What we have been up to in school.

Feingold is too hard!

So I checked out Feingold and WOW!  What a crazy thing!  There is just no way I am ready for this.  After talking with a friend and researching for hours I think that we are just going to try no RED 40 and no Yellow 5 and Yellow 6.  There is a lot of stuff with those products in them; including skim milk, pickles, some processed cheese and the list goes on and on.  So today I raided my pantry.  Besides the 6 boxes of cereal here is what I threw out.  * the whole grain goldfish are a mistake-they are ok, but the colored ones are not ok!

Feingold Diet

So I am having issues with Jackson sitting still enough to do his school work along with just being able to stay on task.  It effects his everyday life.  I am not a fan of medication and I would really like to find an alternative to help him.  I looked up that dreaded acronym that we all know and hate.  You know the one that labels your bright little boy as a hyper uncontrollable child.  He has every symptom.  Every single one.  I am not willing to accept that as a true diagnosis. And I am also not going to cloud his developing brain with medication that needs a triplicate so the DEA can monitor it! So with some research and some help from friends I am going to try the Feingold Diet.  I know that it will be a total 180 for us but I think that we can do it.  I will have to be diligent about posting updates on the blog.  Wish me luck!

Beautiful Days

I just have to post that I LOVE this weather!

What we have been up to

We have been up to a lot lately.  Mostly just spending time together as a family.  The kids have really been making me laugh and I have been able to capture a few things on both video and film.  Here is a little bit of our lives!  These include a new and improved school room, Charlotte eating mashed potatoes with an apple wedge, Ellie's outfit including 2 left shoes (one a crock and the other a brown tennis shoe and yes she wore that to church!), Jackson losing his first tooth, and making a race car for Boys of Iron, and a fun game of hide and go seek in the dark with flashlights.  It has been so much fun!

Stuff

Ever feel like there is an endless amount of chores around the house?  As a mother of 3 I feel like laundry is one of the most overwhelming things that I have to do in this house.  I grumble usually while I am doing it.  Scripture tells us to "give thanks in all circumstances", so today I am.  As I was folding and hanging the endless pile of clothes I thanked God for providing both warm and cool clothes for my children.  A couple of months ago after I had gone through and cleaned the girls closet and their dresser I realized that Ellie did not have that many pairs of pants.  A couple of weeks later I received a large bag of pants and shirts for her.  He always provides!  And I am thankful for that!

An actual schedule?!?!

Because I have stopped playing on the computer our home has become this great place to be in with an actual schedule!  Who knew this could happen?  I had no idea that the computer interfered with my day that badly. Jackson has been fighting me when it comes to school work and that has been hard.  All that it has really done is make his school day longer.  And that is all on him.  He usually finishes a little bit before lunch and then we go outside and enjoy this BEAUTIFUL weather!  Yesterday we were outside for several hours.  I have also been keeping Charlotte up until after lunch.  She seems to be doing well with that schedule and it lets me have a nice break in the afternoon.  All in all things are going well here.  It is a power struggle with Jackson and his school work but I am the adult; I am the teacher!  It is my job to not freak out and to make him be obedient!  And he will be.  It just might take a little longer to do something that I would have liked.

* Oh and I started ballet last night!  I am so sore but it was fun!*

Status update

Since I am not on Facebook, here it is!

Ellie is in the kitchen playing with her Polly's and her other dolls.  She is singing and making her babies talk.  And Cinderella just said in the sweetest girliest country voice "Come here Prince Charmin'"  It is so cute!  I love that little girl.

Jackson on the other hand is working on hour 3 and we have managed to achieve very little.

It's so hard

Ok, so it is so hard to be on my computer and not look at my email.  And I know that I have a few messages on Fb and I am NOT going to look.  But I have had fun with the kids and I have videoed some things like the girls coloring on our white board in the school room and even Ellie dancing and singing Beyonce's "All the Single Ladies".  Which she calls "All the Singlettes"  It is too cute!

Fasting and Revival

So our pastor is leading our church into a revival.  We have a calendar with specific verses and at the end of the month we will be having a special service to wrap it up.  The thing is this is not an old fashioned "tent revival".  There will not be a guest preacher or even a band coming.  This is about personal revival.  It is about repenting and turning away from our junk.  It is about renewing our walk with the Lord and in turn renewing our church and in turn doing something awesome for Katy.  Which in turn will be good for Houston and then Texas and then the US and well.....you get the idea.  Our nation has turned away from it's God and He has started to say ok.  He is not going to continue to allow us to take and not give back.  He has been spit in the face one too many times.  We have killed millions of babies, said that the sanctity of marriage does not matter, and have become complacent.  This is the problem with our country.  And I for one am tired of it. 

In Joel, the people are told to not give their clothes but to give their hearts. They are told to fast and repent.  So that is what I am going to do.  I have been thinking of my own sin and have realized that I have been lazy, I have not taken care of my children the way they should have been and I have lied to my husband about things because honestly, I just wanted a break.  I have realized that I have let facebook get in the way.  I am addicted!  I love to look at other people's updates and photos.  I love to play games.  But I love it so much I ignore my duties as a wife and mother and enough is enough.  So for the rest of January I am going to fast from Facebook and my email.  I am not checking email because there are facebook  updates in it and it is a temptation I don't need!  So please don't email or fb me.  I won't get it!  But I do hope that in a month I will be a new person.  Revived and on fire for the Lord!

'

Ritz Cracker Baked Chicken

So I made this last night and I thought I was making it up.  I love potato chip chicken but we are trying to go healthy here so this is what I did.  *please feel free to add or take out anything*

1 package of chicken tenderloins
1 sleeve of ritz crackers
1 egg (beaten)
salt and pepper
butter flavored cooking spray

Crush ritz in a freezer bag.  Dredge chicken in egg wash.  (I salted and peppered the chicken first).  Put chicken in freezer bag and coat with cracker crumbs.  Lay out on a cookie sheet.  Spay the tops with butter flavored cooking spray.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.  Until brown. 

I think I would add some garlic powder to this dish or some other spice.  But it was pretty close to fat free and the kids loved it! 

A conversation with Jackson

J-Mom. Why can't I play that game on your computer?
M-Because I am a mean mom.
J-Yeah, you are mean.
M-What?!?!  You really think that?
J-No.
M-If someone asked you about me what would you tell them?
J-I would say you are a good mom.
M-Why?
J-Because you are pretty and beautiful.

He is so sweet!  I love that boy, even if he does drive me absolutely nuts sometimes!