Consistency - Why it's important

I can think of a million things that I would rather do than clean house. It's not difficult. It's just painfully monotonous and never ending. I can do all the dishes and laundry in the house and there will be piles of both within a few hours. So what's the point of doing it every day when you will just have it to do every day in the future?

The secret is consistency. There is a difference between washing one load of dishes and having to do 3 loads before you find the bottom of the sink. There's a difference in quickly folding a load of laundry and taking half the day to fold a week's worth. There's a difference in being able to take 15 minutes to pick up the house and it taking 2-3 days to even be able to vacuum.

Consistently doing the house cleaning builds slow momentum. Let's say, your living room is just trashed from kids being home from school and the Christmas festivities. You may think you have to wait for a huge chunk of time to make a dent, but start with what you can do today. Pick up all the trash. Tomorrow, pick up the trash and the dishes. The next day, pick up trash, dishes, and any dirty clothes. The next day, pick up the trash, dishes, dirty clothes, and misplaced books. The next day, pick up the trash, dishes, dirty clothes, books and toys. In just 5 days, your living room is infinitely better with no more than 15 minutes of work each day. The key is not the 15 minutes. The key is doing it EVERY day. Because let it go for 2-3 days and especially if you have a lot of kids like me, you will have to start all over again. It makes you fill like a hamster in a wheel. A never ending cycle that doesn't get better.

So if you are making a schedule, make it work for you in a way that builds daily consistency. My minimum effort in each room is to pick up 8 things that are out of place. My minimum for dishes is one dishwasher load loaded and unloaded. My minimum for laundry is one load of laundry a day. Some days require more than that but by continuing with the minimum even on the busy days, I'm keeping the momentum going.

Some days, you may have to reduce an activity to make it work into your daily schedule. I try to get 15 minutes of exercise on the Wii Fit every day. I haven't been consistent with it. I had thought I was being mostly consistent one week and realized that I had only done it twice out of seven days. So, my minimum is now 5 minutes of step aerobics. Once, I am consistent with that amount, I will try to raise it to 10 then to 15 and up to 30. I was waiting around for time to do 15 minutes and wasting those 5 minute blocks of time.

Gonna start tomorrow with some activities that I have listed in Remember the Milk app.

2013 Resolutions

This is the time of year when we begin thinking of what areas we would like to improve on in our lives. For me like many, organization is at the top of my list. I've learned that consistency is like compound interest. Every day gets a little bit better. I would like to expand my list of consistent tasks.

I've used many methods of scheduling. To do lists, Cozi, home management binder, control journal, day planner and more. I've discovered this year that none of them have the flexibility, consistency, inclusiveness and ease of use that I needed. All the methods have helped and have benefits but I needed something more suited to me. 

I had tried Remember The Milk some time ago and fizzled out on it. I found the Ipad app later and it has been really amazing. It is so much easier to use with the touch screen. I can divide out the tasks among family members, cleaning, cooking, craft projects, etc. There are three levels of priority. I use High for morning chores, Medium for afternoon chores and Low for evening chores. I use no priority for things that can be done at any time of the day. 

I can plan out how to use my leftovers. Remind myself to cut up the leftover ham to use in quiche or beans later on. I can remind myself with a morning task to start beans soaking for Cuban black beans. I can remind myself to put the sourdough starter in the fridge the next morning. 

I can put in a reminder to take movies back to the library or mail a bill payment. I can put in reminders for church and school activities. I can take a project from pinterest and make a list of tasks under a special list to no due date. This way, the great idea isn't forgotten. 

Every time I do a task, I add it to Remember the Milk. Last week, I had to clean the filter in our washer. It had not been completed in well over two months as suggested. So I added the task, marked it complete and set it to repeat every 2 months. Viola! I put away our advent wreath so I made a task to repeat in a year. I read the story of St Stephen, the first martyr and I put a reminder for that to repeat in a year. 

It is extremely flexible. If I want to cook tomorrow's menu, I mark it complete and postpone today's menu. If I have more time today, I can complete some of tomorrow's tasks. If the mopping just can't wait til tomorrow, it is done today. If I don't get everything completed on the list, I postpone it til tomorrow. 

So I am going to attempt to make a list of at least 5 tasks each week for each week of 2013. Let's get organized in 2013. 

Autism - Concerns for a second time around

When my third child was a little over a year, I had to stop her from banging her head on the headboard or wall. Scared me to death! She had some language. But that was clearly an autistic behavior and I knew all it would take is one trigger to cause a regression where she could lose the language. I refused all vaccines between 18 mo and 3 yrs in MS since they don't have religious or philosophical exemptions. I had only gotten some of them before but I wasn't taking any chances now. I'm thankful that they understood my concerns.

Do I believe vaccines cause autism? I believe there are way too many. I know Davy got some when he had ear infections but no high fever. I was a new mom and let them give them to him. There were also lots of antibiotics and steroids with his asthma treatment so I can't say for sure what Davy's trigger was. I do know that the amount of vaccines and cases of autism are rising steadily. I feel to ignore the possibility would be irresponsible. Flu shots still contain mercury. Vaccines have aluminum and all other manner of strange ingredients. So when we moved to AL, I got religious exemptions (because of the aborted fetus tissue used in vaccine manufacturing) for all the kids. Not taking any chances!

I asked the doctor for a referral to have my daughter tested. She needed some help with processing things around her but I wasn't sure what to do. She was having lots of meltdowns. She was having symptoms of pica (eating foam craft pieces and plants). She was stripping her clothes off every chance she got. My first child had language delay and poor eye contact. Easy to see where we needed to focus for him. I wasn't sure what I needed to do for her.

A couple of weeks ago, we got some very soft, comfortable clothes from a clothing swap. I had struggled to keep clothes on her with the weather change. She had spent the summer in dresses and the jeans irritated her. Since switching her to these Garanimal style clothes with soft pants and shirts, she has been like a new kid. She's no longer stripping off her clothes several times a day. Her language has exploded. She is using more complete sentences and saying things like, "I'm coming, Mom" or "Thank you, Dad."

Now it could be also just getting used to our new place but the clothes were the only real change that has been made. I told the pediatrician of the change and she still wants her to be evaluated. After looking over the criteria for diagnosis again, she won't qualify for autism or asperger's because of her social ability and speech. I really think it's Sensory Processing Disorder. Different textures like jeans after a summer of cotton dresses are simply overwhelming. So glad that seems to be all it was.

Blueberry cream cheese sourdough rolls

Blueberry + cream cheese + sourdough, you really can't go wrong here, right?

I am sure I am not the first to try this but here is how I created some totally scrumptious rolls.

I used a basic sourdough bread recipe and let it rise overnight. I divided it and rolled out a big rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Originally, I was thinking of just spreading plain cream cheese but the recipe evolved in the process. I decided to mix 3 oz cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, 2 T milk and 2 t vanilla. I really didn't measure so these are my guesstimations but you get the idea. It is basically a cream cheese frosting. Spread this over the sourdough rectangle.

I took about a cup of frozen blueberries. I washed them and then gave them a rough chop on the cutting board. I put them in a bowl and coated with about 1/3 cup granulated sugar. I sprinkled these all over the cream cheese frosted, sourdough rectangle.

Roll up the dough. Slice into 1 1/2 inch rolls. Place in greased baking pan. Let rise for twenty minutes. Would like to let it rise longer but unsure about how safe that is. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 -60minutes. While they are still hot, drizzle with a confectioner's sugar glaze which is just confectioner's sugar and a splash of vanilla with enough milk to make it creamy but thin enough to drizzle.

Our family loves pomegranates during the Christmas season. I am going to try this same recipe with pomegranate to see if it will become our Christmas breakfast tradition.

Once a month shopping

I'm sure most families face weeks when there is just not enough money to cover what needs to be covered. With four kids, a battle with cancer and moving expenses, we've had a few of those. Some weeks, I didn't have anything for groceries. Some weeks, I had to feed six (or more when I was watching my niece and nephews) on $25 to $40. I've learned a lot about stretching what I have in the pantry.

The weird thing is that I find myself happier when I'm making much out of a little. I had chalked it up to enjoying being creative with what resources I had. But I've heard others talk about how happy they found themselves in the lean times. So I think it's more about being content with what we have. As well as being good stewards by using what we have to its fullest potential. Repurposing leftovers and stretching with quick breads and desserts.

So how can we recreate that when the bank account isn't rapidly approaching the red? I decided to do once a month shopping this month. I was really just tired of going to the grocery store so often but after planning it out, I decided that I would chose to do without whatever I forgot other than milk, flour, bananas and the turkey needed for Thanksgiving. By chosing to do without even though we have money in the bank, I am creating an atmosphere of contentment and necessary stewardship.

I don't have a day to go shopping all day except for Sunday and I just don't want to spend Sunday shopping. So this month, I went to Sam's one night, Save-a-lot the next night and Walmart the following night. I made sure we had diapers, paper products, cleaning products, plenty of pantry items that were versatile in creating meals, lots of beans, flour, peanut butter, etc. I spent $420 for a family of six.

I made sure that I had planned for Thanksgiving. Advent will be during this time. Last year, we had a Jesse Tea that we will repeat this year. We will also celebrate a Tea for Our Lady of Guadalupe. So I planned for each of these events with special ingredients in my shopping list. I don't plan on shopping again other than my exception items of flour, milk and bananas until the week before Christmas.

I think I did really well for the first month. I've decided to do without a dryer so that my freezer will fit in the utility room. So next month will have more options of being able to stock up on discounted perishables.

It's very calming that I have all the grocery shopping and Christmas shopping done. The next four weeks will be about creating memories at home without the consumerism focus that the holiday season has become. I will have to remember to get pictures of some of the special treats I have planned so I can blog about them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sourdough beignets

It's interesting to look back and see how everything has been pointing me to the Roman Catholic Church. I took Latin in high school and college. I really love the language. I have always wanted to visit Italy. I really enjoy traveling to New Orleans.

One of my family's traditions is making beignets for supper. Most of the time we use refrigerated biscuits. Tonight, I tried a recipe for sourdough beignets. The directions included salt and eggs that weren't in the ingredient list. I added 1 1/2 tsp salt and two eggs. It made for a chewy donut rather than the lighter beignets of Cafe du Monde. It was a crowd pleaser and made twice as much as we could eat. I cut them and began cooking and ended up having to cut some of the later batches in half again because they kept rising.

Don't ask me why this is right side up in my camera roll but then uploads upside down. But it's lots of deliciousness either way you look at it!

Variety is the spice of life!

So, I have learned that I need familiar things like crochet, cooking, bubble baths and such boost serotonin. Exciting, new things and being active boost dopamine which I am lacking. So I need a routine that incorporates lots of variety.

Since August, I have been planning our school days very effectively. I use a notebook and add each subject with page numbers and review questions. We are getting so much work done. The boys did their copy work in cursive today which was way better than I thought they would be at this early in the school year. We'll be through the science book in three weeks and have time to do one or two more science books.

How about I apply that to my daily schedule? My subjects can by God, husband, children, community, cleaning, organizing, decorating and crafting. I can vary the activities often so I am addressing all areas of focus without it getting old. I can plan ahead a focus to help plan ahead so i am not a slave to my impulsiveness and then add what I else I am able to accomplish once I get on a roll.

I think this will help me focus on today instead of what didn't get done yesterday or what will still need to be done tomorrow. I really love the days when I am in the zone and getting lots done. Maybe this idea will help those days become more frequent.

Daily Choices

I have never thought of myself as a very good person.

I am.....

Careless

Impulsive

Irresponsible

I have tried so hard to change who I am. I've tried Flylady and Emily Barnes to help me keep my house clean. I've tried every routine and schedule you can imagine to keep myself consistent. I do well at first and then I get bored or distracted and fail.

I often feel like a child. Why can't a grown woman get it together? I had even considered medication. Since coffee puts me to sleep, I do react to stimulants in the way that ADHD people do. At my worst, I would have mood swings that were similar to bipolar. I talked to my husband about it and decided that I might need medicine in the future but I wasn't ready to be called crazy just yet.

I decided to pick out a dieting book at the library to give me some motivation. I picked Diet Rehab by Dr Mike Dow. It explained how our brains work. The kind of ADHD symptoms that I was having could well be explained with low dopamine that could be boosted by certain foods and activities.

The mood swings were caused by my efforts to "fix" myself. I'd find a new program or a new motivation and be on top of the world for a while. New things are dopamine boosters. Then I would get into the nitty gritty of trying to be consistent with my new program and my dopamine would drop and some days it was a struggle to get out of bed.

It gets worse with age. My biggest addictions are caffeine and peanut butter. Fat and stimulants that boost dopamine. Because I'm getting older and weight comes on more easily, I can't have a Coke and a Reese's as often as I'd like or I'd be 300 lbs.

I'm using these ideas for myself and my son who has been diagnosed with ADHD but has reacted terribly to medication. The best part is that I don't have to add a lot of foreign foods and eliminate our favorites. For the first week which ends today, I add one dopamine boosting activity and one dopamine boosting food per day. I eliminate nothing for the first two weeks.

So I added exercise, dancing, cleaning to upbeat music and new recipes. On the first day, I noticed my son was a little more anxious. That could be low serotonin so I started adding things like cooking, crafts and more laughs and hugs to boost serotonin.

Basically, sugar spikes and crashes our serotonin levels and fats are the pitfall foods of dopamine. So add more complex carbohydrates and protein.

We ate more beans, grits, flax seed and eggs. I have seen some more ways of adding protein like smoothies and high protein pasta.

Starting tomorrow, I'll be adding two activities and two foods each day. I really like that this about daily choices. Our actions, diet and attitudes affect our brain chemistry every day. Every day we have a chance to make better choices that will help us be more focused and less impulsive.

Food for the poor

I received a letter in the mail from Food for the Poor saying that it only took 6 cents to feed a child for one meal. I thought that surely it couldn't be that simple so I looked up some other charities like World Vision and Catholic Relief Services among others. The numbers that I found ranged from 22 to 25 cents per meal. Food for the Poor said that they bought in bulk and it was for a child so 6 cents could be right.

What does that mean? Six cents won't buy anything in the US. But how quickly could a little savings add up to help the poor.

1 soda = at least a dollar or 4 to 16 meals for the poor

1 fast food meal = about $7 or take leftovers for lunch and provide 28 to 116 meals

1 restaurant meal for a family of 4 = $50 or eat at home or with coupons for $10 and provide 160 to over 650 meals

Doesn't that just blow your mind? It's so easy to think living frugally just doesn't add up quickly enough. But it depends on where you put your money to work. I really like the three charities that I've mentioned because they provide more than just rice and beans. There are seeds, animals, water pumps, education and more that help people to provide better for their own families.

What other ways can we save in our daily lives that can add up quickly to help the poor?

Eat less meat

Drink more water

Eliminate the coffee maker

Get rid of makeup (I've done this. My skin feels so much better clean and moisturized instead of made up)

Mend clothes or buy from thrift stores instead of buying new

Use shopping bags instead of trash bags

Combine trips to save gas

and many, many more

What kind of impact will your blessings make on the world?

Pantry challenge

I was on the Daniel fast for two weeks instead of the forty days that I had planned. I ran out of beans and other things that made the fast work so I'll finish up the forty days when I get to Alabama. Right now I am challenging myself more to eat as much as possible from the pantry and freezer.

We have a few blueberries left so blueberry muffins will be for breakfast a couple times a week. We have oatmeal so we'll have that for breakfast every other day. We have veggies that we'll eat for lunch. We'll have chocolate pecan cookies with the pecans we have left.  We have so many breakfast options that we may do breakfast for supper as well.

I've really enjoyed the process of creativity to make what we have work. I've also noticed feeling more content. I appreciate what we have that helps me create something delicious. I want to continue this.

When we get moved, I want to shop sales and stock up when I can so that I am shopping for the pantry and not just for what I want to cook for the week. As I cook more and more with what we have, I'll get better and better at making it work. Practice makes perfect.

Kitchen mistakes make for interesting results

We have really been cleaning out the kitchen. We made vegetarian chili with adzuki beans and a small amount of red lentils last night. Breakfast and lunch are still pretty easy but supper is requiring some major creativity. It makes me anxious to see the shelves emptying. I know I need to only buy what I need to use up what is left in the cabinets but I have to fight the urge to buy a buggy load. A full pantry and freezer makes me feel secure. But being creative and finding ways to make do make me feel satisfied and more content. I made a big batch of muffin mix to make 12 batches of muffins using the recipe from The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread. I made one batch with blueberries. I wanted a streusel topping but I softened the butter too much and it was more like a paste. The baby was crying so I just spooned the brown sugar/cinnamon/butter mix and watched it sink into the muffin batter. Well the brown sugar mix pushed the blueberries to the bottom. Removing the paper and putting it upside down made it like a muffin topped with a blueberry/brown sugar jam. Super delicious!

To Do list: Visit my brother

On my to do list when we get moved to Alabama is to find directions to my oldest brother's grave. I don't guess that I've been there since his funeral so long ago. He was 8 yrs older than me. He's still the coolest guy I've ever met.

I still remember the day we got the news that he had died in a car accident. I had never seen nor would I ever see again that grief on my father's face. And regret. Even as a young child, I could see that he wished that he had been there more for his child that he would never see again this side of Heaven.

I remember the funeral. I wasn't sure what to do. When my great Uncle Red came by to shake my hand, I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on for dear life. I remember only four figures from that day. Davy in his casket as the music of Friends are Friends Forever by Michael W. Smith played. Sean, our brother between Davy and me, whose face showed that the closest person on this planet to him had been taken away. Me wishing that I knew what I had missed out in knowing him since we didn't get to see each other very often. And Uncle Red, someone to hug me and let me know that this day wouldn't last forever.

At his burial, I remember his mother telling our father that Davy was a good boy. I'm sure he was. I've always felt that he was our rock. And we're all a bit shaky without him. It doesn't make sense for a talented young man to be taken from this world when the world is better for him being here. Just one of those things we can't see from our viewpoint.

David Greely Fulgham - Gone but not forgotten.

Digital worksheets

We use the Head of the Class website for a good portion of the boys' schoolwork. We print out the worksheets. After they're completed, we do some other reading, writing and unit studies. Since getting the ipad, they are using it for the educational apps. I got to thinking, "I wonder if I can get their Head of the Class worksheets on there in a editable form so that they can complete their worksheets using a stylus and the ipad.

We can!

I was able to download pdf-notes lite on the ipad. I went to the Head of the Class website in Safari (the Ipad browser). I looked under Free Content and downloaded some of the third and fourth grade worksheets. When you open a pdf, you can look in the upper right hand corner. I open the flash cards in ibooks. I open the worksheets in pdf-notes.

It gets better!

I'm able to open the correct worksheet that they need. They use the stylus to complete the worksheet. Then I can email the flattened pdf to my gmail account. I move each boys worksheets to their special folder in my email account.

Then I just erase the page in pdf-notes and it's ready for the next child that needs to use it. How cool is that! You can even color inside this app.

I do still have plenty of workbooks as backup but I can totally see that this is where education is headed. I like using the ipad better than the computer because at least you can practice holding a pencil when using the stylus.

Lot of fun and very cool!

Leave it all and follow him

I'm so intrigued by the stories of the saints. They are from all different paths of life, but the most fascinating to me are the ones like St Ignatius of Loyola and the Company of Jesus. These men were wealthy and well-educated. They could have had a comfortable life of success and prestige. Instead, they did what the rich young ruler could not do. They left it all to follow Christ by taking a vow of poverty.

Sadly, we often associate great Christians with their material success or their popularity. You can see that in the mega-churches that are becoming so popular. Are we on the wrong track?

What if Jesus stood before us today? What if we asked what more we needed to do? I imagine he was say the same. Leave it all and follow me.

So what do we need to leave that is keeping us away from the footsteps of Jesus? Do we have too much "stuff" in our lives? Do we focus too much on what we can get from others and less on what we can give? Are we absorbed in our own entertainment and enjoyment to focus on our purpose?

As we're packing up to leave, I'm evaluating every item. Does this help me follow Christ? Does this only benefit me? Does this help me serve my family? Does this cost unnecessary money to maintain that could be better used elsewhere? There are more than a few things finding it's way out the door.

I don't want there to be anything in my life like the rich young man's wealth that holds me back from the adventure of following my Savior.

Clutter Buster: Ipad 2

I had my doubts about how one device could really be worth so much money. My husband didn't pay anywhere close to full price. But after using it for a couple of weeks, I can definitely say it would have been worth it at full price. Worth every penny.

Why?

Because of all the clutter it eliminates.

I can save my pdf files of craft projects in ibooks.

I can have an app to review the presidents eliminating flash cards.

More flash cards are available for babies and toddlers. A great way to keep the little ones busy while the older ones do their school work.

Math drills are available through several apps.

Stack the states and Stack the countries are apps that help review geography facts. We have the lite version that's free but will definitely be getting the full version that is a whopping 99 cents.

I have a Catholic Calendar that tells me what feasts and saints are celebrated on any given day. Also an app with popular Catholic prayers. I have a full version of the Catholic Bible.

I have the kindle and nook apps that help me find lots of free books.

I have a "This Day in History" app that connects me to Amazon so I can find free books about the people and places that are applicable for that day.

RecorderMaster is a recorder tutor.

Dust Buster is a piano tutor.

Interactive textbooks that would cost a hundred dollars or more are available on Itunes U for $14.99 at the most. Educational videos are available for free through Itunes U

I have a myriad of other educational games, list keepers, calendar, camera, magazines, maps and more. I have easy access to email and browser capabilities when hooked up to WiFi but many of the apps work without internet.

All the books, flash cards, educational games and tutors that I would need to replace what's available in this small tablet would take up massive amounts of space. But instead I can carry all of it wherever I go. So the boys are doing schoolwork joyfully when we are in the car or waiting at the dr's office.

My biggest reservation with Ipad was that if it broke, then I would be left high and dry without all my information. Icloud keeps all my calendar, list and contact information safe and accessible from any browser. Itunes keeps all my purchase history even of the free apps available to reload if this Ipad ever had to be replaced. Hopefully it will last a very long time. But I will keep my eyes peeled for another deal. This brings us closer to being digital homeschoolers and eliminates the need for all the clutter that can be associated with traditional homeschooling.

Kitchen clean out: Squash brownies

I am trying to use up as much food in the kitchen as possible. Less to move! I had some grated squash in the freezer so I made squash brownies last night. They were a hit! I used a zucchini recipe from allrecipes. I just used yellow squash instead of zucchini.


 Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
 
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.