Why is Dirt so Expensive and Other Quick Takes about Stuff.

1.

I have a bunch of grow boxes. I got them three years when we lived in Florida and used them to grow a few vegetables on the sidewalk outside our tiny little house.

I'm trying to decide if I want to invest the money to buy the dirt (potting mix) to put in them.  Especially since we will most likely NOT be living in this house next spring, which means we will have moved, which means I'm not moving a bunch of dirt, which means I'll only be able to use the dirt for one season.  And, while they do produce well, it's not like I don't still have to buy vegetables. I do.  They don't produce enough to 100% keep our family supplied with organic vegetables and sometimes I wonder if they even produce enough to make the dirt worth it. 

On the other hand, Heidi and Greta are studying Botany this year for science, which means I *HAVE* to use them or they might just take away my homeschooling license. 

So, I'm probably buying dirt and seeds (and a really, really, really long hose, to reach the one corner of the yard that actually gets some sun) this weekend. 

2.

March 21st is World Down Syndrome Day, and in honor of my first cousin once removed who was just born with down syndrome two weeks ago, I'm sharing this video.  For those of you not in the know of cousin-speak, my first cousin once removed is my cousin's child.  The once-removed means that we are in a different generation.  However, little Gabriel (along with his sister and brothers and his first cousins) is my children's second cousin, because they share a set of great grandparents.  You are welcome for that little genealogy lesson. 

3.

In that same vein, I'm sharing this post from my friend, Jacqueline, who we were lucky enough to know while Ben was in law school.   This really is an excellent post and I think you should all read it.

4.

So a little over a month after I posted how I'm a fan of early potty-training, we finally have reached some sort of success with 18-month old Elsa.  She will reliably sit on the potty and produce on a regular basis, both at home and when out in public and she "tells" me when she has to go.   She's still not out of diapers yet, but I figure taking her to the potty isn't any more work than changing diapers, and now I have way less cloth diapers to wash.  Note, it did take a month to get to this point.

5.

Speaking of potty stuff....I really loved this post from Sole Searching Mama.  Can you spare a square. Revelations that Result When the Toilet Paper Runs Out.  Probably because I'm always running out of toilet paper.  Actually, she has some really good insights.

6. 

I also really loved this post from Molly about the holidays and  that Huffington Post piece.

7.

I amostly liked this article about modesty.  I'm trying to decide if I want to get my thoughts together to actually write a post, but I'm not a huge fan of the whole "modesty movement." Not that I think people should be dressing provocatively but not dressing provocatively is not the same thing as meeting some arbitrary standard of "modesty."  Perhaps I shall try to get my thoughts together on it.

Go see Jen for more quick takes.

WWRW: The Sinner's Guide to Natural Family Planning

So, I'm sure a lot of you have already read about Simcha Fisher's book, The Sinner's Guide to Natural Family Planning.   But, I'm always months (or years) behind the trend so....

I've been wanting to read this book for awhile, but never got around to buying it until Simcha lowered the price on Amazon by two dollars, for one day only.  Yes, that two dollar discount was enough to motivate me to snatch this puppy up.  I won't pay $4.99, but I will pay $2.99. 

And, I'm ever so glad I did. 

While, the book is called The Sinner's Guide to Natural Family Planning, in many ways I think it should be called The Sinner's Guide to Marriage.  Yes, it does talk a lot about NFP and the unique struggles that entails, but it also have some great advice which would apply to all marriages, whether they use NFP or not. 

Honestly, I don't really struggle with NFP and I can't really relate to a lot of the complaints people have about how hard NFP is.  That particular struggle does not happen to be my struggle (don't worry, I have plenty of other struggles).

That said, I still got A LOT out of this book and greatly enjoyed reading it. The book is funny and refreshingly candid.  So many other Catholic books tend to be all flowery and poetic when it comes to sex. Not, this book. I love the way she talks about sex in a practical, no-nonsense, honest, but never vulgar way. 

Simcha has a lot of great suggestions about communication, marital intimacy and just general insights into better understanding and loving your spouse.  I think a lot of Catholic couples would get a lot out of this book, whether they struggle with NFP or not.   I know I did, and I think you will too. You should read it, even if you do have to pay $4.99, it's worth it.

(Linking up with Jessica)

The Best Oven-Baked Fish Nuggets (Gluten Free)

We pretty much only eat fish during Lent.  Not because we eat meat every single day the rest of the year, but because there are always really good seafood sales during Lent, so that is pretty much the only time that we eat it. 

I've been wanting to come up with a really yummy, delicious, "fried-fish/fish nugget/fish stick" type recipe without actually having to fry anything.  Because I don't fry things. 

The other day, I came up with a winner of a recipe!  Soft, moist, flaky on the inside and crispy and flavorful on the outside.  Just delicious!!  And, they are gluten-free!!

The Best, Gluten-Free Oven-Baked Fish Nuggets

2 pounds swai (you could probably use another type of fish, like whitefish, tilapia, etc)

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/2 Parmesan cheese

salt to taste

paprika to taste

pepper to taste

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup milk

Combine dry ingredients for breading.

Combine milk and mayonnaise.

Cute fish into small strips or nuggets.

Dip each strip or nugget into milk mixture.

Coat with breading

Place on greased cookie sheet and spray tops of fish with olive oil.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until fish is cooked through and topping is crispy.  Be careful that you don't overcook the fish and dry them out.  

See more Lenten meals. 

Chesterton, St. Patrick's Day and What I Wore Sunday

Thank you all so much for your super kind comments on last week's What I Wore Sunday post.  It was kinda a scary post for me to write, so I really appreciated all the support and kind words and encouragement!  You guys are the best!!!
 
Here's what I wore today!  It's getting to be the end of sweater and boots season, so I'm trying to wear them as much as possible.  I know everyone else is super eager for spring, but after living n FL for three years and never getting to wear sweaters or boots, I'm sorta enjoying it.  Plus, it's not super cold here...I feel for those of you who still have snow on the ground.

Yes Elsa is wearing a Patriots cheerleader dress during basketball season, even though my husbands hates the Patriots (he's a Manning guy) and I hate football.  You figure it out, because I can't. 

Now, for your (sorta) weekly Chesterton hosted by Sarah.  In honor of St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, I decided to go with this quote. 

 Ain't that the truth?  It's so easy *after* something happens to be all "oh, I saw that coming."  Anyone can do that. I do it all the time, and I'm not even Irish.  I used to pride myself on having pregdar.  As in pregnancy radar, as in whenever a friend announced that they were pregnant, I was all I knew it, before you said anything.   When in reality, I was just looking back at previous signs and thinking Oh, so that's why Sally Sue was munching on snacks in the middle of coop.  It must have been to ward off morning sickness. 

And, what about all those times the phone rings, and I'm all I know who that is, it's x person.  And, then when it is x person, I'm all ahha, I knew it, I must be psychic.  Conveniently I tend to forget all the times I'm sure the phone is x person and it's someone totally else.

Anyway...those are my not so deep thoughts on that Chesterton Quote.

Happy St. Patrick's Day tomorrow!

The Trials and Tribulations of Toddlerhood

Hello!  This is Elsa here.  

I just had my 18-month birthday on Tuesday, but do you think my family made me a birthday cake or celebrated?. Noooooooooo.  Apparently, we don't celebrate half-birthdays around here.  What meanies. 

Anyway, on Wednesday, I was lying on my mama's lap getting my morning nana (sometimes I call them nursies, but whatever you call it, it sure is yummy and I'm never, ever, ever, ever gonna wean) when I happened to look over at mommy's laptop and saw that she was reading a post written by a little boy, named Frankie.  Well, that got me thinking.  If a BOY can blog, I can too, so I decided that I better get started on this blogging thing myself.  My two older sisters, Heidi and Greta, have their very own blogs, but their blogs are private, so only Grandma and a few other people get to read them.  EVERYONE gets to read this blog post, so I'm going to be FAMOUS. I can't wait. 

So, for my very first blog post, I'm going to tell you all about how hard my life is.  Because, it's not easy being a toddler.  Oh no, no, no.  Everything thinks it's all sippy cups and stroller rides, but I have a tough life I tell ya.  Here are 7 trials I have to suffer on a daily basis (and cause I want to be super famous, I'm going to link up with Mrs. Jennifer for her 7 Quick Takes Friday). 

1.

My big brother and sisters are always, always, always, always, playing this game.  

And, they never, ever, ever, ever let me play. It's not fair.  Every time I try to play, they pick me up and carry me away.  Every time they do that I screech...just to let them know how displeased I am.  I don't get why I can't play too. All they do is move pieces around the board. I can do that.  I can even throw pieces off my board.  I bet I can throw my pieces farther than anyone else.

2.

I'm too short.  Which means, I can't get whatever I want or need.  Everyone else just gets them self a snack or a toy or a drink of water whenever they want.  But, I can't reach.  So, I have to climb to get everything.  And, then I get in trouble.  

But, I just give them this look, so they know I'm really innocent.  Fools them every time. 

3.

My brother and sisters spend their time doing something weird called school.  They complain about it a lot, but I think it looks super, super fun.  They get to write in books.  It looks like so much fun.  But, if I try to do it, they just take the books and pen away from me.  So, not fair. 

This was supposed to be my big brother, John's page, but I did it for him.  No one appreciated my hard work.

4.

I can't talk, sure I can say a few words (mama, daddy, nana, Heidi, hot, Greta, my, ice, uh-oh, bye-bye), but I can't talk in sentences yet. Good thing I can type though.  It's super frustrating not being able to talk. In fact, it's so frustrating, I can't quite articulate just how difficult it is (Aren't you impressed that I know a super big word like articulate? My daddy uses big words all the time, so that's how I learn them). Not being able to talk is just so difficult. I get so frustrated, I just have to scream sometimes and arch my back.  I hope I learn to talk more soon, I have so many important things to say.

5.

I'm always getting strapped down...into my high chair, into my carseat,  into my stroller.  And, you know what's so annoying about that.  I CAN'T GET OUT WHEN I WANT TO. 

Sometimes I like being in there...but when I want to get out and can't because I'm strapped down.  Well, what's a girl to do, other than scream?.  I have to exercise my vocal cords somehow.  Plus, I want to make sure EVERYONE knows how displeased I am and that I need to be let out IMMEDIATELY.  Isn't being strapped down considered torture or something??

6.

No one appreciates my home decorating skills.  They just get frustrated and mad at me.  But, I think those books look better all over the floor, don't you?

7.

Everyone is always laughing at me.   Cause sometimes I look like this.

Or make faces like this,

Or look like this.

And, they just laugh at me. I don't get it.  I'm not trying to be funny.  Sometimes I just can't help being a messy eater. I hope you now understand just how hard and difficult my life is.  Maybe I'll start to get a little more sympathy around here.   

What's the Answer to Dyscalculia?

Math. It's the bane of my homeschooling existence.  Which is sorta odd, because I was just nerdy enough to be on the math team in high school.  Yes, I really was. 

Yet, in doing research on dyscalculia (learning disability in math), because I think one of my children may have a have mild form of it, I discovered that I too may have a mild form of it.  I was able to compensate and I did just fine with higher math.  In fact, oddly enough, I found calculus to be easier than long division.  I still struggle with things like making change, calculating discounts, directions, motor sequencing, and puzzles. Yet I can do calculus just fine. My teachers all thought I was super good at math, because I could get A's in geometry and trigonometry and calculus...yet I struggle to figure out the change you get for something that cost $8.23 from $10.00. You figure it out.  Actually I think it makes sense in a way, because higher math requires a different set of skills and thinking processes than arithmetic.  

All that to say that I'm finding teaching 6th grade math to be a challenge. I feel I'm learning right along with my daughter.  Sometimes I have to think for a minute or two, before I am able to explain something to her. And, sometimes we have to look up videos on Khan academy.  Teaching math has actually improved my math skills quite a bit.  I can now figure out change in my head (albeit slowly, but I can do it.)

Some people may not agree with labels, like dyscalculia, dyslexia, etc, but I find them useful.  It's much kinder and more helpful to think that a person has dyscalculia (even if it's mild) than to think that they are lazy or stupid or just not trying hard enough.  And, then once you realize there may be a problem, you can look for alternative ways to help them succeed.  

Math instructional videos on Khan Academy have actually helped us quite a bit.  I'm hoping to find a few more methods or tricks that might help us as well.  

I took this photo with the page up to the window.  You can see the writing on the back through the paper.  I think it gives a neat effect. 

Looks like someone needs to learn how to spell "quarter"

 And, this are my photos for theme thursday, answer. 

The Definitive Guide As to What to Keep and What to Give Away when it Comes to Baby/Kid Clothes

Are you doing the 40 bags in 40 days challenge?  Me neither...but I am doing a simplified version of it and focusing on de-cluttering this Lent.  I like to get rid of stuff and keep my house nice and uncluttered.   Or at least uncluttered...the nice part is highly questionable.  

Do you ever grapple with what to keep and what to get rid of when it comes to baby/kid clothes?  I do. 

Maybe you're planning on having more children or hoping to have more and you don't know what you should keep and what you should get rid of.   

Maybe you're struggling financially or on a tight budget and don't want to get rid of something only to have to buy it again.  I am too.  

Maybe at the same time, you don't have room to store a bunch of stuff. Or you will be moving and need to de-clutter.  Me too!

And maybe you know someone who could really use those clothes.  You neighbor who's having a baby or someone from your church or your sister or that mom in playgroup.   There's definitely virtue in passing things on to someone who can use it, rather then letting it languish in boxes. 

What you keep and what you get rid depends on your family.  But, in my 12 years of parenting with 4 kids,  here is my definitive guide of what I found makes the most sense to keep or get rid of.  

Keep:

-Anything you already have that a child that will wear within 2-3 years.  I refuse to keep clothes longer than 2-3 years, so unless I have a child that can wear it within the next 2-3 years, I get rid of it.   So, if you have 2 girls that are 8 years apart, get rid of all the clothes as the older one outgrows it.  No need to hang onto stuff for 8 years, that's just crazy.   

There are a few exceptions of things I keep longer than that.  Those are

Swimwear

-bathing suits 

-rash guard shirts

These are items you typically need and are harder to find in thrift stores and hand-me-downs.  Especially the rash guard shirts....I like my kids to wear them for sun protection at the beach and pool and they aren't easy to find on the cheap. 

Dress Clothing 

-dress shoes 

-dress clothes

Not a bunch of these, just one or two outfits.  Just because these aren't as easily found in thrift stores or as hand-me-downs.  It would be a shame to spend money on a beautiful Easter dress when you already had one. 

Uniform Type Clothing

-white shirts (polo and button-down)

-black/navy/tan pants 

-black/navy/tan skirts

This is most important for kids once they reach age 4 or 5 or so.  There have been numerous activities my kids have been part of where they want everyone to wear a white shirt and black/blue/tan pants or skirt.  So,  I keep these because you never know when you might need them. 

Any Outfit you Really, Really Love

-Just because you really love it.  I do have a few outfits that all 3 of my girls have worn, even though there is 8 years between Greta and Elsa. I cherish those outfits..but there are only a very few of them.

Socks

-you always need socks

Warm Weather Clothes (especially that which is gender-neutral)

-coats/jackets/snow gear

-winter boots

-warm, fleece pajamas

Again, because this stuff can be harder to find (especially if you live in an area where it snows only occasionally), is more expensive and in a pinch you can always fudge on boy/girl stuff and let anyone wear anything.  That way you have those snow pants and hats and mittens when you need them.

Cloth Diapers
-if you use them, they are definitely worth keeping.  

Get Rid Of:

Basically, just get rid of regular, every-day clothes.  They are easy and inexpensive to acquire and typically get handed down, so someone may very well just hand you a big bag of clothes before your next baby comes along anyway.

This includes

-t-shirts

-jeans

-shorts/skirts

-play dresses

-cheap clothing

-anything Carter's 

In my experience, Carter's clothes just don't store well.  They are super prone to baby stains and age stains and just aren't worth saving. 

-nothing special everyday clothes

-pajamas

-any baby clothes which are highly seasonal and gender specific.  

Assuming you don't have another baby on the way and don't know if you will need these again, get rid of baby clothes which are highly seasonal and gender specific.  Babies outgrow clothes really fast, and in order to use that super cute, newborn sized sun dress, not only would your next baby have to be a girl but she would have to be born in the summer.  It's been a looooong time since I took statistics, so someone correct me if I'm wrong please, but there is a 50% chance your next baby will be the same gender and a 25% chance they will be born in the same season as your last baby, so that means there is only a 12.5% chance you would use that item again within the next 2-3 years.  Get rid of it.  Unless you live in FL and it's summer all year long.  Then consider saving it.

When in doubt....get rid of it.  I've kept way too much stuff over the years and most of it, we actually didn't use again, either because I forgot we had it, or it was packed in the wrong box with the wrong size/wrong season. Better to pass it on to someone who could actually use it.  Over the years, I've had to buy very few things,  (mostly thanks to friends who are more than generous with hand-me-downs) and I discovered that for most regular clothes, it's just not worth it to keep them.  So what are you waiting for?  Go start getting rid of some stuff!

What have you found makes the most sense to keep or get rid of?