The Battle vs. The War: The Teen Years

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Do I want to win the battle or win the war?

As we walked our dogs this morning we were commenting that our dog sure likes "weed" (it's been a subject since a girl in 7th grade was busted for having pot in her backpack.)

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

The Battle

My daughter LOVES anything sugary. My son does too, but not as much as my daughter. Interestingly enough she is the one that struggled with blood sugar issues as much as I did. This summer I was determined to make sure that she didn't make bad choices by eating too much junk food.

I wasn't forbidding her to have sugar, but wanted to limit the amount. My daughter is 15 (almost 16) and will be a sophomore in high school. What I *really* didn't want was to have her buy candy and hide it behind my back. I was trying to offer solutions that would be acceptable for both of us.

A LOT of energy was put into this battle on both sides.

The battle: sugar

The war: the teenage (possibly rebellion) years

The War

I want her to make wise decisions in every aspect of her life. Sugar is the glaringly obvious issue right now, but in light of the big ole war....I really think that I need to focus on the big picture. I know that I shouldn't compare her to others, but I do. It's natural (I hope!) She really is a good, kind, loving kid who occasionally throws a 2 year old temper tantrums.

She's finding her way in this life as a mini adult.

I hope that I can let her find her way without hindering her progress too much. For YEARS I dreaded the teen age years...I knew how I acted when I was a teen and I wanted nothing to do with it. When I'm not battling with her, she's fun and funny. I truly enjoy watching her as she gets older. She's not the perfect child, but then I'm not the perfect mother.

Every day I need to focus on the war, 

NOT the battle of the moment. 

This post has been linked to WeAreTHATFamily.

How to Get Your Kids to Help

{click on image to enlarge}
This is my spin on Jennifer's ideas. I have a 13 and 15 year old who love games.

This is the best idea I've seen in a long time on how to get your kids to help out more...check out Jennifer's guest post at:

AnotherDayinaMomsWorld

Jack Kruse: Here's to the Crazy Ones

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When I wrote my blog post "My Life is a Mismatch", I called Jack Kruse crazy, but in a good way. I laughed when I read a comment from him on his blog.

Quoting from Jack Kruse:

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them, because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

I need to paste this on my mirror and read it every day. I really hate to be different than everyone else. I want to be "normal." So I wrote down in my journal what "normal" looks like.

Yeah, I have absolutely NO desire to be "normal."

So here's to the crazy ones!!!

Image Credit: Zutphen

What do you hate to do, but know that you should do?

What do you love to do, that you'll actually take the time to do?

Action: 

Create a love/hate habit. Before you do the thing that you actually love to do, take 5 minutes and do the thing you hate to do.

Here's how it looks in my life:

1. What do I hate to do, but know that I should do? Ride my bike up hills (there are hills everywhere in this town!)
2. What do I love to do that I'll actually take the time to do? Walk!
3. Create a love/hate habit: Before I can go for a walk I ride my bike up a ginormous hill. It takes all of 5 minutes and I absolutely hate about 30 seconds of it {when I'm almost to the top of the hill and my lungs are burning.}

My hope is that this summer I will be able to go for a bike ride and actually enjoy it.

I've done this with many different things....working out while watching NYPD Blue, reading a magazine while walking on the stairmaster....cleaning my house before checking the computer, etc.

Have you had success with a love/hate habit before? 

This post has been linked to:

The Path....

If you are only looking down at the path, you may miss the big picture...

My husband and I went up on a trail yesterday...he rode his bike and I walked. I wanted to make sure that I didn't twist my ankle on the rocks so I kept a close eye on the trail. I had to force myself to stop several times to look at the amazing view.

I realized that this could be an analogy in my life as a homemaker.

• When I don't take time to look at the big picture and focus on getting my chores done (cleaning toilets, washing clothes, dishes, etc.) I miss out on the importance of being a homemaker. 
• When I don't take time to look at the big picture with my budget, financial goals aren't realized. 
• When I don't take time to look for God in the craziness of life I miss getting any kind of direction from Him.

It's good to keep an eye on the trail, 

but it's more important to keep an eye on the big picture.

Linked up:

Menu Plan / Routine May 14, 2012

Image Credit Double--M

I had a wonderful Mother's Day, but to be honest, I haven't been a big fan of Mother's Day in previous years. I had VERY high expectations of my husband the first few Mother's Days. Then my Mom died and Mother's Day was awful. Then a friend of mine wanted a baby sooooo bad, but couldn't conceive so I couldn't stop thinking about her on Mother's Day.

Over time I was able to get my focus back on God, 

but it took a while.

Here's my favorite present from Mother's Day:

Yes, it's a can of green beans. No Salt added either  ~ wooo hoooo!!! My family asked me to write down some gift ideas so I wrote "Green Bean." Clearly I needed to write "I would like a gift certificate from the coffee shop called the Green Bean." Next year I'll know better!

I made the Horseradish Sauce last week and oh my....I had forgotten how much we love it! Anybody have any ideas for the beef brisket I bought?

Menu Plan AKA Menu Routine

Breakfast Menu Plan

Lunch - leftovers or meat over salad. My husband now eats at home a few days of the week, but I never know when it's going to be.

Dinners (we eat a primalish /paleoish diet  - limited grains/sugar).

Menu planning in action:

1. Outside Activities
What will conflict with supper preparations this week?

• 1 band concert

2. Pantry
What's in my cupboards, fridge and freezer?

• Hamburger
• Roasts
• Beef Brisket
• Fish
• Bacon
• Shrimp
• Cooked breakfast sausages
• Raw chicken 
• German sausage links (now cooked)
• Frozen veggies (beans, peas, cauliflower and broccoli)
• Frozen (cooked) pinto beans I finally threw these out. Why do I keep making/buying things that aren't paleo/primal? I did NOT buy the Doritos that are in my "green bean" picture.
• ham broth

3. Ideas for Dinner

• What can I make that my son loves?
• What can I make that my daughter loves?
• What can I make that my husband loves?
• What can I make that I love?
• What recipes have I found online that I want to try?

4. Make a Plan

1. KISS night (keep it simple silly - same thing every week).  Roast beef, mashed or baked potatoes (sweet for hubs and white for the kids) and  roasted veggies.
2. Leftovers and salad
3. Meatza 
4. Shrimp sauteed in butter and garlic....may add a bit of cream. My daughter will be in heaven!
5. Stir Fry Beef Salad from PaleoPlan.Com
6. Open (we might be out of town, but I'm not sure)
7. Husband cooks (I'm sure he'll BBQ ~ the weather looks awesome!)

Snacks:
hard boiled eggs or leftovers

Tried and true recipes:
Josie's Shepherd Pie, Thai Sauce over Meat, Comfort Roast and  Horseradish Sauce, Asian Beef, KalynsKitchen

Recipes to try soon:
Ranch ~ healthier alternative.
Salt and Vinegar Chickpeas

MarksDailyApple (buried in the massive post) Chimichurri sauce {they said "I think it is great on eggs in addition to flank steak.}
1 bunch Italian parsley
1 bunch cilantro
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup a mix of lemon and lime juice
2 garlic cloves
3/4 cup red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt

Remove tough stems from fresh herbs. Puree all in food processor

---

Check out other menu plans at:

Orgjunkie

Homemaking: The Dreaded Question

Photo Image by D Sharon Pruitt

Homemaking

And what do you do? I stutter and mumble...

"I'm a stay at home mom....well my kids are in school all day, but I still stay at home...no wait....it seems like I'm never home."

Often times the person will just look at me with a blank look on their face.  What is supposed to be a conversation starter, is a conversation stopper.

A lot of people are completely baffled that I still want to be a homemaker even though my kids are in school. I don't think that they are being judgmental, people just don't understand how I don't go crazy being at home all of the time.

13 years ago, I was one of those people...my husband is still one of those people. He's ready to get out of the house after being home for a day. I could stay in my house for days on end if I didn't have errands to run. I had someone once say to me "I could never stay home, I like to be busy." There are days that I look at my to do list and I wonder how I'm going to get everything done.

So when people say, "what do you do?" I think what they really mean is "how do you occupy your time?"   For me, that's a much easier question to answer. I volunteer a little bit, I write occasionally, but mostly I spend my time keeping my family in line.

I wonder if I'm alone...am I the only one to blunders their way through such a simple question?

You might be interested in the post I wrote a while back called:

"Homemaking: Your Job Part 2."

Menu Plan / Routine How To May 7, 2012

Image Credit Double--M

It's been a while since I've written out a menu plan. The longer I do menu planning the more "routine" it becomes. It's only taken 10 years!

When my life becomes hectic, I don't even attempt new recipes. This week we only have one track meet to go to so I'd like to try a few new things. You might want to check out a post I wrote over at WeeklyGroceryShopping that included a few tips to help you during busy seasons.

I still haven't tried any recipes at PaleoPlan.Com. I may try homemade beef broth  this week depending on the weather. Over at KalynsKitchen I found a method of making a roast in a crock pot was fabulous (I didn't use all of the vinegar called for in the recipe.) I kept all of the fat on my roast.

Menu Plan AKA Menu Routine

Breakfast Menu Plan

Lunch - leftovers or meat over salad. My husband now eats at home a few days of the week, but I never know when it's going to be.

Dinners (we eat a primalish /paleoish diet  - limited grains/sugar).

Menu planning in action:

1. Outside Activities
What will conflict with supper preparations this week?

• 1 track meet
• volunteer at the food pantry

2. Pantry
What's in my cupboards, fridge and freezer?

• Hamburger and Ground Pork 
• Roasts
• Beef Brisket
• Fish
• Bacon
• Shrimp
• Cooked breakfast sausages
• raw chicken 
• German sausage links
• Frozen veggies (beans, peas, cauliflower and broccoli)
• Frozen (cooked) pinto beans
• ham broth

3. Ideas for Dinner

• What can I make that my son loves?
• What can I make that my daughter loves?
• What can I make that my husband loves?
• What can I make that I love?
• What recipes have I found online that I want to try?

4. Make a Plan

1. KISS night (keep it simple silly - same thing every week).  Roast beef, mashed or baked potatoes (sweet for hubs and white for the kids) and  roasted veggies.
2. Leftovers and salad
3. Meatballs with ground pork and beef in spaghetti sauce
4. Mexican or Cajun seasoning/cream sauce with the burger crumbles.
5. Broccoli / Cauliflower / Chicken soup???
6. Chicken and egg salad at the track meet
7. Husband cooks (pretty sure he'll "cook" at a restaurant this week for Mother's Day)

TRY THIS WEEK?

Snacks:
hard boiled eggs or leftovers

Tried and true recipes:
Josie's Shepherd Pie, Thai Sauce over Meat, Comfort Roast and  Horseradish Sauce, Asian Beef

Recipes to try soon:
Ranch ~ healthier alternative.
Marinade from SoSimplyGood
Salt and Vinegar Chickpeas

MarksDailyApple (buried in the massive post) Chimichurri sauce {they said "I think it is great on eggs in addition to flank steak.}
1 bunch italian parsley
1 bunch cilantro
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup a mix of lemon and lime juice
2 garlic cloves
3/4 cup red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt

Remove tough stems from fresh herbs. Puree all in food processor

---

Check out other menu plans at:

Orgjunkie
11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven always has a lot of homemaking posts to read as well!

My Life is a Mismatch

Image Credit: Poppy Thomas-Hill

I've been following Jack Kruse for a while. I think the guy is crazy. Crazy in a good way (that's possible right?) Brave in a way that I want to be...I want to stand up for what I believe in, but far too often I don't.

He talks about using cold thermogenesis and a paleo diet based on circadian cycles to cure neolithic disease. Half of the time I have NO clue what he's talking about. I have to read and re-read what he writes about ten times before it starts to sink in a bit.

He writes about biological mismatches...that we're too smart for our own good. Our bodies weren't designed to turn on the lights so we can stay up later. Our bodies weren't designed to eat a banana in December because they don't grow in December (or something like that...)

I like to read what he writes because it challenges me to THINK.

For far too long I believed the medical professionals who told me to eat more grains to be healthy (just be sure to eat whole grains) and DO NOT eat fat or you'll have a heart attack. As I got older my hypoglycemia / low blood sugar issues got a lot worse. I was eating constantly trying to stem off an attack. Once I started eating fat and protein and stopped eating grains and sugar my hypoglycemia issues disappeared.

What does this have to do with my life being a mismatch?

I say or think one thing, but my actions tell a different story.

Image Credit: Poppy Thomas-Hill

Recently I saw this quote from Mahatma Ghandi:

"Be the change you want to see in the world."

What a wonderful way to look at life! Although goal setting tends to backfire on me, when I focus my priorities, everything else seems to fall into place.

Action Step: Who or what do I want to be?

• Homemaker: Focus on my family before others.
• Minimalist: Relationships first!
• Frugal / Wise with time and money
• Healthy: Primal / Paleo Diet and taking time for myself so I feel great
• Encouraging (blogging and volunteering)
• Loving: don't be judgmental...extend grace to others and myself

Homemaking Tip: Cleaning Your Microwave

Image by SmartGoat

Just a quick homemaking tip for you this morning that will take you just a few minutes:

1. Put a soaking wet washcloth in the microwave (no soap).
2. "Cook" for 1-2 minutes (every microwave is different).
3. When the washcloth is steaming hot, wipe down your microwave. Please note that I'm a wimp so I wear a glove to do this.
4. Rinse out your washcloth.
5. Hang washcloth over your kitchen faucet to dry.

Not only have you cleaned your microwave, you've disinfected your washcloth (so people say...I hope it's true!) 

Other homemaking tips:

How to Create a Menu Plan

How to be a Good Wife (Put Yourself First)

Spring Cleaning Tip (DON'T Do it)

Coming Soon...

Is Your Life a Mismatch?

This post has been linked to We are THAT Family.