was inspired and followed with a math lesson of his own.  Naomi wrapped things up with a recitation of a book she had memorized, complete with a curtsy at the end of her performance.  I love those moments with my kids, watching them teach each other with enthusiasm and patience, seeing their pride in their accomplishments.

Awesome plants - We pass Bountiful Farms every time we take Silas to school and I love their sculpted plants!  So impressive!  The first picture is taken from their site, because I want you to see how they made their sign out of plants, but the rest were taken by yours truly.  On the side of the road.  In my jammies.  While it was sprinkling outside.  As a gazillion cars drove by headed to work and school.  I'm classy like that.

Aren't those fun?!  Someone mowing a lawn, rabbits playing jump rope, a swing set being used, and a tennis match being played.  So creative!  They make me smile every day.

Card - Silas invited his principal to our church's harvest festival.  She wasn't able to come, but she gave him a card the following week thanking him for the invitation.  I thought that was sweet of her.

Oobleck - Cornstarch + water = cheap entertainment.

SCHOOLING CHOICES AND HOW WE FEEL RIGHT NOW

Silas and Devon are still in public school.  Their first terms have already ended or will end this week and it continues to be a positive experience overall.  They're learning some new things, refining skills they learned at home, making friends, and enjoying their teachers.  Sure, there are negatives, but that's true of every choice, and I'm still confident that sending them out was the best decision for our family for this year.

The big boys and I always have an ongoing conversation about school choices - the things we like, things we don't like, and what our ideal school situation would be.  Our kids don't have the final say, but their opinions are big factors in our decisions, especially as they get older.  Both Silas and Devon are content right now, but one has recently said that if the decision was totally up to them and if they had to decide right now what to do next year, then they'd come home.  They do, however, want to stay put for the remainder of this year.  The other says one day that they would stay where they are, then says on another day that they would come home.  Both boys have conditions about coming home.  

Incidentally, I have spent the last couple weeks really wanting to bring them home, something I hadn't told them when they shared their thoughts about next year.  However, as much as I want to bring them home, I know that there would have to be some big changes in the way we do things if that were to happen next year.  In other words, the boys aren't the only ones with conditions about coming home.  

I love the idea of homeschooling and I love many of the ways it played out for us, but the overall reality of it was not working for our family anymore.  Last year was horrid on multiple levels for our family, some of which were rooted in homeschooling, and I'm not willing to intentionally subject us to that life again.  Of course, there were other things contributing to the struggles of last year that had absolutely nothing to do with education at all, some of which are better, others that will be better by next school year, and some that we have little control over.  So I only want to bring them the big boys home if we can do it in a way that works for all of us as individuals and for our family as a whole.  I want to bring them home for successful homeschooling, not for constant failure, tension, and discouragement.  So we'll see what happens. 

I've written down the things that I would need for homeschooling to work for me again and I'm going to have the big boys do the same thing.  I'm going to start figuring out now if it's possible to accomplish the things on my list for next year, then we'll look at the boys' lists and I'll get some input from Naomi.  It may be that we all realize keeping Silas and Devon out is still the best option, or that bringing one home and keeping the other out would work well, or that we all want everyone to come back home and just homeschool differently than before.  I have no idea.  I just know that we can never go back to the old way of doing things.  It worked for a long time, but seasons change.  We're at a point where we can't simply choose homeschool or public school.  Instead we have to choose between "homeschooling according to this flexible plan that we all invested time and energy into figuring out and believe will be our best option for successful education and a happy home" and public school.  

One year ago I knew with total confidence that I would not homeschool everyone this year and I had complete peace about that decision.  This year is different.  I'm not sure what next year will look like.  As always, I believe every schooling choice has inherent pros and cons.  I also believe some pros and cons are subjective, depending greatly on the kid, family, school, and season of life.  Regardless of how things play out and what schooling choices we make for next year, I continue to be thankful that we live in a time and place with so many options available to us.  

So, we'll keep taking it one year and one kid at a time, pray for wisdom, do our research, and then make the decision we believe is best.  

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to the fact Thanksgiving and conferences mean that all my kids will be home next week!

I LOVE FRANZ

I know I've said it before, but I really love the Franz outlets.  I could list the reasons, but I'll just show you some pictures that explain most of my affection instead.

Here is what I purchased yesterday, all of which went in the freezer.

Eight loaves of organic bread.

Four loaves of organic bread, one loaf of sourdough, and one package of rolls.

Fifteen items, thirteen of which are organic.

Grand total?  $15.59

Yes, I love Franz.  A lot.

11/14/13 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that Tim was able to get someone to cover his evening job so that our whole family can attend the middle school concert to hear Silas sing with the choir and have a solo part in one song.

What's one thing that you are thankful for?

MENU - SECOND HALF OF NOVEMBER 2013

I got our next menu finished a little early, but let's start with new recipes that we liked from the last menu.

* garlic quinoa with parmesan - Ashley linked this recipe on Facebook and I liked it.

* sweet potato and chipotle soup - We used a whole chipotle and it was pretty spicy, but not too spicy for this wimp. 

And now for what's coming up.

BREAKFASTS
* doughnuts x2
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, raisins, fruit, huh-koe-pee milk, and energy mix as optional toppings 
     - with cottage cheese and fruit x2
     - with yogurt and fruit smoothies x4
* scrambled eggs (ours are always made with a ton of chopped spinach, often some chopped tomatoes, and always a sprinkling of some type of cheese)/toast x4
* nutty fruity granola with milk or over yogurt/fruit
* brunch egg bake
* coconut almond muffins/yogurt and fruit smoothies

WEEKDAY LUNCHES (Due to conferences and Thanksgiving one boy only has 3 1/2 days of school in the next couple weeks and the other has 5.)
* meat & cheese sandwich/carrots/apples
* almond butter & jelly sandwich/pea pods/oranges
* crackers/cheddar/pea pods/olives
* black bean dip/multi-grain chips/carrots/celery
* pizza bagel/cheddar/pea pods/apples

DINNERS

* leftovers x2
* tacos (meat and crockpot beans from the freezer) x2

* rice, kale, & eggs

* simple carrot soup/peppery cheese bread (from the freezer)

* steak salad (we'll use pork chops)/baked sweet potatoes

* garlic roasted cauliflower/Silas' chicken

* zesty chicken (crockpot, from the freezer)/new recipe (total flop)/frozen green beans
* peanut butter vegetable chicken soup/toast

* chipotle chicken (crockpot, from the freezer)/cornbread (from the freezer)

* sesame noodles/chicken and green bean stir fry 

* creamy butternut squash soup/e-z drop biscuits/green salad

* new recipe (wasn't worth making again)/simple roasted broccoli

* Thanksgiving - I don't know what we're in charge of bringing yet.

SNACKS & DESSERTS
* produce
* hummus for veggies
* homemade trail mix
* nuts - pistachios & roasted almonds
* popcorn

* potato wedges

* new snack recipe (not very good)
* caramel apple cookies

11/7/13 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for small appliances that make life a little easier, like our regular and immersion blenders, food  processor, and rice cooker.

What's something that you are thankful for?

THE FAVORITE CHURCH GRANDPARENT

The little Ws are blessed to have several older adults in our church who love them, people we affectionately refer to as "the church grandparents".   Teebs, however, has a favorite.  Mr. Isbell.

Mr. Isbell comes to find Teebs at every service, which he's always done, then the two of them spend some time walking around the building and visiting people together. Sometimes Teebs gets returned to us and we take him to his class, other times Tim or I follow behind as Mr. Isbell walks Teebs to class himself.   A couple weeks ago Teebs was looking across a big room and spotted his favorite church grandparent.  "Ibell!"  He left out the "s", but it was crystal clear what he was saying, who he saw, and how he felt about it.  It's the first person outside of our immediate family and my dad that Teebs has called by name.  He was so happy to see Mr. Isbell and went running to his arms.  So cute!

Here is Teebs, totally content in Mr. Isbell's arms.

We tried getting him to pop his fingers out of his mouth, but this is as close as we got. 

This one's not a great shot from a photography standpoint, but, oh, how I love seeing this.  

I'm sure people probably wondered what was up with the woman with a camera chasing down an old man and a toddler, but that's fine.

I'm so thankful for all the church grandparents!

FOUR HAIRCUTS

I've been planning on trimming the hair of two little Ws for quite a while and today was the day.  As I was pulling out a spray bottle, scissors, and comb, another little W said they wanted their hair cut.  As I was cutting the hair of three little Ws, another little W told me they also wanted their hair cut.  So, I gave four haircuts today, from trimming an inch on one kid to shaving to the scalp on another.   From oldest to youngest, here are the results.

Silas was one of the unplanned cuts today and he wanted his head shaved.  He had decided several months ago that he wanted to break the world afro record, but has since decided that the time and pain involved in caring for that much hair wasn't worth it.  So I took the clippers to his head. First pass over his head looked like this.

A few passes later he decided to funkify his hair, which is par for the course with our big boys, and tweaked the plan a bit.  Pretend like he doesn't have the perfect expression for a mug shot and see the final result. 

Evidently all our tiny rubber bands are bright colors and all our neutral ones are huge, so pretend like he doesn't have a yellow one in his hair.  

A little Egyptian-ish, don't you think?  

Devon was a planned cut, but we don't have any pictures to document the occasion.  It was just a standard trim and I never photograph those.  He's just looking a little more cleaned up than he did earlier in the day.  

Actually, I'll tell you what.  I have another picture of him that I think is hilarious and I'll post it here, just for kicks.  This was taken on picture day at his school.   

We weren't ordering any pictures because we get more pictures for less money when we have them done at Penney's on the months of our kids' birthdays.  Knowing that we weren't buying any, he decided to keep his coat on and give a goofball smile.  I had no idea that's what he did until an order form got sent home a couple days ago.  Oh, sometimes he cracks me up!

Naomi was the other unplanned cut and she got a ton of hair chopped off.  I cut the boys' hair all the time, but I don't cut hers.  The long layers that female Ws need are something that I just don't know how to do, so I've taken her to the Tualatin campus of Northwest  College for $5 haircuts in the past and planned on taking her to Atoya next.  We're in an indefinite spending freeze, though, and her hair is so bad that I've resorted to leaving it in braids all the time.  Now the braids are so long that they fall in her plate when we're eating.  So, when she asked for a haircut this morning I decided to stretch my comfort zone, take a risk, and cut it myself.  I don't have a "before" picture from today, but you can look at any of our pictures from the recent past and see what it looked like. 

Slightly terrifying in the beginning, but I put a smile on my face anyway. 

Pretty satisfying in the end.  Not only did I cut several inches off, but I layered it and tapered the part that frames her face.  I'm sure I'll find some spots I missed or need to even out over the next couple days, but for a total rookie I was proud of myself and think it turned out cute.  Most importantly, Naomi loves it.  

Here are some shots from the front, side, and back.  Pretend like the wind wasn't blowing hair into her mouth and that her hair was drying evenly.  (Yes, we have to do a lot of pretending today.)

This last picture looks so much like my hair!!  I'm going to have Tim take a side-by-side shot of Naomi and I the next time that she and I have haircuts at the same time.  Twins!

Next up was Teebs.  He's almost two and has never had a haircut.  The hair on the side of his head was fine, but the top part was long.  That doesn't really bother me, but it was also really scraggly, which does bother me.  So I cut most of it off.  

I didn't take an "after" shot because it basically looks the same as any other day that I actually put conditioner in it and comb it out.  It will just have less tangles now and take less time to do.  You can see how long it was, but don't let him spray you while you look.

He wasn't upset about the haircut, but he's a squirmy toddler who wanted to go play.  So Tim strapped him to a chair and I played Tim Hawkins videos on the laptop.  He still managed to move around way too much, but we got the job done.  

First haircut for the littlest W underway.

And that is why my floor looked like this by the time naps and down time rolled around.

Yes, those piles are in birth order.  Yes, I'm a dork.  But I'm a dork with kids whose hair looks better (or different, depending on your opinion of funkified hair or long curly layers cut by people with absolutely no experience) than it did this morning.

MENU - FIRST HALF OF NOVEMBER 2013

I tried five new recipes on the last menu and three were good enough to make again.  I also made up a soup recipe all by myself.  Shocking, I know.  Here are the links to the keepers and we'll pretend like the flops never happened.  

* chipotle chicken -Jenny shared this crockpot recipe on another friend's Facebook page and I liked it.  

* mostaccioli with sausage & tomatoes - I'd never heard the word "mostaccioli" before making this, but it's just tubular pasta.  This reminded us a bit of Italian sausage with bowties, but it's definitely different.

* easy mulligatawny - Mulligatawny was another new word for me, thanks to several friends talking about it on Facebook.  Warm and simple, which is nice this time of year.  

* creamy bean & kielbasa soup - This is the recipe I created on a whim and I loved it.

Here is what I plan on serving the Ws as we kick of November.


BREAKFASTS
* doughnuts x2
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, raisins, fruit, huh-koe-pee milk, and energy mix as optional toppings 
     - with cottage cheese and fruit x2
     - with yogurt and fruit smoothies x5
* scrambled eggs (ours are always made with a ton of chopped spinach, often some chopped tomatoes, and always a sprinkling of some type of cheese)/toast x4
* breakfast pizza/fruit smoothies (we skipped this on the last menu)
* Rebecca's granola

WEEKDAY LUNCHES
* meat & cheese sandwiches x2
     - on bread/ apples/pea pods/multi-grain chips
     - in a lettuce wrap/mandarins/red bell peppers/crackers
* peanut butter sandwiches x2
     - with jelly on bread/carrots/apples
     - with banana and honey on banana bread/carrots/pea pods 
* crackers/cheddar/apples/pea pods
* pumpkin muffins/homemade applesauce/
* trail mix/dried apricots/cuke slices
* black bean dip (from the freezer)/quesadillas/carrots/pea pods
* olives/cuke slices/cheddar/crackers

DINNERS
* leftovers x2
* tacos (meat and crockpot beans from the freezer) x2
* pulled pork (crockpot/ from the freezer)/coleslaw/rice
* garlic quinoa with parmesan/simple roasted broccoli
* tortellini pesto salad over spinach/garlic roasted cauliflower
* roasted veggies (the topping of this veggie pizza), baked chicken, and alfredo sauce over pasta
* sesame honey chicken (crockpot, raw from the freezer)/rice/green beans with feta & dill
* crockpot beans/rice/orange & raisin green salad
* sweet potato & chipotle soup/toast
* ranchero onion burgers wrapped in lettuce/multi-grain chips/grapes
* rice, kale, & eggs
* salmon chowder (Tim's catch, from the freezer)/toast
* roast (crockpot, experimenting with seasonings, will probably put Tim in charge)/rice/frozen green beans

SNACKS & DESSERTS
* produce
* hummus for veggies
* homemade trail mix
* nuts - pistachios & roasted almonds
* popcorn
* Halloween candy
* caramel-apple cookies