{Friday}

I finally caught a Friday moment and remembered on Friday....

We ran errands. We played at the park. We had a picnic. We nursed under the sun.

Cornbread with jalapeño, cilantro & daiya cheddar

Cornbread with jalapeño, cilantro & daiya cheddar, a photo by OakBlossoms on Flickr.

Yummy! Yesterday was a cold and rainy day in Washington State. I know you are thinking, well that sounds normal. But, it hasn't been. We have had a lovely winter. And, our weather has been summery and short loving for the last month.

So, a few days of rain (albeit not too cold rain) left us yearning for chili and cornbread.

This version was made from the recipe on the Bob's Red Mill Cornbread bag. I made it vegan by using egg replacer and melted Earth Balance. I added some Daiya cheddar and chopped jalapeno because my kids love jalapenos. We buy huge jars from Costco and they can eat 1 a month. My favorite tip for making cornbread in a cast iron pan is to put a glob of coconut oil in the pan.  Then put it in the oven while the oven preheats.  you get a good rise on your cornbread and a yummy crust.

Yummy drinks!

Just a quick tidbit. We have been really enjoying our long and crazy days. I have been spending less time in the Internet. Trying to focus more in my home. Some of it is out of necessity due to family changes. Needless to say I have been using and allowing more convenience foods. I started looking for some healthier choices. And, I love this Kombucha. I used to have my own brew a few years back. I love the taste but I never thought about such wonderful flavors.

Communication, Parenting, being a Gentle Christian Mother

I sought out gentle parenting out of necessity.  I was raised in a non-gentle home.  When my mom remarried, I saw how a man could be gentle with his daughters.  He did well with me and I was a very rotten, very lost little 14 year old young lady.

I'm now the mother of four.  And, I still find myself reverting back to learned behaviors.  Things I don't want to do. Things I cannot do to my children.  Often I haven't taken care of things like proper meals and sleep.  And, yet I know there is more.  I know, for me, it's a spiritual battle.  The enemy does not want my family to be gentle and kind Christians.  He wants us to fall apart. He wants me to be angry and fearful.

So, I spend some time during my days to reflect.  Remember what my goals are in parenting.  Do you have goals in your parenting?  If you homeschool, do you have goals for your children?  Not the academic ones but the spiritual ones or the leadership ones.  The ones like I will my hug my children daily.

I'm currently reading this article.  It's a Waldorf article titled "Compassionate Communication."

This book is a great book if you are a Christian family.  One that feels like they aren't on track. One that struggles with their children's behavior.  Do you feel like you are all at odds with each other?  Do you keep asking for parenting help and everyone just gives you surface answers?  Do you want to dig down deep?  

April Grocery Recap & May Meal Planning

So, we did skate through April just fine.  You can read about some of our meals from this previous post mid-month.  I'm trying to not have too much variety.  Mostly because it's easier to eat around leftovers.  If we have some cilantro left, what can I use it for next.  I really do think I did better by having less around the house.  It's just difficult.  I like having lots of food around for the boys sake.  It was good for my waistline though.  I got back on my weight loss track.  I'm not hugely overweight, but watching all the diabetes happening in my family is making me realize I, personally, need to get my health (and body) back in better shape.  Less sweets and enjoy some fruit.  Having less food around caused me to not grab something like bread or a sweet thing because I knew it was needed for the next meal or for the kids to take for lunches when we leave the house.

Today we are eating up bits and pieces.  Eggs tacos with some salsa verde. I love those little cans of sauce (I know it's sick, but if you look to the left you can see that amazon has it) you buy in the mexican section.  You can usually get them for a little over a buck.  Not bad if you consider what they can add to a few eggs and some corn tortillas. I bought a couple when they were on sale.  They aren't bad at all.  They are easy to grab and add to a simple meal.  You can mix the green one with some avocado for a really great avocado salsa.  There is a bean soup on the stove.  And, I will probably makes some chickpea salad sandwiches to go with that.  Tomorrow we are off to a family function and we only need to bring chips. 

Monday I'm going to hit Costco for burritos makins.  We will probably subsist on those for 4 or 5 days.  Everyone really wants burritos...so I'm going to stretch that meal out as long as I can.  I figure it's a good start to May.