No Phone Zone

After about the fifth interruption, we all had pretty much had enough. None of us could even remember what we were talking about in the first place. Not to mention that Little Buddy had long ago finished with his dinner. That's when we decided something had to change.

Family time is very important to us. We know the results of a Harvard study of 65 children over 8 years, found that family dinners were the activity that most fostered healthy child development. More importantly, we just really like being together. We like talking with one another.

But for some reason, we were letting the outside world really disrupt our plans for our family. We were allowing other things to interject themselves into the one activity that we knew was one of the most important parts of our day.

Our solution - create a no phone zone for family meal times.

The result?

It's actually been extremely liberating. We know our time at home with our family is precious. Other things can wait. This is the time for us and we are not going to take it for granted.

Do you have a no phone zone?

This post is part of Works For Me Wednesday. 

How to Enjoy Grocery Shopping with Your Child

Image by That Other Paper via Flickr

Going to the grocery store used to be sheer torture for me. I would have a well-planned list prepared along with their corresponding coupons organized when I entered the store. And then, as soon as the electric doors closed behind us, I would enter the state of "dazed and confused."

Little Buddy would find no fewer than 10 things within 10 minutes and begin the plead, "Mama, can I pleeeeeeassseee get just this one thing?"

Yes, we would have discussed our rules for shopping well in advance of arrival and had a refresher before we got out of the car. However, the grocery store seemed to just have a memory-erasing change on him as we walked in the door.

I knew there had to be someway to survive grocery shopping with my son. And then, I realized I had it completely backwards. It shouldn't just be survived, I need to find a way to make it enjoyable - fun even - for both of us.

1. Give him a list. As you prepare your grocery list, give your child a sheet of paper to write his list along with you. On your child's list, have him write certain items that he particularly likes or needs such as his favorite cereal, juice, etc. Then, when you are in the store these are the items that he must add to the cart and mark off of his list.

2. Grab his coupons. Go through your coupons with your child and allow him to pick ones for items on his list or favorite items he'd like to purchase. Allow him to keep his coupons separate from yours in his own ziploc bag.

3. Play a game. When you are in the store, play a game with your child. You can play With My Little Eye, I Spy for items that begin with a certain letter or are a certain color, etc. You can also play math games such as adding the total number of items in the cart, estimating the new cost of items if you have coupons, etc.

The most important tip I can share on how to enjoy grocery shopping with your child is your frame of mind. Make sure everyone is well-fed and rested. Then, go in with the attitude of working with your child to allow them to explore and learn.

This post is part of Works for Me Wednesday. 

My Cheesin' Cowboy {Age 2}

I am participating in I Heart Faces Dramatic Black and White Photo Challenge.



I hope you all enjoy this photograph taken of Little Buddy when he was two. He wore this cowboy hat constantly and loved to say "cheese" for the camera (which was always attached to my hand!). Notice the chocolate chip cookie on his lip!

And That's Why They Call Me Thumper!

Have you ever seen a bunny rabbit so precious?

I think the Easter Bunny might not be as cute as this little cutie pie. And boy is he ever so snuggly!



This is Little Buddy's Holland Lops, Thumper. He loves to "thump" his foot when something is going on that he doesn't like or when things are getting a bit too noisy for his liking - which is quiet a bit around our house!

I caught this sweet photograph when Little Buddy had no clue that I was anywhere near with the camera. That's usually when I can capture the very best little slices of everyday sweetness. And oh am I glad I get to be here to enjoy every one of them.


Head on over to Darcy's to enjoy some other Sweet Shots.

Baby Chicks

Our new chicks arrived!



They are so funny to watch. Even though we get chics every spring, we never get tired of watching them.

And goodness gracious, they grow like weeds!

Guess what Little Buddy wanted to watch this rainy afternoon?



Two guesses.




Nope - not Star Wars. Although, he could have just as easily wanted to watch it.




Nope - not UP either. We've just about worn that DVD out already. Can you wear out a DVD? That's a good question. I'm gonna have to check that out tomorrow.





Give up?




It's one of my very favorite movies. Little Buddy's, too. We named our bunny after our very favorite character.



Now you know it, doncha?



Yep, you got it. Bambi.



"That's why they call me Thumper!" Love that bunny.


Okay, off to watch it with my darling boy while he still wants to watch it. Never know when he may feel "too old" for it. I'm gettin' while the gettin's good.


Don't you just love Bambi?

What a Difference Two Years Makes

I sat in our homeschooling group listening intently to the speaker.

She was encouraging and inspiring all of the mothers to take time for ourselves. She went on to say mothers naturally put their children and husbands ahead of themselves in priority, but that for homeschooling mothers, there is rarely a break. No drop off at school so you can run errands. You and your children are usually always together.



As she went on talking, I was lost in my own thoughts.

Two years ago, I wouldn't have been here. If anyone had told me I would be sitting with a group of women in the middle of the day, at a table made for children, in a child's seat, drinking cherry kool-aide and eating cucumber sandwiches, I would have surely said they were joking.

Two years ago, I was knee deep and at least a mile high. I was constantly working 14 hours days, weekends, and traveling like the world would stop spinning if I took time for my family let alone for myself.

Two years ago, I felt like a stranger in my child's life. I would make school events as much as possible but frequently had to have my son's nanny or my mother stand in for me as I was called to this or that for work. I would come home from work, prepare a meal, work with my son on his schoolwork for hours and then put him to bed. Only to start again the next day.

And I knew our world had to change. God showed me in so many ways. He showed me my son needed me so much more than anyone else possibly could. We prayed and He answered. Homeschooling was the decision for our family. It comes with sacrifices. It comes with blessings.

I left my job and the comfort of two incomes, prepared myself as much as possible for homeschooling our son, and began working with my mother to grow our own businesses.

I'm so proud of the mother I've become in the last two years. God surely caught me at just the right time.

I just can't wait to see what He has in store for the next two years.

Purple Halos

We would never admit how much we needed one another. We would rather fuss over who sat by the window as our family traveled to the beach. We would rather make faces at the other when we didn't think our parents were watching. We would rather use all the hot water in the shower than save some for the other.

I remember my mother saying, "I wish you two would just fight instead of fuss with each other."

Then, it changed. Our relationship grew into a solid friendship. It was probably always there, we just hadn't realized it before.



On one particular day, we were playing outside. It was a beautiful day, full of sunshine and the sounds of summer. We just lay there, making out shapes of the clouds. Was it a horse or a unicorn? Neither really knew, but we had so much fun guessing.

We laughed and talked like I'm not so sure we ever had before. It was just us. Bonding as sisters.



And there we sat, making purple halos.

Out My Window :: Turkeys

Since we purchased our property, we've enjoyed all of the wonderful wild life that also loves it here. From deer, turkey, owl, coyote, fox, and tons of birds - they all love it.



Each day we are able to study their behavior and enjoy their company. And their lessons are pretty priceless.

Sweet Shot

Yep, I know it is no longer Tuesday and that this same picture was already used in a post, but this is by far my Sweet Shot of the week. And... I guess I'm better late than never, right?





This picture is by far the sweetest shot I took over the past week. It just screams fun, childhood, and life.

Check out all the other Sweet Shots over at Darcy's.

Add Color, Add Style

I love spring. The flowers blooming, the birds singing and flocking to the bird feeders, the arrival of ducklings and baby chics, and being able to have school outside.

This past week as we got ready for spring, on the prettiest of days, we had school on our back porch and on the playground table. As I looked around at all of the beautiful offerings of spring, I was disappointed at how "unspringy" my back porch looked. It was just blah! No color, nothing special.

I visited the local garden center and bought as many red geraniums and red verbena as my car would hold -- I pushed it quiet a bit on this one. We had to strategically pack my car to get them all in.

A few years back, my husband gave me a bronze urn. I absolutely love this urn and use it frequently on our dining table for arrangements. But... it's heavy, it's big and you can't see around it when you are seated. So, I decided to bring it outside, fill it with the red verbena and enjoy the display.

Here is the result.



Instant color. Instant style.

This post is part of:
Works for Me Wednesday
I'm Lovin' It

Grandmother's Chicken Casserole

I loved to visit my Grandmother's house in the afternoons to help her prepare dinner. A treasured heirloom of mine is the handwritten notebook she made for me as a wedding gift containing her favorite recipes.

I am sharing with you her Chicken Casserole.

Grandmother was a true southern lady who took care of her family with delicious food and was quick to share a meal with those in the community and church who were sick, welcomed a baby, or just needed some help. This was one of the meals that she shared quiet often. It's easy to prepare, easy to travel, and easy to freeze. On top of all that... it's delicious!




Recipe
Printable Version

Ingredients:
8 chicken breasts
1 8 ounce can cream of chicken soup
1 8 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups sour cream
2 sleeves Ritz crackers
1 stick butter

Step by Step:

1. Boil 8 chicken breasts. Remove the bone once fully cooked.

2. In a bowl, mix cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, sour cream.

3. Place cooked chicken in 13x9 casserole dish.

4. Spread soup, broth and sour cream mixture on top of the chicken.

5. Crumble 2 sleeves of Ritz Crackers.

6. Spread Ritz crackers on top.

7. Dot top of casserole with 1 stick of butter (cut into pieces).

8. Cook at 350 degrees Farenheit until crackers are browned.



This post is part of:
Tasty Tuesday

I Heart Faces :: Angles

This week I am participating in the I Heart Faces challenge, Focusing on Angles.



I was a good bit below my husband and son as I took this photograph. I wasn't sure how it would turn out when I first started to take it, but loved how I captured them and the gorgeous sky. The colors just popped.


Head on over to I Heart Faces to see all of the other wonderful entries.

We Are Addicted :: Molly the Barn Owl

Image via Wikipedia

It's official, we are addicts. We can not get enough of the sights and sounds of Molly the Barn Owl.

Our regularly scheduled science lessons have been put aside as we spend time studying all about Molly and other barn owls.



But I warn you, watch with care or you may become addicted as well.

Donald and Daisy

Remember how much I've been talking about ducks in The Lake and Duck, Duck, not a Goose. Well, we decided to add two to our farm this week.

Meet Donald




And Daisy




But in reality, we don't have a clue if they are boys, girls, or one of each.





Time will tell.

I Think We Need a Biology Lesson

I'll admit it. Had I not grown up with grandparents and parents who exposed me to nature, I may not have known much about farm animals. I probably would not have really known much about chickens and their egg laying habits, but...

Here's the story -

We have had extra eggs lately around our house. We just haven't eaten as many as our wonderful hens have been happily producing. We box them up in cartons and share them with family and with friends.

We are always greeted with "ooh" and "ahh" over how large and beautiful they are. Have you ever seen Martha Stewart's eggs in her magazines or on her television show? Well, ours look just like that. Beautiful hues of browns, creams, and a turquoise from our Aracauna.

This week as I took eggs to a group of friends, there was a discussion about them.

First friend: "What do they taste like?"

Me: "Umm, they taste like eggs but a little bit richer. A little bit buttery."

Second friend: "Why do they taste like butter?"

Me: "They don't really taste like butter. I just meant they have a richer flavor."

First friend: "Are there babies in there?"

Me: "They aren't fertilized. Our rooster stays separate from our hens."

Second friend: "Oh, then how did you get the eggs?"

{{Say what?}}

Me: "From the hen. The hen lays the eggs."

Second friend: "Well, then when would the rooster fertilize them?"

{{Blinking}}

Me: "Before the hen lays them."

First friend: "These blue eggs, do they taste any different? What do they look like on the inside?"

Me: "They taste the same as the others and look the same as the others."

By this time, I'm really starting to wonder about why I am going through all of this to give away my eggs. Surely I could just use them in cooking and baking and freeze them. I could also try to separate them and freeze them like I've heard about doing but haven't tried yet. Sure, that would work.

Second friend: "Why do they lay blue eggs sometimes, brown eggs sometimes, and white another time?"

{{Blink. Stare.}}

Me: "Hmm, good question. I bet you could look it up on Google."

I think we need a biology lesson.

Dilly Dallying

Spring has definitely sprung. We enjoy beautiful days outside playing, having nature walks, "doing" school, and just dilly dallying.

I love the dilly dallying part.




Swinging as high as we could swing.

Then we wandered through our woods to see what we could find there.



We made up a great tale of castles and knights just by the moss on the bottom of this tree. It was a pretty elaborate one with motes and horses and a knight saving the princess. I guess there wasn't a prince around to save her today.

I love it when we get our imaginations out to play.

Has spring arrived where you are?

Duck, Duck, Not a Goose

Y'all enjoyed the Mallards so much from The Lake post, I thought I'd share some more of them with you.





This is the original photo that I shared in The Lake post. Aren't they pretty?





And here they are chatting with us. Wow, those boys could talk!





And talk about orderly! Look at how they just lined right up! Now, as a Mama I sure want to know how to get that sort of reaction from people!





Take a look at the fella to the middle right. He was showing us his cool move. Maybe you call it The Duck Strut or something. Whatever you call it, he sure could do it.





But the white feller with the crown on his head is not a goose. We think we identified him as a white crested duck, but if you know for certain please tell us. He just made me think he was quiet formal with his crown atop his head. So we named him Duck King.

I do think they may be waiting on us. I better make sure to save the heels off of our bread to feed these guys. I'd hate to have the Duck King mad at us. He might call a revolt!