On Snow Days and Home Days Around the House

In winter, there are many home days, cold days and snow days.
Some days seem to be full of tantrums and time-outs.

Other days seem to be full of perfect playtimes.

Most days are somewhere in between.

This is glimpse into our home life on these mornings.  Peek in our window, and you might see:

Buddy Bear drawing at the chalkboard,

or E-Bear practicing his letters.

You may hear Buddy Bear serenading me with his music,

or presenting his artwork.

You may receive a morning snack from Chef E-Bear.

If the snow piles high in the yard and school is cancelled,

we may be fortunate enough to have G-Bear home for the day.

"Mommy, you are the teacher today!"

"Time for recess outside," I say.

When we come in from the cold, it is time to make play dough.

My favorite recipe for play dough is here.  It takes about 5 minutes to make.

The play dough is warm when it comes off the stove.  It feels so good on our cold hands.

It makes us all happy.

By the way, has anyone seen J-Bear??  If she isn't in her highchair eating Cheerios,

 then she must be in the playroom in her favorite spot, the music shelf.

Of course, we have time outs and potty training time and story time and lunch time and quiet time and learning time too.  Ann Voskamp has written, "Homemaking is about making a home, not about making perfection.  A perfect home is an authentic, creative, animated space where Peace and Christ and Beauty are embraced."  I have tried to make that a reality for my kids this winter, remembering especially that 'love is patient.'   These winter days are full and wonderful.  I thank God for every one. 

Grocery Bag

Ahhh....so many snow days, so much time.  We are ready to start a new week today, after last week's adventures of icy roads and snow days off of school.  I need to start with a new meal plan too, as we successfully worked through the pantry staples during our hibernation last week!  Here are my ideas to get us through dinner.

Day One 

Wild rice mushroom soup from Kate in the Kitchen

with homemade rolls

Photo and recipe from Kate in the Kitchen

Day Two

Peanut noodle salad from 101 Cookbooks

with potstickers and orange slices

Photo and recipe from 101 Cookbooks

Day Three

Chicken and chickpea stew from Bon Appetit

with couscous and steamed broccoli

Photo and recipe from Bon Appetit

Day Four

Sweet potato tortilla pie by Didi Emmons

with mixed green and pear salad

Day Five

Acorn squash and garlic pasta by Didi Emmons

with homemade bread and steamed peas

Recipe from Vegetarian Planet. Photo by Five Finicky Eaters

Blessings on your kitchen this week!

Happy Valentines Day 2014

What is love? 

This week we have spent a good deal of time preparing for Valentine's parties and celebrations.  Our preparations gave us a great opportunity to talk about what real love is like.  How can we show love to others? 1 Corinthians 13 offers a lovely description of God's love, how in turn we must love others.  This week we focused on St. Paul's description of love.  This morning, the chalkboard in our kitchen read:

I took special note that St. Paul describes love first of all as 'patient.'

As I momma, I always need to reflect on how I can be more patient!

A view from our valentine craft table earlier this week:

 And our prayer for family dinner tonight, courtesy of G-Bears wonderful school teacher:

A Valentine Prayer

by Francine M O'Connor

Dear Jesus, on this Valentine's Day

will you be my Valentine?

Will you take your special love,

and set it in this heart of mine?

When I feel alone and small 

and no one seems to notice me,

remind of your loving call,

'Let the children come to me.'

When I fight with my good friend

as even best friends sometimes do,

let your commandment be my light:

'Love one another as I love you.'

When I see someone hungry and poor 

remind me about the good I can do.

'Do for them,' says your Golden Rule,

'what you would have them do for you.'

When people are lonely or sick or sad,

and I am too busy to help or to see,

may I remember the words you said,

'What you do for them, you do for me."

G-Bear's Valentine basket.

Help me, Jesus, to be like you,

gentle and thoughtful and kind.

Then I will be your Valentine,

just as you will always be mine.

Our card from E-Bear and my roses from T

Have a  wonderful Valentine's Day!  May our love for each other be ever richer, deeper, 

and more like God's love for us.

Light on or off?

"The Christian must be a shining person, who brings light, who always gives light! A light that is not his, but a gift from God, it is Jesus’ gift. And we carry this light. If the Christian extinguishes this light, his life has no meaning. He is a Christian in name only, he does not bring light with him, his light is without meaning. But I would like to ask you now, how do you want to live? Do you want to live like a light that is on or one that is off? On or off? How do you want to live?  A light that is on! It is God himself who gives us this light and we give it to others. A light that is on! This is the Christian vocation.

~Pope Francis, Angelus Address, February 9th 2014

A Night at Beast's Castle and an Enchanted Tale with Belle

Last week, we went to Disney World!

With all the snow and freezing temperatures we have had here in Minnesota, 

we truly felt like we were a world away.

Our visit began with a highlight.  The first night we arrived, we were able to get dinner reservations for the new Be Our Guest Restaurant in Beast's Castle in Fantasyland.  

Having planned our trip only a few weeks in advance, we didn't expect to enjoy such a special treat.  We're experienced enough to know that restaurant reservations book up many months in advance.  But, T was also smart enough to keep checking the popular restaurants for cancellations.  We are lucky he did!  A last minute cancelation made it possible for us to snag a table (we think it helped that we were dining during the Super Bowl :).   

The Beast's Castle

We were so excited to have MoMo, Papa and Nana along with us.

All our royalty was in attendance for dinner.  

J-Bear was excited to be out an about.  

I dressed her in the closest outfit I had to a princess dress and she fit in perfectly.  

Buddy Bear was ready to protect, defend and eat.

 There are already plenty of reviews of the Be Our Guest Restaurant.  You can add us to the list of those who were impressed.  To begin, we assembled at a grand-looking door at the base of Beast's Castle.  A castle attendant called our party, letting us know that "the Master" would see us for dinner!  Then they handed Buddy Bear a lit candelabrum to carry to the table.  Buddy Bear decided he'd hang with his Dad just to make sure everything was going to be okay.

On our way to our table we received a brief tour of the restaurant's main rooms.  Dinner seating is offered in the Ballroom and in the West Wing.  The architectural details are stunning and bear striking resemblance to the film.

The chandeliers in the main ballroom.

We were seated in the West Wing for dinner.  The rose is there in the corner, as is a ripped picture of the prince that changes periodically to the face of the Beast, and several ripped tapestries adorn the walls.  Occasional "lightning" and "thunder" can be heard overheard.  We had recently watched the movie Beauty and the Beast to prepare for the trip, so the scenes were fresh in our kids minds.  G-Bear and E-Bear thought the whole experience was pretty cool.  Buddy Bear was a bit cautious.

By the time the Beast arrived to wave to guests in the West Wing, Buddy Bear was ready to bolt.

Thankfully, my Buddy settled in when the bread basket and chocolate milk arrived.  But, he kept an eye on the doorway to make sure the Beast wasn't coming back.

Dinner was filled with delicious fare, including the only wine offerings in the Magic Kingdom.  Dessert was great too.  Both E-Bear and I choose "The Gray Stuff," and we can now say from personal experience that "it's delicious!"

Before we left dinner, G-Bear and T took to the ballroom floor for a brief spin, twirl and dip.  It's not everyday you get to dance with a princess in a castle!

Everyone gets a chance to thank the Beast in his study at the end of dinner.  Even Buddy Bear agreed to pose for a quick picture.  The Beast was a wonderful host.

Not far from the Beast's Castle is the new experience Enchanted Tales with Belle.  We took advantage of the late hour and short wait time (only 20 minutes!), not knowing what to expect.  It turned out to be one of our favorite experiences of the trip!  Each child was offered a chance to play a role in a make-believe re-play of how Belle met the Beast.  G-Bear got to play the part of Chip, Buddy Bear was asked to join in as flat wear, and E-Bear was given the honor of playing the Beast!

E-Bear took his role really seriously.  He ROARED with all his might when prompted by the assistant, he was shy and delighted to get to dance with Belle herself, and he was thrilled to receive her thanks for a job well done.  Afterwards he admitted, "Mom, I tried my best to be the Beast."

G-Bear was excited to play the part of Chip and to see Belle again as well.  Belle did a great job making each child feel individually special.

Buddy Bear was the last child to shake Belle's hand, and his grin said it all.  He marched right up and gave her a hug.  Even Belle couldn't mistake his enthusiasm.  It was a pretty cute moment.

 Whew!  What wonderful memories from our first night!  It isn't everyday you get to experience two brand-new Disney World experiences.  We headed back to the hotel feeling treated and blessed, thankful to be together for such memorable moments.  

Grocery Bag

How's the produce aisle treating you?  I'm relying on the frozen section for many of our fruit and vegetable servings these days, with great results.  Steamed veggies can taste great with a little butter, parmesan or lemon and salt.  We've discovered that frozen fruit smoothies are a great way to start the day, and J-Bear's love of homemade applesauces is catching on to the rest of us when the fruit section is lacking.  Thankfully, winter won't last forever!  Here is our meal plan for the week.

Day One

Roasted tomato soup from Finding Joy in My Kitchen

with homemade bread

We substituted 3 large tomatoes for the canned tomatoes called for in the recipe, and we threw in a few bell peppers.  This soup tastes great!

Day Two

Crescent roll apple sausage rolls 

with mushroom risotto and sautéed mushrooms

Nothing gourmet here, but simple deliciousness for a quick dinner.

We roll Trader Joe's chicken apple sausages in crescent rolls and bake according to the 

crescent roll instructions.  I cut the sausages in half for the kid's portions.  I can't make enough of these for our kids.  

Day Three

Homemade fish sticks from Everyday Food Magazine

with steamed green beans and cheddar biscuits

Keep ketchup on hand for these delicious homemade "fish nuggets."

Buddy Bear can't get enough.

Day Four

Tofu pad thai 

with pineapple and snap peas

A simple and delicious pad thai.  We add tofu and snap peas.

Day Five

Onion & pepper quesadillas with salsa and sour cream

with steamed broccoli and oranges
Saute the onions and peppers, add a squirt of lime, and then 
then add them to a tortilla with your favorite cheese.  

Blessings on your kitchen this week!

Happily to the Happiest Place

We've been away.  

We escaped the bitter Minnesota cold and snow this past week.

Can you guess where we've been?

Now that we're back, we have so many stories to share.

For now, it is enough to say that J-Bear made her debut,

Buddy Bear met his favorite cowboy and the Boy-who-never-grew-up,

E-Bear was finally tall enough to ride Everest,

and G-Bear danced with her dad like a Beauty in a Beast's castle.

Stay tuned for wonderful memories...

J-Bear at Nine Months

Dearest J-Bear,

How is it that you are nine months old today? 

You have now lived with us as long as you lived in my belly.

We can't believe how much you are changing everyday.

No more sitting for you. 

It's a big world out there, and you are ready to explore!

Now you are everywhere:

Chasing Robie, exploring the tree (still not down yet?!), digging in the potted plants,

sneaking books out of the book basket.  We can't contain you anymore.

I love watching you scoot through the playroom doors to join your siblings.

You have your favorite spot, right next to the music shelf.

When I sneak up to check on you, you always have a big, mischievous smile to share!

Mealtime is fun time these days.  E-Bear, your buddy, loves to help you with Cheerios.

You are always delighted to see him.  No one can make you laugh like E-Bear.

With a reach and a scoop,

you have a mouthful!

 Thank goodness you like applesauce and sweet potatoes too!

 You have lots to say, and we love to hear it.

We love your waves, your slaps for more, the way you shake your arms in the air when you are excited.  Your smile is award winning.  Your brothers and sisters can't get enough of it, and it is a challenge to keep them in their seats  (and away from entertaining you!) during mealtime.

You are adored, sweet girl.  

You've been such a trooper this winter in your purple puffy snowsuit.

You're sleeping better in your yellow magic suit (or perhaps now that you roll over).

I can always rely on you for a good afternoon nap.

Keep growing, J-Bear.  Our love grows for you everyday.

Lord, bless our sweet, sweet J-Bear.