Master Schedule August 26, 2008

Greetings!

I’ve been working on a new schedule for the upcoming school year and I think it will work.  As you can tell I’m trying to get my exercise in and the best time for me to do it is before the kids wake up.  Feel free to share your schedule!

	ME	KIDS	Focus Clean
5:00-5:30	Exercise	Sleep	Monday-Kitchen
5:30-6:00	Bible Study	Sleep	Tuesday-Bedrooms
6:00-6:30	Wash & Dress	Wash & Dress	Wednesday-Baths
6:30-7:00	Breakfast/Load Washer	Breakfast	Thursday-Family Rm/Living Rm/Dining
7:00-7:30	Quick Clean	Play	Friday-Laundry Rm/Kombucha
7:30-8:00	Focus Clean	Play	Saturday-Garden
8:00-9:00	Homeschool	Homeschool
9:00-10:00	Email/Blog/Snack	Freetime/Snack	Laundry
10:00-10:30	Declutter	Books	Monday-Towels
10:30-11:00	Paperwork/Bills	Computer	Tuesday-Sheets
11:00-12:00	Lunch/Nap	Lunch/Nap	Wednesday-Kids
12:00-1:00	Nap	Nap	Thursday-Mine
1:00-3:00	Kombucha/Read Book	Nap/Snack	Friday-Emmanuel
3:00-4:00	Prep Dinner	Outside	Saturday-Mats &Rugs
4:00-5:00	Cook Dinner	Outside
5:00-6:00	Shower/Pajamas	Showers/Pajamas
6:00-8:00	Eat, Bible, Pray, Relax	Eat, TV, Book, Pray

Non-toxic Cleaning Recipes August 19, 2008

                               

All-Purpose Cleaner
suggested uses: hard surfaces like countertops and kitchen floors, windows and mirrors

2 cups white distilled vinegar
2 cups water
20-30 or more drops of essential oil (optional)

Tip: Warming in microwave until barely hot will boost cleaning power for tough jobs. Only microwave in a glass container.

Creamy Soft Scrub
suggested uses: Use this creamy soft scrub on kitchen counters, stoves, bathroom sinks, etc.

2 cups baking soda
½ cup liquid castile soap*
4 teaspoons vegetable glycerin (acts as a preservative)
5 drops antibacterial essential oil such as lavender, tea tree, rosemary or any scent you prefer (optional)

Mix together and store in a sealed glass jar, shelf life of 2 years.

Tips: For exceptionally tough jobs spray with vinegar first—full strength or diluted, scented—let sit and follow with scrub.

Dry soft scrubs can be made with baking soda or salt (or combination of both) with 10-15 drops essential oil to scent

Furniture Polish
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white distilled vinegar
20-30 drops lemon essential oil

Shake well before using
(2 teaspoons lemon juice may be substituted for lemon oil but then must be stored in refrigerator)

Dip a clean, dry cloth into the polish and rub wood in the direction of the grain. Use a soft brush to work the polish into corners or tight places.

Tips: To remove water spots rub well with toothpaste. To remove scratches use 1 part lemon juice and 1 part oil, rub with soft cloth.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Option 1

Sprinkle toilet bowl with baking soda, drizzle with vinegar, let soak for at least 30 minutes and scrub with toilet brush.

Option 2

Put ¼ cup borax in toilet bowl and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Swish with a toilet brush and then scrub. A few drops of pine oil can be added for increased disinfecting. (Note: some people are allergic to pine oil.)

Tip: Let ingredients soak for a while to make for easy scrubbing, especially on persistent stains like toilet bowl rings

Drain Opener

½ cup baking soda
½ cup vinegar

Pour baking soda down the drain and follow with vinegar. Cover and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Flush with boiling water.

Tip: Prevent your shower from clogging by using a drain trap to catch hairs.

Laundry Detergent

1 cup soap flakes
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup Borax

Soap flakes can be made by grating your favorite pure vegetable soap with a cheese grater. Mix ingredients together and store in a glass container. Use 1 tablespoon per load (2 for heavily soiled laundry), wash in warm or cold water.

This standard recipe can be adjusted for soft water by using 1 cup soap flakes, 1/4 cup washing soda and 1/2 cup borax. For hard water, use 1 cup soap flakes, 1 cup washing soda, and 1 cup borax.

Note: Borax should not be ingested.

Tips: Add 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to rinse as a fabric softener. For a whitener, use hydrogen peroxide rather than bleach. Soak your dingy white clothes for 30 minutes in the washer with 1/2 cup 20% peroxide. Launder as usual.

God is Good…As a Matter of FACT He is GREAT! August 15, 2008

Just thought I give God Praise.  What a merciful, loving, gracious, strong, awesome, wonderful, kind Father I have.  I can go on and on about the goodness of the Lord and how He is a PROVIDER, a WAY MAKER, PEACE in the midst of a storm.  WOW…What a GREAT GOD!!! 

Have you ever been busy doing something and then a praise came into your spirit and you start meditating on the goodness of the Lord.  Well that’s how I feel at this very moment.  God has blessed me and my family with His presence and a KNOWING that He is real.  He is with my children daily and guiding my footsteps on how to be a mom.  The Lord has even ordered my steps in finding ways to help my son.  He is definitely a Provider because after my third child was born we decided it would be best for me to stay home and through His grace has been providing for us daily.  I’m just happy to be a child of a KING. 

If you want to leave some praise reports in the comments section to share with others I welcome it.

God Bless:)

What happened to Food Commando? August 15, 2008

First let me begin by saying, “I LOVE THE FOOD NETWORK!”  My favorite show right now is Down Home With The Neelys.  Although their food isn’t the healthiest and a thorn in a dieter’s side they are very entertaining and their recipes make since and are really tasty…Ask me how I know

A few years ago I use to love this show called Food Commando with Chef Juan Carlos Cruz.  He literally loss weight by changing the ingredients in high calorie food to their low calorie or low fat counterpart.  He took recipes like lasagna, meatloaf, cheesecake and made them healthy.  It was a great show.  On his show he compared the calorie and fat difference between the original unhealthy recipe and the new and improved healthier version.

Many of you know that I am on Weight Watcher (don’t ask lets just say vacationing wasn’t good for my diet but I am back on the band wagon) and I’m using the points system.  So I’m trying to squeeze as much food in my day by using lowfat and fat free items such as milk.  Whole milk is 4pts  versus skim milk which is 2 pts.  With those extra 2 points I can have an apple and a WW peanut butter bar which is only 1 pt.  So do I drink that 1 cup of whole milk for 4pts or do I drink 1 cup of skim milk and still have room for two other snacks.

I really wish Chef Cruz’s show was still on because there are so many recipes out there that needs to be revamped.

Here is the recipe for his low calorie lasagna:

Meat and Cheese Lasagna Recipe courtesy Juan-Carlos Cruz Show:  Calorie Commando Episode:  Comfort Zone

1/2 pound turkey Italian sausage 1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese 3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves 2 (14-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, diced 1 cup chopped red onion 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh oregano leaves 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves 12 medium button mushrooms (about 1 cup), store bought and pre-sliced (from produce aisle) 1 large zucchini, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups) 4 lasagna pasta noodles, cooked al dente per directions on noodle box  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Remove the casing from turkey sausage and discard. Heat a nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the turkey sausage and brown until thoroughly cooked, about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain and discard any grease in the pan. Remove sausage from heat and add the ricotta and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Stir until well blended. Set aside. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small, non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and chopped basil and saute until the garlic just begins to soften, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, oregano, parsley, and thyme and saute until onions are just soft, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and zucchini and continue sauteing until the vegetables are tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add half of the tomato sauce to the sauteed vegetables. To assemble, line the bottom of a lasagna pan (roughly 13 by 9 inches) with 1/4 of the tomato sauce. Top with 2 lasagna noodles. Then spread half of the sausage mixture on top of the pasta. Cover the sausage layer with about half of the vegetable mixture. Top the vegetable layer with the remaining sausage mixture. Then top that layer with the remaining lasagna noodles and add the remaining tomato sauce over top. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.   Serves 8 Nutrition Information Nutritional Analysis per serving Calories 254 Fat 14 grams Saturated Fat 5 grams Carbohydrates 20 grams Fiber 2 grams

Gluten Free Diet is Driving Me Nuts August 15, 2008

I put my son on a gluten free diet to help with his autism symptoms (the behaviors associated with autism).  Grant it, it has been working BUT gluten free products are so expensive and not really that tasty.  Its been quite difficult planning meals and making sure he is getting the same meals we have to make sure he’s not feeling left out.  Now I have started him on a casein diet (dairy free)along with the gluten free (GFCF diet-gluten free casein free diet) which has been recommended by various DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctors. 

Now since I am event planner extraordinaire, I’m always thinking about birthday parties, anniversaries, etc.  I just realized the other day that he can’t eat birthday cake because of the gluten content in flour and he can’t have ice cream cake because of the casein content in dairy.  So now I’m on line trying to find a bakery that makes pretty good cakes, rolls, bread, etc so that my son can have a birthday cake like a typical child.

We tried gluten free bagels.  Not only were they ugly and look unappetizing they were literally hard like a potato.  My son LOVES bagels so when he saw it’s gluten free substitute he played with it for a little while and finally took a bite and literally spit it out of his mouth.  I truly sympathized with him since my son loves bread, bagels, waffles, etc.

On the bright side, he likes the soy ice cream and the gluten free cones, and the gluten free ginger snap cookies but everything else like the bread, waffles, and bagels he seems repulsed by.

So I will begin my journey to finding the tastiest gluten free casein free foods for my son.  If anyone has suggestions please let me know.  Thanks.

Poo poo in the potty August 9, 2008

Hallelujah, Hallelujah.  Those are the words that I am singing in my head. My son finally pooped in the potty.  My son was diagnosed with being on the autism spectrum about two years ago.  Parents of children with autism know that it can take years or a decade to potty train them. 

Other then his aggressive behavior (that BTW is becoming less often due to the gluten free diet we put him on) potty training was one of the hardest things to do with him.  He literally fought tooth and nail not to sit on the potty.  Now with him being calmer and more focus we put him on the potty and made up this potty song and he actually did it. He pooped.  We thought it was probably something that he would probably do once but for the last four days he’s been pooping in the potty.  He doesn’t yet go on his own without prompting but if we tell him to go he runs to the bathroom and makes himself poop.  No more changing big boy poop! Thank you Jesus!

God is good! My son is pooping in the potty before he turned 5. I know some families who have children who are 8 & 11 and still in diapers.  My son is on his way and getting better everyday. Keep him in your prayers. That’s my testimony! And I’m sticking to it!

Tree

African American Greeting Cards August 4, 2008

I came across this website while trying to find customized invitations for my girls birthday party and I thought the cards were very cute. 

http://www.thejavatree.com

This weekend August 4, 2008

This weekend I had a wonderful time with my husband’s side of the family.  Although we don’t see them as often as we would like the time that we spend with them is always fun and lively.  This weekend we traveled to Montreal for his cousin’s wedding.  The bride and groom were so beautiful and really just an attractive couple:)   The only downside I would have to say was not having my son with us.  We thought it would be best for him to spend the weekend with my parents: 1) So that he can get that individualized attention he normally can’t get at home with two other siblings 2) He doesn’t do to well in crowds and loudness which is a typical combination when you go to a wedding.  I missed him dearly and was happy to be back home to kiss and hug him.

We are actually going back on the road in a few days for our “Family Vacation.”  We want to take the kids somewhere were they can have a bunch of fun.  I am especially excited because my husband will be home this week and I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my hubby and my kids.

Family…What a WONDERFUL blessing!!!