MOPS

This is one of my husband's new favorites. Here it is:

Ingredients:
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 pkg. (25 ounces) frozen Italian sausage ravioli or ravioli of your choice
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozarella cheese
1 pkg. (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place 1 cup spaghetti sauce in a greased shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Top with half of the ravioli, mozarella cheese, spinach, and Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Did you know that making your own baby food is easy? I did not. It all seemed very "pioneer woman" to me when I had Preston (first born), so I did not even consider it. We bought canned jars and paid big bucks. A dear friend of mine, though, introduced me to the idea of making my own baby food and I have been doing so since.
Healthy, cheap, and very convenient. These are reasons to consider it if you are in the baby food phase with your itty bitty(s).
Great foods to start with are apples, pears, peaches, zucchini, squash, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, yams, etc. Steps for each are very similar. Peel, cut into chunks, cook in boiling water until very soft (or use a steamer), puree in a blender or a food processor, pour into ice cube trays, freeze, bag into freezer bags labeled with what is inside and the date you made it. Each food will last about 6 months. Three ice cubes are about the amount in an average baby food jar. Keely will eat two to three most times. When it comes time to feed her I just pop a couple of "ice cubes" into a bowl and microwave them, usually for about 30-40 seconds. If it is a little too warm I just let it cool some before feeding her. Keely loved pears, peaches, and zucchini the most. I made peaches today and she cooed at me the whole time she ate them.
Other great foods to start with are bananas and avocados which are already softened when they are ripe enough. When the banana is good and brown mash that thing up with a fork and your baby will get dessert! :)
If you have had the joy of feeding a baby you probably already know that half of the food ends up on them as well as on the floor/ highchair, and sometimes they won't even eat most of the baby food. When I used to feed Preston baby food from a jar it would always bother me to have to throw the extra food out when he wouldn't eat very much. I have found that when I make my own and Keely just nibbles it does not bother me. It feels good to take care of my baby in this way. There is something very rewarding about seeing your baby enjoy food that you prepared. Try it and see for yourself. Then, tell us about it. OR, if you have already tried making your own food, what have you made and how did your little ones like it? We'd love to hear from you.

Do this fun treat with your kid's help...

What You Need

1 roll of sugar cookie dough or your favorite homemade sugar cookie recipe
1 medium-sized gingerbread boy cookie cutter
"Red Hots" candies or other round candies for eyes
canned vanilla frosting
white chocolate almond bark
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What You Do

Roll the cookie dough out on a lightly floured table. Cut out gingerbread boys and bake as directed. Remove cookies to cooling racks and set on counter to completely cool. Do not attempt to frost warm cookies, the frosting and chocolate will melt.

Frost the entire top of each cookie with the vanilla frosting. Using the "red hots", give each mummy 2 eyes.

Add three blocks of white almond bark to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each time, until the almond bark is completely melted. Let the chocolate sit on the counter for one to two minutes to cool, and then spoon it into a plastic baggie. Snip off one end of the bag and then drizzle the chocolate over the mummy cookies to look like bandages.

Dry on cooling racks. These cookies do not pack or store well once decorated. I suggest eating them the same day that they are frosted and decorated. You can make and bake the sugar cookies ahead of time and freeze them until ready to use. Just make sure that they cookies are completely thawed out before frosting.

I found this idea on Tami's Kitchen Table Talk. There are other fun Halloween treat ideas on there if you are looking for more.

My husband and I just had our second baby. Our 3 year old was excited about being a big sister, but now that the baby is here, she doesn't seem so excited and thinks we spend too much time holding her little brother. Any ideas would be appreciated. Frustrated

Dear Frustrated,
What you are experiencing is very normal. Your little girl is used to having attention from you and your husband whenever she needed, or wanted it. Now, she is faced with "sharing" that time. Often, our children would "need" that attention at the most inopportune times, so here are some things that Walter and I did to help get through those times.

We created special "story time" for when the baby was sleeping. Create a special time just for the two of you to share a snack and tell a story about when she was a little baby, just like her brother. They love to hear those kind of stories. Don't let anything interrupt your time together. Describe how she used to pucker her lips and yawn widely when sleepy, and how cuddly she was when she nestled into your arms for her nap. Now wrap her up in your arms and show her how that cuddle felt. There's nothing like a hug to make you feel safe and loved. You can finish your story by asking her to tell you what it is like for her to be the big sister.

Having a "baby of her own" is important too. You have a special baby, so she may want a special baby too. Have a little area for her to change her baby right next to your changing area. Give her some pretend powder, wipes, diapers, burp clothes and pretend bottles too. Kids have a vivid imagination, so you can improvise here. While you are feeding your baby, she will take care of her baby at the same time. While the babies are eating, the two of you can talk about what a good "Mommie" she is and how proud you are of her, and that you love having her there. Let her hold your baby and you can hold hers. Show her that you think she is a great big sister and that her little brother is very blessed to have such a great big sister. Let her be a part of her little brothers world. She can help with the diaper bag, sing songs to the baby and even pick out the next little outfit he will wear.

Let your little girl "help" set a special place at the table for Daddy - she can color a picture especially for him. She will be looking for dad's approval and that will go miles with her. You might coach Dad on talking about the picture and what it means to him.

The whole idea is to make a special effort to reinforce her value and place in your family. The baby demands attention, we all know that. It will be well worth your time and effort to give special attentiveness to your little girl. Oh, and don't forget when friends or family come by to meet your new little boy, make a special point of having your daughter lead the way. It draws her into the role of big sister and what an important role that is.

Another important thing is remember is how you speak to your little girl - the words you choose to use when speaking to her are important, true, but more important is your tone of voice. Don't take your frustration from a given situation out on her. Choose your words and tone of voice carefully, speaking with kindness and love. Galatians 5:22,23 says "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law".

Things are so different today, than they were when Walter and I had our little ones. Everyone seems to be in such a hurry these days. We didn't spend much time on the telephone, except for something really important and our socializing was done mostly after service on Sunday afternoons. The rest of the time was family time and we kept our focus on raising the little ones, meeting their needs, while preparing them for lifes challenges. Making a fine home for Walter to come home at the end of his day was so important. It wasn't fancy, but it was filled with love and he knew when he walked through that door, that he was expected and welcomed.

Well, you know I love to keep going, but I think that may just give you a couple ideas to think about. I hope your frustration will turn to joy very soon. Love, Walter's wife

Time/ Money-Saving Tips that have worked for me

1. Buy hamburger in bulk. Cook 3-5 pounds in a large crockpot by cooking on high until done, breaking up the hamburger and stirring throughout the day. Add minced onion and garlic powder while it cooks. Once the hamburger is done, drain in a colander and rinse with water (this helps the flavor of the meat when you freeze it not to get that greasy taste). Let the meat cool, and then scoop 2-3 cups of meat in freezer bags. Squeeze out air from the bag and freeze. The meat is ready for tacos, spaghetti, pizza, beef enchiladas, etc. Thaw in the refrigerator when you are ready to use the meat. This is a huge time saver and cuts down on the cost of the meat as well.

2. Use this same concept when cooking cubed chicken and any other meat. Precook the meat and then freeze it in small quantities ideal for the meals you will be making.

3. Plan your meals for a week, two weeks, or a month and then get your shopping done all at once. Double up meal preparation when you can. If you are making a meal that can be frozen, 2x of 3x the recipe and freeze the extra for another day! I have done this and it is not that much more work to prepare enough for 2-3 meals since you are already getting the dishes dirty.

4. When meal planning try to come up with meals that are cheap and just a couple of meals that cost a little more. Don't plan expensive meals all in the same week and bust your budget. (by the way, have a budget and stick to it)

5. A few meal ideas to get you started. (Make your own list that you know suits your family's tastes.)
Inexpensive lunches that you could use:
PB and J
Tuna sandwiches
Tomato soup and Grilled cheese
Quesadillas
Macaroni and cheese (of course) ;)
Baked Potato with fixins

Inexpensive dinners you could use:
Frozen pizza
Make your own pizza (Food on Friday this week will be a home made pizza recipe)
On Cor meals (usually like $3 or so) We love the Chicken Parmesan and we add spaghetti noodles cooked.
Spaghetti
Calzones
Pancakes or waffles
Taco Salad

6. Clip coupons and plan your meals for the week based off of the deals that match up with your coupons. It takes some time, but is worth it, in my opinion. I have cut my grocery spending in half many times doing this last tip.

Okay, your turn...what are some meals that you make for your family that save you time or money?

Pizza
Pizza Crust (see recipe below)
Pizza sauce
Toppings (veges/ ham/ sausage/ pepperoni)
2 cups Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese

Once the pizza crust (recipe below) is done and spread out on your greased pizza pan (or stone), put toppings on and then bakes at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Homemade Pizza Crust
Use your bread machine to mix up and knead the dough. Place the following ingredients into the bread machine in order:

1 cup warm water 1 1/2 cups white flour
1 tsp. salt 1 cup wheat flour
1 tsp. sugar 2 tsp. yeast
2 Tbs. Olive Oil

Let the bread machine mix the dough and knead it (using the dough cycle). Let it mix and knead until the dough looks good and then stop the machine, take the dough out, and spread it on a greased pizza pan or stone.
**If you are mixing by hand, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

I made this today for the first time for our family and we were all so pleased. My son will always eat pizza, so that did not surprise me. What did surprise me is how big the pizza was. We couldn't eat it all. We were pleasantly stuffed, and I loved that this recipe used wheat flour in the crust as well as white flour. I will definitely be making this one again. One thing that I would like to add is a little trick I learned when I worked at Chuck E. Cheeses back in High School: Melt 2 Tbs. butter in the microwave and stir in about 1/8 tsp. garlic powder. Use your baster to coat the outside crust once you take it out of the oven. Also, sprinkle a little Italian seasoning or pizza seasoning over the entire pizza.

ENJOY!!

Thanks to all of our moms and kids who participated in Trunk-or-Treat on Thursday! A great time was had by all and it was so fun to see our MOPPETS all dressed up. In case you missed out, here's a glimpse of the fun . . .

Dear Walter's Wife,
What did you and your husband do to make sure you were making time for just the two of you? Were there things you did intentionally to bond on a deeper level than just the daily "what's for dinner" and "how was work today"? With an infant and a two year old the day gets hectic real quick and we are exhausted by the end of the day.

Ah, I remember those days as if they were yesterday. Is your husband your priority? Do you cherish him and the time you choose to spend together? My first idea is to have your family on a schedule. Children are demanding our time and energy and it is a challenge to balance the time and energy you expel to them and still have energy left for Dad. Remember that our children travel through our homes on the way to homes of their own - Dads remain with us.

Here are a couple of ideas to consider. Dad has had a full day himself and he's tired when he gets home too. As it is important for him to spend time with the children, schedule that for while you are preparing dinner. After dinner, spend time with all of you together. Create a regular routine that the children will recognize each evening. Such as: dinner, playtime, bathtime, storytime, bedtime. Walter and I agreed it was important for us to "make time" for each other without the children. We established bedtime for the children to be 8 p.m. After that bedtime story, it was a drink, bathroom time and off to bed they went. They were NEVER invited into our private time. 8 p.m. was time for Dad and we held to it. As our funds would allow, we had "dates" outside our home and we promoted that to the children as their "special" game night with the sitter. It was a fun time created just for them, so in their eyes the focus was not that we were leaving them, they were having a special treat.

Now, for those "Dates" that Daddys like to have on occasion, you can plan for that too. When the children go down for their afternoon nap, Mommy should nap too. Unplug the phone and relax so that you are mentally prepared for your "Date". Try this for deeper insight into your husband- After the children are in bed, unplug the phone, light some candles and sit facing one another, hold hands and just talk. Reconnecting on a mental level will help you to reconnect on all levels. This is a season of life that is hectic, for sure. Your creativity and desire to cherish and love your husband will send him a message of respect.

This week we will discuss potty training. Kari Gearhart and Courtney McClellan are sharing their experiences. Kari has seen two daughters through potty training and Courtney has one son trained and one son trying on his big brother's underwear when she is not looking. :) Hope these stories inspire some other moms out there. We would LOVE to hear from as many moms as possible, so by all means, make a comment and share your experience with us as well.

Here's Kari...

During the first go-round with potty training, I thought I'd pull my ever-lovin' hair out. We did just about everything possible . . . bribery, treats, friends and relatives encouraging the process and on and on. My mom, while supportive of my efforts, continued to quietly remind me that kids truly see this as their claim to ownership-it's one of the very FEW things that they and they alone can control. (Control issues? Me? Please!) Fully confident that Cassidy would be fully trained by fall in order to attend preschool, I registered her for enrollment shortly after her 3rd birthday. We spent the rest of that winter, spring and summer working on the process all the while I continued to threaten her with the possibility of not being able to go to school if she didn't get the job done. Suddenly, one afternoon she pooped in the potty. As she hopped off the potty to look at her success, I was doing the best happy dance ever. She stared down into the toilet in the middle of my cheer leading efforts and with as much seriousness as a 3 year-old can muster, said "THAT is NOT a fish!" as she pointed to the evidence down in the bowl. We had no more poopy-on-the-potty success for the next 8 months. Seriously! Then, suddenly when just two days before that first day of preschool loomed on the calendar, she was finished with diapers, pull-ups and training pants. Thank you, Jesus! It only took her 3 years, 7 months and 10 days. (Not that I was keeping track or anything.) When Mackenzie came along, I did just the opposite. NOTHING, with the exception of telling her that preschool wouldn't happen unless she was potty trained. I didn't even enroll her in a preschool. The Lord has such a sense of humor, however. After that late August 3rd birthday, she stood by and watched big sister Cassidy getting cool back-to-school supplies and new school clothes. All of a sudden, while Cassidy was enjoying her first week of school, Mackenzie was busy at work training herself. After her first day of complete success, she said to me "I go to school now." I cheered, but was wary . . . I'd been burned before. Little children, especially cute ones, can turn on you. Fast! Instead, I continued to applaud her success, but was pretty convinced that school wouldn't be happening until the next fall. Day after day, however, brought near complete success and the reminders from Mackenzie. "I go to school NOW!" she'd remind me, with more and more emphasis on the word "now". After a month of reminders from her that she was indeed trained and ready for school, I could see that yes, she was ready. Thankfully, the Lord had 1 lone preschool opening for us in early October of that year and we're now happily enjoying year #2 at that same preschool. God is so good!

And now, for Courtney...

For me, I was able to potty-train Parker at around 2 1/2 years of age. We had made a sticker chart and every time he was able to go 'wee-wee' or 'number 2' he could put a sticker on the chart that hung on the back of the bathroom door. This worked great for #1!! He was trained quickly, then we had to address #2! With number two....I decided, I would make the switch to regular underwear once I had a few days at home. I knew I would have a mess and probably be throwing some underwear in the trash. This took about a week of reminding and encouraging. It was done and we had accidents! Parker also was influenced by the church group of 3 year old's where he had a friend...and he knew that he could not move up to the 3's until he was a 'big boy'. Good Luck to all moms! PS. I have heard of the one-day training by Dr. Phil- always wanted to try it, but never did!

Okay, YOUR TURN! What was your experience with potty training like? Can't wait to hear your stories! :)

You're family will love you forever for making this one! :) It is absolutely DELICIOUS!! (and very easy...so you will love you too!)

2 packages (3 ounces each) beef-flavored ramen noodles
Boneless beef sirloin steak (3/4 inch thick)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (save one half for the Jalapeno Swiss burgers later this week)
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 Tbs. water
2 Tbs. steak sauce
1 medium carrot, shredded
2 Tbs. green onion sliced

Set aside seasoning packet from noodles. Prepare noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside. While noodles are cooking, cut steak into 3 in strips. In a large skillet, stir-fry the beef and jalapeno pepper in oil for 1-2 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.

In the same skillet, combine the noodles, water, steak sauce, carrot, onion, and contents of seasoning packet. Cook and stir until heated through. Return beef to the pan and mix in.

Dinner is served!

Side note: I take the steak out of my son's portion. One day I thought I would let him try to eat it. I thought, "He needs protein. This will be good for him". He gnawed away on one piece for a good 5 minutes before we finally told him just to spit it out. :) He loves the rest of the recipe, though. So, that helps to make up for an otherwise traumatizing experience of not knowing how to swallow a chunk of meat. :) Poor kid.

Dear Walters Wife,
How do we handle which set of grandparents gets the honor of having the grandbabies in their home for T-giving? Who has them for Christmas? We don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but it makes me sing the Holiday blues.

Dear Blues,
In Genesis 2:24 we learn that "For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." So, you have now created your own family, with plans to set your own traditions. It's true that many families insist that we must all go to your Aunts house for Thanksgiving, because that's what we have always done - but now you have another families traditions to consider as well. Your husbands family may have always gone to his Uncles every year. Here is where communication skills and compromise come into play. Decide what is going to be best for the two of you. If both sides of your families live close by, you might consider alternating visits. Go to your Aunts this year and invite his family over the Sunday before Thanksgiving for your own special Thanksgiving. Next year go to his Uncles and invite her family the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Seldom do established families want to sway from their traditions. Sometimes you have to compromise to what is best for your own family.

Another idea is to blend your families together for a Thanksgiving in your home. There is never a worry about enough space, because space is not what is important. It's the blending of families to uplift and support each other and to build memories.

As the children always loved Christmas morning in our home, we would gather around the tree and open each of our gifts. I always had a coffee cake made, with juice and coffee for Walter and I and milk for the children. We loved just relaxing with no pressure to get in a hurry to go anywhere. Family traditions on both sides of our families added some pressure. My Mother always had Christmas dinner at 4 in the afternoon. Walters Mother always had her dinner at 2 in the afternoon. So we would roll ourselves in the door that evening, stuffed and exhausted. After much discussion between us, Walter and I decided to have Christmas with our parents on Christmas Eve. We invited them over and we shared food and stories, exchanged our gifts. We felt such relief that the Christmas Day was not a push to get out the door and travel.

Now that our children are married with families of their own, we have them all over for Christmas Eve and we sing carols, enjoy dinner together and exchange our gifts. That gives them Christmas morning in their own homes with no push to get out the door and travel to our home. The children don't have to leave their new toys behind while they head out the door.

Walter and I still enjoy a Christmas morning coffee cake, with coffee and juice in our PJ's. We smile and remember the Christmas mornings gone by and all the fun we had - and we are relaxed with no hurry to baste the turkey or bake the pies - today we eat the leftovers and talk about the fun we had with the children and grandchildren the night before. Leftovers are a good thing.

Anytime you have a blending of families, this can be a difficult time of year - - - just remember that you have joined together to form your own family, with your own traditions as well. Communicate with each other with love and respect and know that love sometimes means compromise. Thanksgiving and Christmas are each a day . . . . keep the spirit of both everyday of the year.

Walters Wife

Your home is your haven, right? I mean, a place to get away from all your worries. RELAX. Okay, well, maybe not anymore. :) I don't know about you, but my children certainly have a way of cramping my style when it comes to housecleaning. Here are just a few decluttering ideas I have either personally used or have heard of/seen friends use that seem worth mentioning:
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Shoe Organizers
These are nice because they are clear so you can see what is in them easily. They have several spaces in them and they do not use up valuable space that could be used for other things.

A few ideas with a shoe organizer

Barbies: Buy a long, clear, plastic shoe organizer and put each Barbie in her own pocket. This could also work for action figurines, although most boys don't mind a big piled up box of action figures. :)

Kitchen utensils and spices: Hang on the inside of your pantry door for easy to read spices, or easy to get to utensils.

Mittens and gloves: Smaller children use lower pockets and older children use upper ones.

A few other ideas with the tablecloth

Playdoh: Instead of having Preston play with playdoh at the table I lay a picnic tablecloth on the floor in the living room (while Keely naps) and let him play on the tablecloth. Until I did that I would always find little balls of playdoh on the floor later, or smashed to the bottoms of my socks. :)

Painting: If you have a carpeted area under your table, put a tablecloth under your table instead of on top of your table. These obviously will wipe up very easily.

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Children's Art
What to do with the artwork your darling lovingly crafted...hmmmm...before you find a place for it in the big green box outside by the curb, consider these:

Hang them from a clothesline: Hang one in each child's room and use clothespins to display the most recent drawings for their favorite work.

Use as wrapping paper: At the end of the year pick ten drawings to save and use the rest as wrapping paper.

Transport it in tubes: Save the cardboard tubes from paper towels, wrapping paper and posters to store or transport your child's prized artwork.

Photograph: I have also heard of people taking pictures of their children's work and doing a bulletin board or scrapbook with them. (takes up lots less space)

Frames: I have seen a few of my friends take the pictures they liked the most and frame them to decorate the house.

Gifts: A friend of mine takes the pictures her daughter draws and puts them in envelopes and lets her daughter decide who she wants to give it to and then they send it to the relative or friend.

Create place mats: Cover them in contact paper and use it as a place mat or play mat.

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Some pictures of ideas
Having a box (bench that stores things) in our living room has been fabulous. I got this idea from a friend who had a toy box in her living room. I look forward to the day when I can store blankets nicely folded in here. In the meantime, though, it sure is handy for throwing toys into when I have to clean up fast because someone is coming over.

I just love this thing. Stores books great! Boxes are handy for "hiding" things that make the room look cluttered.

Lastly, I saw this idea today at the library and had to make one for Preston's room. Take a box and wrap it. Use it as a bookshelf. It's that easy. I was using bookends and the books kept slipping, so I loved this idea! Currently I am storing Preston's Christmas books in this box wrapped with Christmas paper. It also got him really excited about his Christmas books that five minutes before he cared nothing about. :) Gotta love preschoolers!