Bowman's Catering

My Dad's profession while I was being raised was that of being a part owner at a catering business called "Bowman's Catering"

I could write a whole book about the wonderful things I learned or did with my Dad at his work. But for sake of time and the risk of boring people I will make March's theme be about those memories of Bowman's Catering that taught me valuable lessons.

I loved to go to work with my Dad! Wendy and I loved to play "grocery store" here. They had a section that was dedicated to food supplies. It was perfect for a small child to let their imaginations run wild.

They had these dolly type of carts they would use to load up food on to make it easier to load and unload the delivery trucks with. For us little people we used them for games and grocery shopping.

We loved using these dolly's to push each other around in. Just before you went to the office area, there was this slight slope. I LOVED THIS SLOPE! Especially when we were going fast on the cart.

We would use these carts to race in and going down the slope would give a slight butterfly feeling in the tummy, just enough to make you do this over and over to get that sensation. We would play for hours doing this. As long as we stayed out of peoples way we were granted permission to pretty much do what ever we wanted.

There was a back storage where they stored their Andes mints. I became addicted to these mints. I would go back there and sit on the ground between the boxes of Styrofoam cups and the mint shelf and gorge myself on those little dingers. They were so good to me! Once I found out it was not acceptable to steal the chocolates, it was REALLY hard for me to stop!


I don't know how kids learn certain skills, but I believe this is when the whole idea of how to set and achieve goals started for me. I remember the way I set out to rid myself of stealing these mints. Mind you I was 5 or 6. I started out by setting a goal to only steal so many and then I would knock one or two off for the following time, until I finally was no longer tempted. Still to this day, when I eat a one of these mints, I think of my time at Bowman's.

"I love your lovely loaves," says Jared

I love alliterations!

This bread recipe is so spectacular! I got it from Wendy.

I only have to make this once a week to meet our families needs.

I give one loaf to our neighbors and depending on what I have on our menu for meals that week I give another to a lucky friend.

side note- I use to just make mini loaves when the girls were a little younger because I found that when I baked larger loaves for *smamiches it just was too much. I thought it was so cute putting these mini smamiches in their lunch boxes. Now their appetites are bigger and they have learned how to talk and eat lunch at the same time at school. *My niece Maggie says sandwich this way and it has stuck with our family

After they are cooked and cooled thoroughly I then take my electric carving knife, circa 1970's, I got from an elderly neighbor almost 10 years ago when we lived in Buffalo. I love it and it has never given me a problem. I really have an eclectic group of kitchen ware.

And I slice the loaves up and then stick in freezer storage bags to store in the freezer so the bread stays fresh.

It is essential to have a really good grain grinder. I love mine!

When I grind the wheat I put both settings in the middle. This gives the flour a great texture

If you are on a quest to making things healthier but still taste good this recipe will help you out.

PRAIRIE GOLD WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

6 cups warm water

2/3 cup oil

2/3 cup honey- I always add a bit more

2 Tablespoons salt

3 Tablespoons Dough Enhancer

10-12 cups Prairie Gold Wheat freshly ground into flour (10-12 cups wheat = 15-18 cups flour) As a side note I LOVE MY NUTRIMILL!

3 Tablespoons SAF instant yeast

*Use whatever brands you want with the ingredients. I think Costco has the best prices on bulk yeast.

1. In your BOSCH add water, oil, honey, salt, and dough enhancer and half of the flour. Mix on speed 1 until combined. OH AND I LOVE MY BOSCH

2. Add yeast and mix for several minutes.

3. Add remaining flour a little at a time until dough pulls away from the sides.

4. Knead for 8-10 minutes on speed 2. The dough should be soft and smooth.

5. Form into 1 ½ pound loaves, place in greased pans (*Norpro dimpled 8 inch helps loaves cook evenly ) sprayed with cooking spray (I LOVE MY NEW BIRTHDAY PRESENTS!)

6. Pre heat oven to 350º. Cover loaves with wet towel. Let rise until double.

7. Place loaves in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Bread is done when tapped and it sounds hollow or 190° (Makes 5-6 loaves).

And for those who like to plan ahead

A Whole

Year Supply for Whole Wheat Bread

(52 batches…one a week!):

• 
  
• 5-6 45 lb. buckets of *Prairie Gold Wheat or red wheat what ever you fancy
• 5-1 lb. *SAF yeast
• 5 lbs. *dough enhancer
• 9- 32 oz oil or 2 gallons oil (measurements are approx.)
• 3- 96 ounce honey (Costco Jug…Mrs. Crockett’s)
• 19 ½ gallons water
• 3.25 lbs. salt

Oh and for a good laugh, make sure to check out my husband's blog He just updated it with some crazy videos. Just so you know, I have never claimed nor ever will that I am a good dancer. That's all I'm going to say :)

Ode to Joy

Today I am thankful for the joy of being a Mother,


for the frustrating times that help me appreciate the joyful times so much more,


for the sounds of laughter, consideration, playfulness and peacefulness,


for the messes, because it means I "have",


for the whining, it helps me develop the ability to endure to the end,


because if you let them, children help you be a better you.

Invisible Baskets

We have a lot of invisible laundry baskets in our home. Mostly in the laundry room. They apparently are right next to the real ones.



When it is time for the children to de-clothe I even specifically say "Make sure to put your clothes IN the laundry basket, the real one, not the invisible one!"



It leaves me puzzled every time, because at least one child is unable to see the real basket and puts their clothes in the invisible one I can't see.



There are also invisible baskets all over the house that typically hold random socks. Usually one pair in each basket. It is a true phenomenon!



I suppose I should be grateful that they put their dirty clothes in their invisible baskets, and I am mostly. It 's just that I am a bit jealous I can not see them yet. I take that back , I have seen them before, when I was a kid.

The Great Outdoors

Early Memories- Part 2

We moved to a home in Troy Michigan when I was about 3. The yard that came with the home was about an acre. Our yard growing up is the center of many of my early recollections.



I do not have many memories of playing inside as a child. Most of our time was spent outside. We had a "forest" for a back yard. We had a large weeping willow tree in the front that I loved grabbing the branches of and swinging from.


We had a few pear trees and a couple crab apple trees that beckoned to us to climb. Which we delightfully obeyed . Those trees had a variety of unique caterpillars.



One of my most favorite trees was a magnolia tree. It sat right in front of my parents bedroom bay window. I loved climbing this tree and then hanging upside down on the one long sideways branch. I especially loved the soft velvety buds that were the precursor to the beautiful big pink and white fragrant flowers that came every spring. This tree also allowed my siblings and me to gain easy access to the roof. Our home was a ranch so it was not very far from the ground.


We also had a weird cabin type of shed. Very old and a distinct cabinny smell. I would have these imaginations that this cabin shed used to be occupied by an old looking man. Crouched over, bald, longer nose, had to use a cane, and grouchy, extremely grouchy. I was afraid of this cabin shed for a long time, mostly because of what my imagination came up with.

One day I felt like I needed to confront my fear and decided to give the place a good clean. My siblings and I came up with a plan and we got to work. Oh how I was terrified! But I talked myself through it! I felt proud that we did it! I found many treasures while cleaning the place up. Both tangible and figuratively.



Right behind the place was a wild strawberry patch. It grew some very tasty strawberries.



One year an unfamiliar elderly lady came to our home. I was back in the garden area, and had seen this lady come up from the front to the backyard and talked with my Mom for a moment and then they came back with my Mom. In my little kid eyes I thought this lady looked scary, until Mom introduced her saying something like, this is Ms. Stamps, she used to live here and she always has enjoyed the strawberries and would like to pick some. For some reason this changed the way I looked at her, and she suddenly was beautiful. She had one of those large brimmed garden hats on, and she had brought a basket and her gloves. She told stories of the home, but I do not remember any of the details, just that I know she told stories. She came a couple years in a row before she passed away.

My twin sister and I loved it in the winter time. We would played Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe. We built snow forts, we would go on adventures to find stuff. We would build snowmen, or just lay in the snow and look up in the sky. Pure joy! I really liked when we would get a lot of snow because that meant the long row of towering shrubbery that was between the driveway and grape vines fell over into a make shift tunnel.



One year we had gotten a ton of rain. So much that a part of the backyard had flooded. We had this blow up type of inner tube and we used them as boats and then used sticks for the ores. We moved slowly around the huge pine tree in the back. weaving in and out around the other trees. Pure magic I tell ya!


To be continued......................

Responsibility Lids

I got the beginnings of the idea of responsibility lids from Linda and Richard Eyre about 3 years ago. They were featured on a BYU-tv show. I think it was called "Family Time's" But this was about 3 years ago, so this is a huge guess. They did these wonderful to the point lessons on how to teach your children a variety of values.


We were living in Scottsbluff Nebraska at the time and I was trying to figure out how I could help 3 little girls be more independent in their responsibilities.


I was watching the show as I was folding the laundry and the segment the Eyre's were doing that day happened to be about how to teach children to be responsible. They explained a system they did in their own home where each child had their own board and it had chains with a sort of tab with the task written on it.

Each chain represented a task they needed to do in the morning and evening. There was some kind of hook that when they completed the task they hooked it up and then in the evenings they took them off the hook, or vice-versa. They explained that this can eliminate the parents having to nag and all they needed to say to the child was something like "What chains do you have left?" This taught children the value of how to be responsible.

This was an answer to my prayer. I made the idea work with the resources I had. Because we had 3 young children at the time, I went through a lot of diaper cream, ketchup, syrup, shampoo, lotion and honey. So as I was trying to formulate in my mind what I could do with the resources I had I realized I can use the lids from all of these bottles.

My idea was I would write on the outside of the lid the task that needed to be done in the morning, and when they were done with the lid they opened it up(symbolic for opening our eyes and waking up) and then on the inside of the lid I would write the task that needed to be done at night and when they were done with it they closed it (symbolic for closing eyes and going to sleep) I know I am brilliant!

We had a leftover 2x6 board and I had enough board to get about 19 inches long for each of the 4 boards I wanted. We had some people staying with us at the time waiting for an adoption to go through and so I gave them the task to paint them for me. It was hard for them waiting for the adoption to go through and so I figured this could help them pass some time. It was a win win situation. I didn't really give them any kind of direction with design other than to make sure they looked cute. They turned out perfect for our needs.


Once they were done being painted. I wrote the different responsibilities that they needed to get done daily and then fastened with a screw the lid to the board. I love when my ideas come to fruition!

They became Christmas presents that year. Kady was only about 3 months at the time so hers had not been used until recently. I love their lids and I love how it helps them to take responsibility for what they need to get done.



It also helps reduce my nagging. Is there any Mother out there who likes to nag? Because for me I hate it! I get so annoyed with having to hear myself out loud repeating to little people who pretty much tune out the nagging. Well At least until "TIHOE" comes out. Then I get in a grouchy mood. So anything that helps to successfully reduce this behavior in me, is a keeper.









As the girls have gotten older I have added more lids. I would like to add for Lucy and Kady's a visual to the side of the lid of what the task is so that it will be easier for them. I just thought of that this last weekend. We will see how long it takes me to do that.



Also if a lid breaks I just replace it very easily from the stash I have. I would say from start to finish it would be a good 3 hour job. Because most of the items I used for this project I already had, the cost was roughly $3.00 for all 4 of them. Not bad!

Strangers and Life

I am thankful for good strangers. Kady is our 4th child and is the child who has the most magical powers. She is a mini Houdini(Kadini). I'm sure of it!


When we were vacationing in Arizona at Christmas time, we stayed with my sister Wendy and her family. They live in a nice neighborhood with friendly neighbors.


One day we were out playing at the nearby park. My Brother-in-law Jonathan was playing soccer with some of the kids, while I was visiting with one of their friendly neighbors, who happens to be one of my sisters friend.


A couple of the kids wanted to jump on her trampoline so we hoisted some of the smaller ones over her fence. The older children walked around to the front. Kadini invisibly walked around the corner. I had not noticed that she had noticed her sisters leaving and wanted to follow.


This friends home is located at the corner of the street and so there tends to be a little more traffic.


It had not been more than 2 minutes from the older children going around, when the next thing I know a very concerned good stranger brings kadini up the sidewalk and asks if this child belonged to any of us, because she was wandering in the street and that they had almost hit her.


I've never been physically punched in the stomach, but the gut wrenching feeling I had at that moment is one I will never forget. This, mixed with frustration at myself that I hadn't noticed, joy that she had not been hit, utter humiliation, and the overwhelming feelings of gratitude to God for these very kind and good strangers, was a too much for me.


The kind stranger lady could have easily yelled her head off at me for my mistake at not being so attentive to Kadini, but she simply said "I am just so glad we didn't hit her!" I thanked her profusely and apologized for my negligence. The outcome could have been catastrophic had they not seen her. Just thinking about it makes me feel sick.


Kady is only 2, so getting upset and lecturing her on the importance of not walking in the street would have been wasted energy and breath. I simply brought her close to me and gave her an extra big hug. I told her I loved her and that we stay close to Mommy and Daddy so we can stay safe, and that I would do better at making sure I stayed close to her.


Whatever you believe in this life, I feel that we all feel at some point in our lives that there is a greater power out there. However you call that power is up to you. For me personally, I know that it is God our Heavenly Father.


He wants us to be safe. He will not force that on us though. He allows us to make choices and if they are not the best ones, He has lovingly provided a way for us to make it right so we can be close to Him. That way is through Our Savior Jesus Christ and His Atoning sacrifice for our sins. I am personally thankful for this great gift and the powerful effects it has on my life.


What we choose does not disqualify us from Gods love for us. No matter what He will always love us. Especially when we mess up. The kind stranger lady is evidence enough for me.

Simplify

This is one of my favorite words. People have asked how I am able to do all that I do. It is easy, I make everything simple for me. How do I make everything simple you ask? I get rid of "stuff" we really do not need. Even easier we try not to buy "stuff" we really do not need.

I think I was born this way though. Growing up sharing a room with my sister I would easily get irritated with her stuff just scattered all over the place. I literally took tape and divided the room, her side and my side.

When it comes to meal planning, I have a little file box that holds 3x5 index cards. On the cards I have written the different types of meals, with ingredients on the back, that are a success and I know our family will eat. So when I go and do my menu planning for the month I pull out the file box and waa-la I am done within 15 minutes. Simple for me.


Some tips I have for those who may be struggling with getting their children to eat what you have prepared.

Have your children help with menu planning.

For a family night have each child write down at least one meal they would like to have. Have a goal for them "We need 10 recipes for our family dinners" It is helpful to have some cookbooks out so they can look through them. Younger children know when they see something they like. I have asked Grandparents to get our girls kid cookbooks for presents and the girls have loved looking through them and telling me what they want to make.

You can then decide if you have any patience left by the time the meal needs to be prepared and if so, then you can have them help prepare the meal. It has been my experience that children are more likely to eat food they help prepare. This does not guarantee they will eat it, but more like a warranty with a lot of fine print.

Also I have learned to reduce the portion sizes I dish out to the kids. I got the divided into 3 section kid plates from Wal-mart. I believe they were .97 cents. They are in the baby section. I use them myself on occasion This gives me a better idea what a proper portion is, especially for younger children.

Menu ideas
-Nacho bar/tacos
-potato bar
-Alfredo noodles
-spaghetti
-lasagna
-Chicken curry
-potato bar
-Pancakes, french toast, big puffy pancake(German pancake) Eggs
-Pizza
-Chicken pea casserole (this is our girls all time favorite)
-Grilled chicken
-Sloppy joes
-sheppards pie
-Parmesan chicken
-Jambalaya
-pigs in a blanket or butterfly hot dogs You take the crescent rolls and roll the hot dog up. Or get the biscuits and cut them in half and then make an egg wash with food coloring and a little water and have the kids paint the butterfly wings. Make the hot dog the body. Bake as directed on the package. We I first did this was 6 months ago and thought to record it.





This is a fraction of my file. If you want any recipes let me know.

I tend to have meals that take 30 minutes or less to put together. Then I let the oven or crock-pot do the rest. Also meals especially during the week, that I can work on earlier in the day when I have more time. The younger ones enjoy pouring things into the bowl for me.



Here is an example of how easy my recipes are

Sloppy Jo's
How ever much ground hamburger you will need to feed your crew
Ketchup
Mustard
Hamburger buns or hot dog buns

Brown your hamburger. Drain and rinse if needed. Return to stove. Just squirt how much ketchup and mustard to make sloppy looking. Heat through. within 10 minutes done. Serve with fruit, hot veggi like corn and maybe some steamed potato wedges you cooked in the microwave. Our girls love this!



The key really is to find out what your kids want to eat. For instance. My one friend wrote......."We're down to spaghetti and meatballs and mac and cheese at my house. ug. Tacos on a good day, but really they just eat the cheese. Anything else is greeted with sneers and gagging noises."

You know they may not have variety but at least she knows they like Spaghetti and meatballs and mac and cheese. I say to this, that is why we give kids a multi vitamin to compensate for what they may be missing.

I feel that there are waves our children go through. Almost like a feast or famine mentality. There are some weeks where it seems they can not get enough to eat and whatever is placed before them they devour. And then there are weeks where I make the exact same meals and I think, "Gee I wonder if I am going to start seeing their ribs poking out of their bodies soon!"

After I realize they are going through the famine phase I make sure to not make a lot of food because I know it will get wasted.

I know for sure that they will eat whatever fruit and veggies I put out, so remember to have a good lay out of fruits and veggies. And ones you know they like. Canned mandarin oranges are a favorite here and the baby carrots.

These are just a few ways that have helped me to simplify my life with a young family.

If all else fails you can always resort to a meal of chocolate. You will find within the video that the side effects are minimal.




p.s a little secret on how to add more nutrients to your food. I food processor a variety of veggies, and then add them to my sauces and soups. It adds a lot of superb flavor and added nutrients without the little people knowing.

Sunday Stories

I grew up in a large family, at least in the worlds standard of family size. I have 4 sisters and 1 brother. No family is perfect, and ours was no exception. For me, I am grateful for the experiences I had growing up and have many more fond memories than bad ones.

Today a wonderful lady(Margaret Dana Jorgenson) gave a great talk in church. The topic was "Service in the family." She choose to talk about the service we render to our posterity and those who have come before us. She expressed at one point how important it is for us to document the stories that happen in our lives. Perfect! Soooooo........


For posterity sakes I will have "Sunday Stories" be a time where I document stories that have happened in my life thus far. These stories are from my own perspective. The great fun with memories is all who may have been involved will undoubtedly have different ones.

First Memories- Part one

One of my first memories I have as a child (2 or 3 yrs old) is of a home located in the small city of Clawson Michigan. I remember the lighting in the whole home being dim. I do not know why I remember this but it is what sticks out in my mind. Maybe that is how all old homes were.


I remember a bedroom with bunk beds in it. I do not recall if this was my two older sisters room or if this was my twins and mine. Nevertheless I remember liking to play on the bunk beds in this room.


We nicknamed this home "The Mouse House" because I guess they wanted to share the home with us, and took the command to multiply and replenish the earth seriously.


I remember one such experience with a little mouse wanting to come and play. My sister and I were on the stairs playing and in my mind I recall a mouse coming out of a crack in the corner of a stair. My sister and I then screamed and ran into the aforementioned bedroom, and flew onto the bunk beds.


I could see the stairs from the bunk bed I was on, and so when I saw my Mother coming up the stairs, I also got to see her reaction to the little mouse. As she came running and screaming into the bedroom she jumped on the beds with us. The next thing I remember is my Mother laughing so hard she could hardly breathe. I remember thinking how strange it was that she was laughing, because I felt so scared inside, but then thinking, " if she is okay with it, I guess I will be okay with it too."


I remember frequently taking walks with my Mother to elderly neighbors' homes and checking up on them. I owe a lot of my love for working with elderly people to my Mother. She always seemed to be involved in doing some kind of extracurricular services in my years of growing up.
What a treasure for me to know even at this very young age, that there were others outside of myself that needed help.


I am sure she had her own reasons, but I would like to think that, for her, being a Mother of 4 very young children was somewhat demanding and it probably felt nice to get outside of her own worries and visit those who otherwise may not have gotten many visitors. I did not recognize this at the time, but this was the beginning of her teaching me one of life's great lessons, how to serve.

My Wonderful Mother

Fancy That Friday

fan⋅cy-
–verb (used with object)
21. fancy up, to make superficially showy by way of improvement: an old car fancied up with a bright new paint job.

Last night I decided to try something new with my hair. I got this idea from a post my sister did.

After my shower I went to work

I divided and twisted and rung up into little buns

It took me about 10 minutes

I was not sure how it would turn out

RESULTS

Not too bad from this angle

A little frizzy on this side

The lighting was just right on this angle

I purposefully do not have a view of the front, but trust me it did not look as superficially good as the other angles. This experience also helped me to not envy those who have to manage naturally curly hair. I can not seem to figure out how to get my hair up in a barrette and make it look okay.

I did my best though, to "fancy up, to make superficially showy by way of improvement", because any who know me know that being fancy, in the true definitions form, is NOT my forte.

It is fun to try something new and unexpected sometimes, even when the results are not what you had hoped.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for the different ways we all learn. I am mostly a "seeing" learner.

I am thankful for this tool that I just recently found. It helps me stay focused when I study the scriptures. You just click on the type of scripture you are studying from, like Old Testament, and then you pick the book of the scripture,like Genesis and then you pick the chapter. How about we pick chapter 1
And then what I do is at the upper left hand corner there is a button that you can click on that allows you to listen to the scripture. I use this in conjunction with me reading along with them. Thankful indeed!

Here is a quick little read that briefly defines three different ways how we learn.

just click on the title if you would like the unedited version
Which One Are You?
By Randall Shirley


How do you learn?

Do you ever wonder why some people are known as "straight A students" while other people struggle in school - even though they're smart?

Do you know people who didn't finish high school, and have found great success in their careers?

People learn in different ways. And no one has a better learning style than anyone else. Some experts say there are as many as seven different learning styles; but it's easier to narrow it down to three types of learning . . . we'll call them:

1. Listening learners
2. Seeing learners
3. Touch / experience learners

It's simple really. Think about one of life's earliest lessons - often taught by our mothers: The Stove Can Burn You.

1. Listening learners heard their mother, believed the information, and never touched a stove.
2. Seeing learners watched their brother touch the stove, and never touched it.
3. Experience learners touched the stove; but only once!

"My dad is a self-made millionaire with his own business, yet he can barely read the headlines in the newspaper. I don't think he's ever read a book. He's probably dyslexic, but he's 70 years old, and when he was young they didn't know how to teach for that style of learning. He's one of the smartest people you'll ever meet, and most of his "learning" has been through experience and believing in himself."
~ A WorldWide Learn user

Most people combine the styles of learning

Here are some everyday problems you might want to learn about.

How would you learn more? Think about them - no way of learning is better than the others. Remember, the way you learn is perfect for you.

Problem #1: You need to paint a room. How much paint and what supplies do you need?

Listening Learners might: Call a painter, a friend, or paint store, and ask them for instructions before starting. Might attend a course on painting at the paint store.

Seeing Learners might: Look online for answers, read several websites. Go to a bookstore and find books and magazines about home improvement and painting. Go to the paint store and read the back of paint cans. Watch a course at the paint store.

Experience Learners might: Go buy a can of paint, a brush, and start painting. If there's not enough paint or you have the wrong brush, you just buy more. Eventually you learn how much paint and what supplies are required.

Problem #2: Your boss wants you to plan a summer barbecue for 25 coworkers and their spouses/partners.
You've never planned anything before. How would you learn what to do?

Listening Learners might: Call a friend who throws great parties, and cry HELP! Attend an upcoming party, and ask the host lots of questions. Call a party planner in the phone book and try to squeeze some tips out of them. Attend a class on event planning.

Seeing Learners might: Search for "party planning tips" through Internet search engines. Look for books about catering, event planning, and party games at the library.

Experience Learners might: Dive right in-walk around to coworkers' desks to ask them how many people are coming. Find a place to hold the event, buy lots of food at the local deli and determine in your head if it's enough. Hire a country band you heard at the bar last week, and learn by experience that alcohol melts through paper cups!

Problem #3: You need to certify in First Aid so you can become leader of a Scout Troop. You haven't studied First Aid since you were a child. You decide to take a course at the YMCA.

Listening Learners might: You find yourself at the front of the class with a pen and paper, writing notes about everything the teacher says. You might be nervous about actually doing mouth-to-mouth on the dummy.

Seeing Learners might: You get a book about First Aid from the library and do some online research before ever attending the class, and immediately start reading the classroom handouts before the instructor even calls roll.

Experience Learners might: You walk in, see the dummies, bandages, splints, and other equipment and can't wait to try it all - the lecture might be dull and boring to you.


"Jody Brown was the smartest girl in my high school - that's what I thought back then. She got perfect grades in every course. Her handwriting was perfect. She did really well in all the science classes, and always had a book in her hand. Today she's a top-rate software developer.
On the other hand, I rarely read in school, and was sent to the principal's office more than once. No one ever called me "smart." I loved to talk a lot and make up stories. I've spent my life writing stories. Today they are published in magazines and newspapers, and people actually pay me for them.
I saw Jody recently, and she told me she couldn't imagine writing stories. It turns out that we're both smart, we just learn in different ways. And we both think the other person is smart!"
~ A WorldWide Learn user
Learning Challenges

If you or someone you know has learning challenges, such as dyslexia or ADD (attention deficit disorder), never be afraid or ashamed to ask for help. Adults with learning challenges are still learning, just in different ways. There are probably experts in your community who can help improve reading ability and focus ability-leading to improved life skills. Contact the following for help:

* Reading improvement: call your local library-ask about adult reading improvement programs.

* Dyslexia: contact your local branch of the International Dyslexia Association, www.interdys.org.

* ADD: contact your local branch of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association, www.add.org.

If you're interested in working with people who have learning challenges
check out the online programs in education: child development; child psychology; teacher licensure; and special education degree programs

Thoughtful Tuesdays

The past several months I have been trying to figure out how to get back into writing. I am a routine type of person, and I did not have any type of routine for this blog. Once I have a routine in something it is stored in my memory and therefore apart of me. It becomes second nature. Just like children in schools have certain days of the week for different "specials" I to have certain days of the week for specific tasks. For me it helps bring that added measure of balance to my life, so it is worth it to me to have.

Example: For menu planning dinners I know that on Thursdays I make breakfast food. On Fridays we make pizza. Every month I pick a day of the week that is designated for Italian food (Mondays this month), Mexican (Wednesdays this month), chicken dishes (Tuesdays), It takes the guess work out of planning meals every month and saves me a lot of time.

I have noticed many blogger peoples out there have themes for certain days of the week like this nice lady or my talented step sister over here. I like this a lot.

So I have thought about this and have decided in order to help my brain have an easier time with expressing what is rattling around in there it is vital for me to have a pattern.

Here is a run down of what the themes will be. I know this is so exciting!


"Sunday Stories"

"Thoughtful Tuesdays"

"Thankful Thursdays"

"Fancy That Fridays"

Having readers of this blog is an added bonus. I love to write and I feel like this is another way for myself to have an opportunity to be creative and have a relaxing outlet.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my younger sister! Only 30 seconds younger though.

31 years ago today our very petite Mother of already 2 young'ns (age 3 and 2) literally popped my sister and I out. Our Mother sat patiently in the waiting room until a nurse asked her what she was there for. My Mother very calmly said "I am in labor!" The nurse then slightly chuckled and made some sort of remark like "well we will see!"

They brought our mother back to the room got her up into the bed and checked her, only to find out my head was crowning. At that moment I can only imaging the chaos that followed. Within minutes I popped out, and then as my body left our mother's birth canal my sister Wendy was right there behind me with her little foot as if to say "Hey I am sick of being crammed into this little space! MOVE IT!" Everyone scrambled and 30 seconds later out slid Wendy to make her grand debut!

There is a lot more detail to our birthday story but that is the jest of it.

This woman has many titles and succeeds fabulously at all of them. Well at least I think so.

Wendy is an amazing sister. She makes me laugh. She is my 24/7 therapist and listens to me when all I need to do is complain. She let's me bounce my crazy ideas off of her and is my neutral party.

Wendy came out to visit for a month one summer. At the time we both had 4 daughter's each. We now have 5 daughter's each.

She motivates me to be a better person. This picture is of us after we ran a 5K. This was my first 5K and I teased her afterward that it was going to be my last. For her running is a stress reliever. My preferably stress reliever is not of running. She did her best to keep me motivated through that agonizing race. But I made it in 30ish minutes. I think 33.


She is an amazing Aunt! Our girls absolutely love her! Wendy also makes the most DIVINE food in the world. We secretly hope that one day we will open a bakery up together. People would flock far and wide for our baked goods and delicious soups and sandwiches.

This woman is a crazy hard worker! She makes a goal and gets it done. No making excuses. She is very thrifty and does her best to make the dollar stretch. She works hard at trying to teach her daughters to be hard workers.

Wendy is a very dedicated wife. Her loyalty is a rare find these days. I am grateful for her fine example.


I am so blessed to have a "twinner" When we were younger we would ask our mother why we were twins and our mother's response was always "Because when you were in heaven you were the best of friends and so you got to come down together!"

Thank you for being one my bestest friends!

Sometimes

I wish I had a helper like Mary Poppins with a cheery disposition
sometimes
we wish we had a basement
sometimes
I am not a good Mother
sometimes
I don't eat breakfast until lunch time
sometimes
I go out to the car by myself and scream REALLY loud
sometimes
I like to talk on the telephone, but it is not often
sometimes
when we make cookies I will eat most of them because I need to make sure they are still okay for everyone else
sometimes
I get so busy that I forget to brush my teeth until the end of the day
sometimes
I have night mares that make me jump out of bed
sometimes
I want to quit my day job
sometimes
I get jealous of other peoples homes
sometimes
I am tactful


Most of the time

I am an awesome Mother.......
Most of the time
I love to cook........
Most of the time
our family laughs really hard......
Most of the time
our children do wonderful things......
Most of the time
I have the BEST job ever..............
Most of the time
I love to clean, it makes me sooooo happy..........
Most of the time
I feel content................
Most of the time
I feel blessed.........
Most of the time
I feel loved....