Weekly theme: birds

Our theme this week was birds, and I thought I'd share a few of our activities.

This Children's Guide to Birds was a great resource.  We had fun pointing out some of the birds that frequent our area, and Gemma did a great job using it as a guide to color some printable bird pictures.

We had a lot of fun with this owl craft.  It was great for both kids, the scissor skills practice was especially good for Kolbe.  I just love displaying our children's crafts in our kitchen.  They make me smile every time I look at them.

We checked out a big stack of fiction and non-fiction bird books from the library, and as usual enjoyed wading our way through those.  I don't know how I would function as a parent without the  library.  Really.

Next, up, TRAINS, and I am excited about getting started with our Handwriting Without Tears activities.  I've done a lot of planning, and I think I have found a way to be able to include both Gemma and Kolbe in these lessons (though they are mainly for Gemma), so that makes me happy.  The Teacher's Guide has some great multisensory activities and other suggestions that have been very helpful, and I have a good friend who has kindly loaned me some of her supplies and manipulatives.  I am excited about what our year has in store!

Sweet siblings X

This picture makes my heart so happy.  Every night after Kolbe is asleep I lay with Gemma for one or two songs before leaving their room and she always asks to hold Clement.  This particular evening I just couldn't resist taking a picture.  She loves him soooooooooooooooo much, and I really marvel at how helpful she is at the tender age of 4, and also how comfortable Clem is with her.  She has helped him go to sleep on more than one occasion while either holding him or sitting by him.  It's nice having an extra set of arms as our family grows.  I'm so proud of my big girl, and thankful for her help.

Meal plan: week of August 27

• Spaghetti.  Always a fave around here.  We use whole-wheat pasta and a mix of ground beef and Italian sausage.  I shamelessly use jarred sauce.  I think I will steam some green beans to go along with this and we'll probably have some applesauce too.
• Smoked Gouda and Spinach Stuffed Chicken -- recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook, similar to this only it uses cream cheese too, and I make a few other alterations.  As usual.  Steamed veggies on the side, we're pretty predictable around here with our side dishes, as you've probably noted.
• Veggie Pizza using this crust (my latest fave because it's easy and doesn't have to raise) with whole-wheat flour.  Yes, we eat a lot of homemade pizza around here.  Probably 3-4 times a month.  We don't typically do veggie, but I thought it would be tasty for Friday...we'll use some sliced baby bellas and pretty colored peppers.  My husband will probably open a can of tuna or salmon to "supplement" the meal as well.  ;-D
• Aaron made Sushi this past weekend with some tasty sockeye salmon, which I forgot to mention in last week's meal plan.  Always a treat!!

CHEERS!

August 2012 mega-update

Well, it's been a while since I did a family update, so I figured it was time.  I will use headers and bullets in an attempt to avoid utter stream-of-consciousness. 

AARON

• His big project this summer has been refinishing the deck.  He's done a very good job, and been quite innovative. 
• His other big project this summer has been keeping the yard alive.  After going through fifty (yes, five-zero) pounds of grass seed last Fall after the brutal summer of 2011, he was convinced to keep on top of things a little better.  We have a sprinkler system, but it doesn't hit all the trees, and misses some of the grass and if we run it too much our water bills are hideous.  So he hand waters with the hose every night, and so far so good.  The trees are looking good (enough) and it looks like we will get away with less than ten pounds of grass seed come Fall.  
• This man.  I'd like to just take a minute to brag about him.  He is the most amazing husband to me and daddy to our children.  I really do marvel.  Daily.  God is so so good, and my wonderful husband is continual proof of that.  I am so blest, so very very blest.  He may not be perfect, but he is perfect for me.

MONICA

• I am glad to be myself again.  Those pregnancy hormones make. me. nuts.
• Enjoying the new minivan (Honda Odyssey) immensely.  I was so nervous about not driving a car anymore, but the transition to van has been great!
• I am also enjoying my new Rubbermaid Reveal mop.  Yes, I am a total nerd to even put this here, but honestly I'm just too lazy to write a review of it so I thought I'd say something here.  For those of you who are curious...I have always scrubbed either on my hands and knees or with a traditional mop.  While those two methods may be slightly more thorough, the Reveal has cut my mopping time by half, if not more (seriously), and to me this is worth it.  Soooo worth it. I  also use way less Mrs. Meyers solution than I did previously, and the pads can be washed with my towels, so it's very "green" and I don't have to keep buying extra accessories.  If you're looking for something convenient and affordable to keep your kitchen floor clean quickly and easily, this product really is worth it.  I picked mine up at Sams for around $25 and it came with three pads.
• I am adjusting to life with three littles.  They keep me on my toes and make me laugh and cry and challenge me in ways I never dreamed (or hoped) possible.  I'm learning and growing and stretching and changing in many ways.  But it's good.  It's life.  And life is good.

GEMMA

• She is really assuming the role of big sis/oldest in the family quite well.  She can be a huge helper and she is just a natural with Clem.  It's wonderful.
• Lest I lead you to believe that life with her is a dream, I will add the reality that she can be quite sassy and definitely has a strong will and mind of her own when it comes to the way she thinks things ought to be.  OH how I love her and OHHHHHH how she frustrates me.  She really challenges me to [try to] be a good parent, that's for sure, so I suppose I should be grateful for the opportunity to grow in grace, but boy it's hard.
• And along that same vein, oh my this girl is cut from the same cloth as her mama it really is scary.  One day she kept running to the kitchen getting ziploc bags.  I finally asked what she was doing...organizing the toys in the toy box.  Yep, that's my girl.
• She is getting really good at writing her letters.  We're getting ready to start Handwriting Without Tears, and I think this will be very good for her.  She is already trying to make lowercase letters, just copying them from things around the house, and hopefully this will help squelch any bad letter-formation habits before Kindergarten.
• I believe that Gemma will be our artist.  She doesn't seem incredibly athletically inclined, and she spends hours a day with crayons, scissors, markers, etc.  She is always coming up with new things (most recently homemade boats with paper, tape and straws).  I hope we are able to give her adequate opportunities and outlets for her creativity as she gets older.
• She has moved to a booster now that we have the van, and this is working well.  She can't buckle herself, but she can unbuckle herself and that is helpful.  She is also a big help sitting by the baby! 
• She weighs 37 pounds and is almost 45 inches. Yes, she's tall.

KOLBE

• Kolbe has seemed to change the most since Clem was born.  I think that always happens with your "baby".  He just seems so much bigger, and so much more grown up.  I wish I had prepared myself for this a little more.  I put him to bed one night as my baby, and when we got back home with Clem he wasn't my baby anymore.  I mourn that a bit.  But such is life. 
• He dropped his nap around the time Clem arrived.  I'm actually fairly OK with this, because getting him down for a nap had become a nightmarish battle of wills, and bedtime wasn't much better.  OK, maybe it was worse.  For the most part bedtimes have been going much better (and earlier!), although it seems like as soon as we settle into a good groove with something we seem to hit another bump in the road.  I had been laying with him while he went to sleep with great success, but lately he's starting being a bit of an ornery little stinker while I'm laying with him.  ;-D  He's doing better at staying in bed and going to sleep himself though, so I think that's the direction we're moving.  That's the eventual ideal anyways.  WHEW, maybe I should have done a separate post about sleep.
• He counts to ten and it is so hilarious.  Speaking of talking, he still continues to learn more words and communicate better with us (although I think he's pretty hard for others to understand). He is probably a bit behind the curve when it comes to the speech skills of a "typical" 2 1/2 + year old, but he continues to progress. 
• He wants to do ev.ery.thing. that Gemma does.  Which is cute, but makes it hard when it comes to things like, oh, GLUE.  He is also picking up some of her not-so-wonderful habits (like covering ears when I tell her/him something they don't want to hear) and this is frustrating.  Maddening really. 
• As much as Gemma is our artist, I think Kolbe will be our athlete.  He is still obsessed with anything "ball", and what he lacks in speech he makes up for in gross motor skills.  
• He weighs 30.5 pounds 

CLEMENT

I recently updated on Clement at a month HERE and honestly, there's not a whole lot more to say so I'll just post a cute picture.  He's a baby. He nurses, sleeps and poops.  He's having longer alert times and has a very mellow personality.  He gave me his first "meaningful" smiles at just a bit over 5 weeks. He weighs 10.5 pounds.  I just love him so much...we all do.  Seems like he's been part of the family forever, he fits right in.

Gemma 4yrs 7mos. - Kolbe 2yrs 7mos. - Clement 1 month

Sibling comparisons - one month

Gemma (top), Kolbe (left) and Clement (right) at just shy of a month.  You can tell they're all siblings, I think Gemma and Clement definitely share more similar features and complexion though.  I'd also like to note that the onesie Clement is wearing Kolbe also wore...at close to three months. Little Clem has a looooooong torso!

Meal plan: week of August 20

• Pizza (this crust I think) with white/cream cheese sauce, chicken, spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes.
• Leftover smoked beef that my hubby made this weekend (YUM!) and maybe some baked fish, steamed veggies and Black Bean Quinoa Salad
• Tuna pasta salad

Feast of St. Kolbe

Sweet Kolbe celebrated his feast day this past week.  He was so happy to inform everyone that it was "St. Babby".  So cute.  He received a copy of this book (which was great for the feast of the Assumption, and next week's feast of the Coronation), and some religious stickers that our local Catholic store now carries!!  His sweet godmother also brought him a Brother Francis "DDD"  (as he calls it) which both kids are enjoying, although Kolbe was admittedly a bit befuddled at the fact that the whole show didn't revolve around the "ball-ball" on the DVD cover.  ;-D  That's my boy!  Happy Feast Day to my big little guy!  May St. Kolbe always pray for you as you grow in Christ.

One month

These pictures were taken exactly a month apart.  Seriously, almost to the hour.  My MIL offered to take the first one, as she thought it would be nice to have a picture of me with Gemma and Kolbe before "baby" was born.  Little did we know we would meet baby Clem less than 9 hours after the photo was taken.  I was leaving my inlaws' house on the 10th of August at about the same time in the evening and looking at my monkies children hanging off the tree and realized the timing, so we snapped another pic in the same spot a month later.  Amazing how much things can change in just a short month's time!!

Books

I have a whole pile of books with which I am ready to part, and at this point I think I'll just take them to a local used bookstore.  Several people on Facebook mentioned that they were curious to see the titles though, so I thought I'd share them here first.  They are all in "Good" to "Like New" condition (some have not even been read).  Some are written in, many have my name or an inscription (which I intend to black out) in the front.  But the books themselves are not bent, torn, binding isn't broken, etc.  Many are Catholic (some are texts from when I taught high school PSR), some are not, all very random though.  I've listed them alphabetically and linked them on Amazon for your convenience rather than putting my own reviews.  I will also list a suggested price.  Let me know if you have any specific questions or if you are interested in any of these titles.

A Call to Joy by Matthew Kelly ($5.00) SOLD!!!!!

A Catholic Handbook for Engaged and Newly Married Couples by Frederick W. Marks, Ph.D. ($4.00)  SOLD!!!

America’s Heroes: Inspiring Stories of Courage, Sacrifice and Patriotism  ($3.00)

Every Day is a Gift (Don't worry Erika, this isn't the copy from you.  I found an old copy someone had gifted me years ago I didn't even know I had.  ;-D)  ($2.00)  SOLD!!!

For the Graduate: God’s Guidance for the Road Ahead  ($2.00)

Friends are Friends Forever by Michael W. Smith  ($3.00)

How Do You Tuck in a Superhero by Rachel Balducci ($4.00)  SOLD!!!

How to Read Church History Volume 1 (From the beginnings to the fifteenth century) by Jean Comby

How to Read Church History Volume 2 (From the Reformation to the present day) by Jean Comby with Diarmaid MacCulloch

Husband-Coached Childbirth (Fifth Edition) by Robert A. Bradley M.D. ($4.00)   SOLD!!!!

Inspiring Words from the Psalms for Couples: God’s Gift ofEndless Love, Joy and Encouragement  ($3.00)

Our Lady of Kibeho by Immaculee Ilibagiza  ($4.00)  SOLD!!!!!

Our Quest for Happiness, TheStory of Divine Love High School Religion for the Freshman Year Book 1  ($3.00)

Reconciliation by Fr. Robert Morneau ($3.00)

Shorter Christian Prayer  (FREE)  SOLD!!!!!

Spreading and Defending the Faith (Confirmation series, student and Teacher’s Manual)  ($3.00)

The Complete Book of Running for Women by Claire Kowalchik  ($4.00)

The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Anne Catherine Emmerich  ($5.00)  SOLD!!!

The Journey by Liony Batista  ($2.00)

The Navarre Bible: Gospel of St. Luke  ($4.00)

The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice by Philip Jenkins  ($4.00)

The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley  ($3.00)    SOLD!!!!

The Rhythm of Life by Matthew Kelly  ($4.00)  SOLD!!!!!

The Way of the Cross for Teenagers: Walking with Jesus toCalvary by Therese Johnson Borchard  ($2.00)

Ultra Marathon Man: Confessions of an All-night Runner by Dean Karnazes  ($3.00)

Understanding the Catechism: Creed by Michael Pennock (student book and Teacher Guide)  ($5.00)

Oh Clement!

...and if you are Catholic, go ahead and admit it, when you saw that you immediately thought: "oh loving, oh sweet Virgin Mary."  ;-D  Gemma giggles every time we pray the "Hail Holy Queen" now.  One day she asked me, "If we had a girl, would we say a different name in that prayer?"  I love the way her brain works. 

But I digress.  Good grief!  I can't believe baby boy is going to be a month this weekend.  Seriously?!  I mean, the newborn phase went fast with the other two.  But this time?  Oh my heavens.  A blink.  Nothing more.  Absolutely ridiculous I tell you.  I've made peace, and I'm cool (now) with him getting bigger and all.  But wow, unbelievable.

Clem is such a good baby.  He fits right in with our family and does a great job at putting up with the crazy shenanigans his older siblings pull on an hourly (or more often) basis.  As mellow a baby Kolbe was, Clem is every bit as mellow if not more-so.  It's like he knows he's just kind of along for the ride at this point, with two others under the age of five in our house.  He is just so sweet, we all love him very much.

Some things about him:

• He smacks his lips very sweetly when he is hungry.  Typically during the night I wake up to lip-smacking beside me, he usually doesn't even escalate to a cry. 
• He is loooooooooooong.  His 3-9 month size onesies are already a stretch.  Part of that is the cloth dipes, but still, he is just a longy everywhere...arms, legs, torso, even his TOES are long!  I need to weigh him as well, I know he has gained a lot since birth, and he wasn't particularly small then.
• He likes being worn and is often happy in his bouncy chair as well.  
• Still not a super huge fan of baths, but he likes having warm water poured over him.
• He's given us a few sweet smiles, but nothing incredibly "meaningful".  He definitely gets more interactive every day though.  When he is awake he is very quiet and alert, just taking it all in.
• His sis and bro really like holding him.  Gemma can actually be quite helpful in this department...it is interesting (and exciting) getting a taste of the help she will [hopefully] be in years to come.
• He wrinkles his forehead the same way Gemma did when she was a baby.  Soooooo cute.

That's about all I suppose.  I could gush more, but maybe I should just save it for the baby book.  ;-D  Here are a few pics to share from the past month.

SMILE!

We like our cloth diapers!!

After bathtime

WE LOVE YOU CLEMENT!!!!!

Meal planning: Week of August 6

Told you I'd fall off the wagon.  I have been so blessed by the generosity of friends since Clem's arrival that I've hardly had to do any cooking.  I still have a few meals left in my freezer...thought I'd save 'em for a rainy day.  OH wait, it never rains here anymore, scratch that!  ;-D  So as I slowly hop back on the meal-planning wagon, I thought I'd share what's coming up at our house this week.

• Lasagna.  I'm actually making several lasagnas to share with friends, and thought while I was at it I might as well make one for us too.  I have a really simple recipe (actually, a morphing of several recipes) that is quite tasty.  Would you believe though, I went five years of married life never making a lasagna?!  I've made more lasagnas in the past six months than I have in all my previous meal-cooking years.  Weird, I know.  We'll have some sort of steamed veggies (either green beans or normandy blend) on the side and maybe some applesauce as well.
• Baked salmon, mixed grains (a combo of Israeli couscous, red quinoa, orzo and baby garbanzo beans from Trader Joe's) and a steamed veggie.
• We have a kind neighbor bringing us a meal this week as well. 

CHEERS!

Recipe: Chile Rellenos

This is a great, easy, proteiny (is that a word?) meal for meatless Fridays.  You can make it with whole or diced chiles (diced are definitely easier), I will notate both ways.

2-3 small cans chopped green chiles (or 10-15 whole chiles, fresh or canned)

1 cup ("ish", depends how much you like cheese) shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, or sliced MJ cheese if you're using whole chiles

5-7 eggs

1/4 cup flour

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

1-2 cups shredded cheddar (again, depends on your preference)

Mix chopped chiles and MJ cheese together, or stuff whole chiles with MJ cheese slices (you'll have to slice open and de-seed the chiles).  Spread/lay in bottom of a 9x9 (or 9x13) pan.  In a bowl, mix eggs, milk, flour, salt and pepper well.  Pour over chiles.  Sprinkle top with cheddar.  Bake at 350 for around 45 minutes.

This is sooo tasty, and it is just as good (if not better!) left over.  I usually serve it with some fruit salad on the side.

Pro-life produced

Some of you may have seen this on my Facebook, but I wanted to share here as well.  For more info on these onesies and the company behind them, check out Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute and Children of God for Life.