Menu Monday

2 posts in 1 day?! Pick your jaw up off the floor and read on...

OK, so I've decided that I have to get back to menu planning because it's just ridiculous to wait until 4:45 pm every day to decide what to make for supper that night. I've done it for 2 weeks now and I'm going to start posting Menu Mondays! (I think you'll notice we tend to have the same boring things over and over again :)

Monday - chicken and mushroom sauce over noodles, peas, garlic bread
Tuesday - wrenikje (perogies with cottage cheese inside) and sausage
Wednesday - tacos
Thursday - hopefully a quick restaurant meal - we want to go see "Boy in the Striped Pajamas" (the kids will have babysitter food - either pizza pops or sandwhiches)
Friday - homemade pizza

There ya have it. OK, I know I didn't do Saturday or Sunday - but hey, 5 out of 7 ain't bad!

And, yes, I am making those perogies from scratch myself - I'm pretty good at it too, if I do say so myself :)

Now, I better get defrosting that chicken....

Edited to add: we ended up having chicken fingers and fries instead - kids request. I tried a new chicken finger recipe and it was awesome!!!

Here it is...
1lb chicken breast (I just used 2 large ones)
1/2 cup flour seasoned with paprika, oregano, pepper, italian seasoning, seasoning salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups corn flakes processed in the blender along with a little more of the above spices
2 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp oil

Flour the chicken, dip in egg, roll in corn flakes. In a skillet on medium high heat, heat margarine and oil. Fry chicken for approx 5 mins on each side. If you can't fit all the chicken in at one time, reserve some margarine/oil for the 2nd go round otherwise the 2nd batch won't taste quite as good/unhealthy. You could also bake these for a healthier version - but they won't taste the same! :)

New fitness goal

Since giving birth 10 months ago for the fourth time, I have managed to shed most of the baby weight I had leftover. I've lost about 20 lbs and have only about 6 more pounds to go to reach my goal weight. However, I've been at the point for about 2 months now already. Part of the problem? All my clothes fit again. Huh? How is that a problem you ask? Well, it's harder to be motivated when one of your big motivating factors was to be able to fit into your pre-baby clothes!

So, I'm making a new fitness goal - I found The Hundred Pushups Training Program. Now, I have to admit I'm rather out of shape at this point - something which is rather unusual for me actually. I have been committed to exercising about 5 days a week for about 10 years now. During the summer my exercise takes the form of hour to hour and a half long walks pushing a heavy double stoller with my best friend Candace. For some reason though, I just haven't managed to get myself back into exercising indoors after the weather made these outdoor walks rather unpleasant. And since I was only walking in the summer and not weight training - well, let's just say that I felt my pushup test was rather pathetic. I did the initial test which is basically just doing as many full body pushups as you can with proper form.

I did 11.

Now, I somewhat regretting pushing past 10 because that means my training program is starting off a lot harder than it would've been if I had done 10 cause I made it up into the next category! Argh! Anyway, today was my first training day and I am committing to going through the program and I'm making it public so I have some accountability!

I'm adding an extra challenge though - I'm also going for 100 situps (using the Bender Ball I purchased which makes them really hard!) . I'm using the same program to work up to this goal.

So, there you have it! Go me!

Edited to add: I am also doing aerobics every other day - and I'll likely do some lower body weight training the same days I do the pushups/situps training.

My beautiful children

Well, I'm on a roll, so I may as well keep going.

I've been wanting to take pictures of all 4 kids for awhile now. The last picture we have of all the kids together is when Olivia was 1. So, yeah, time for an update.

Plus I needed to take the older girls school pictures. Since I'm too much of a cheapskate to order the real school ones, and since Walmart keeps downsizing their package, I've been forced to resort to taking my own. They did, however, turn out very well I must admit.

I also took Jacob's 8 month picture a little while ago and ordered those. So, poor Olivia is the only one without a new picture. (She had her 3yr picture taken in June - so it's not like I don't do them!)

Here's our big boy!

Here is the picture that was hardest to get - all 4 kids! Have you tried to get 4 kids ages 7, 5, 3 and 9 months old to all look at the camera at the same time, nevermind smile for it? And no fake smiles either?! Impossible I tell you! And despite complaints of knees being scraped raw by the rocks, this one turned out pretty good. :)

I cannot believe how grown up my firstborn looks already....

Come now, is this not the best grin ever?!

Finally another post!

OK, I realize it's been a LONG time since I've posted. I have good reasons too, but no time to post them. In fact, I have no time to be posting period, but I will anyway - who needs sleep? It's highly over-rated.

I will make it quick though - mainly pictures. I finally took some of the girls routines to show you. This is still working remarkably well I'm happy to report. And it's so cute the way Olivia says routine. She LOVES having a routine.

Anyway, without further ado, here they are....

I can just hear her saying her routine.... "get dressed, put my clothes away, brush my teeth, make my bed, put my toys away" - she loves to tell people her routine.

Jacob's 6 month picture

I took WAY to many pictures of Emma when she was a baby. You know Walmart and their el-cheapo package? Well, it caused me to go picture happy. And yes, when you only have 1 baby you can go to photo shoots fairly regularly. Unfortunately, what you do for your first you're supposed to do for the rest. Why didn't somebody stop me?!?!

This is seriously how often I took Emma for pictures...... 1 week, 6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 18 months, 2yrs and then I finally did only 1 per year. Insane!!!!!!!!

But, amazingly enough I have followed through with all our kids - except I did away with the 5 month picture. I mean really, let's be reasonable here.

I have made things slightly easier on myself by starting to take some of the pictures myself. Walmart's package keeps getting smaller - and I'm cheap! :)

Anyway - here is Jacob's 6 month picture. I realize he's already 8 months, so it's time for another one..... sigh

Routines for Kids

Taking inspiration from Pam's blog and how she's such a mean mom, I mixed in a little Flylady and decided it was time to make up routines for our kids to follow. They were really excited about it. I let them pick out their colours and stuff. This is sort of what they look like - in real life there are also pink boxes around all of Emma's routine, etc. I used Blogger for Word to put my file on here so that's why it's a bit messed up. Sophia & Olivia's routines are in pictures because they can't read yet. I can't figure out how to get the pictures to work too, so I guess I'll have to take a picture of their and post it later. Here's Emma's Routine....

Emma's Routine

Monday Morning		Tuesday Morning		Wednesday Morning		Thursday Morning	Friday Morning	Saturday Morning	Sunday Morning
Get dressed and tidy closet		Get dressed and tidy closet		Get dressed and tidy closet		Get dressed and tidy closet	Get dressed and tidy closet	Get dressed and tidy closet	Get dressed and tidy closet
Make bed		Make bed		Make bed		Make bed	Make bed	Make bed	Make bed
Fill water bottle and pack lunch bag		Fill water bottle and pack lunch bag		Fill water bottle and pack lunch bag		Fill water bottle and pack lunch bag	Fill water bottle and pack lunch bag
Brush teeth		Brush teeth		Brush teeth		Brush teeth	Brush teeth	Brush teeth	Brush teeth
Swish toilet, wipe bathroom mirror		Swish toilet, wipe sink and countertop		Swish toilet, wipe bathroom mirror		Swish toilet, wipe sink and countertop	Swish toilet, wipe bathroom mirror	Swish toilet, wipe sink and countertop	Swish toilet, wipe bathroom mirror

Monday Afternoon	Tuesday Afternoon	Wednesday Afternoon	Thursday Afternoon	Friday Afternoon	Saturday Afternoon	Sunday Afternoon
Go through backpack with Mom	Go through backpack with Mom	Go through backpack with Mom	Go through backpack with Mom	Go through backpack with Mom	Sweep and mop floors in living area
Clean out and put away lunch bag	Clean out and put away lunch bag	Clean out and put away lunch bag	Clean out and put away lunch bag	Clean out and put away lunch bag	Storytime with Emma
Put away backpack and change clothes	Put away backpack and change clothes	Put away backpack and change clothes	Put away backpack and change clothes	Put away backpack and change clothes	Take turns cleaning ONE of these: dresser or closet or bed or floor
Snack!	Snack!	Snack!	Snack!	Snack!
Practice piano	Practice piano	Practice piano	Practice piano	Practice piano
Do homework	Do homework	Do homework	Do homework	Do homework

Monday Evening	Tuesday Evening	Wednesday Evening	Thursday Evening	Friday Evening	Saturday Evening	Sunday Evening
Clean up toys and trash in bedroom	Clean up toys and trash in bedroom	Clean up toys and trash in bedroom	Clean up toys and trash in bedroom	Clean up toys and trash in bedroom	Clean up toys and trash in bedroom	Clean up toys and trash in bedroom
Lay out clothes for tomorrow	Lay out clothes for tomorrow	Lay out clothes for tomorrow	Lay out clothes for tomorrow	Lay out clothes for tomorrow	Lay out clothes for tomorrow	Lay out clothes for tomorrow
Brush teeth	Shower, brush teeth	Brush teeth	Shower, brush teeth	Brush teeth	Shower, brush teeth	Brush teeth

Our newest school kid!

Sophia had a fabulous first day of Kindergarten. I think she already thinks she's a pro!

How time flies!

The first day with both of them in school. Emma was so excited to show Sophia "the ropes"! Apparently they even played together at recess time. Awwwww.

1 Down, 1 to go

Emma started her first day of Grade 2 yesterday and she had a blast!!

Sigh, where did the time go?

Sophia starts Kindergarten tomorrow - she can hardly wait!!!!

Urgent Prayer Request!!!

Nathan's sister Deena and her husband Chris live out west. We just received word that their best friend Bucky was killed in a head on collision today. His wife Leah is expecting their first child in about 6 weeks. Chris is a first responder and he was the first one at the scene. Please pray for them all during this difficult time. Thank you.

Edited to add further details...
Bucky was driving on a gravel road in his truck. A semitruck was driving towards him, stirring up clouds of dust. A farmer was driving behind the semi and decided to pass the semi even though he couldn't see due to all the dust. The semi driver and Bucky waved to each other as they drove by each other - which must have been nanoseconds before the farmer hit Bucky head on. The farmer died the same day as Bucky's funeral.

Everyone's prayers are really helping! Leah is really strong right now. Continue to pray for her as other people begin to go back to their normal lives, while she has to struggle to adjust to a new "normal". Everything looks good with the baby/pregnancy.

Please also pray for Bucky's parents. This is the 2nd child that they have lost - they had a 4 yr old son who died of pneumonia years ago. They have 2 girls left. I cannot imagine going through that once, nevermind twice.

Please continue to pray for all those affected by this tragedy. Thank you.

Magnificent Creation

I'm amazed I actually had my camera with me to capture this rainbow, but since it was on the way home from a trip to the States, it was within easy reach.

I think a rainbow is a great reflection of God's love for us. This rainbow only lasted minutes - how marvelous that God would take the time to create something so beautiful to be viewed by so few. Even if no one would see it, it is a display of His glory and power and creativity.

What an awesome God we serve.