It's a New Year!

That last post was written kindly by my husband unbeknownst to be. Thank you, honey. I am not that good at poetry, so it was definitely not something that I could come up with!

But it is a new year, isn't it? And with a new year, comes new beginnings. Most people turn to resolutions or goals, and for the first time, maybe ever, I have a few for myself. Not really goals, but more challenges. If I don't make them, that's okay. I do want to try really hard though.

Are you ready for them, do you wanna hear?

Okay.

1. My first is to read one literary classic a month. I like to read, alot. But mostly it's current stuff, or let's face it, Harry Potter. So to mix it up, I want to read a tried and true story each month. I got this idea because when we were in Colorado for break I got some time to go to downtown Estes to do some shopping. I went into this awesome little bookstore (think You've Got Mail-esque) and picked up Little Women, probably my favorite book of all time. I finally bought it, so I don't have to rent it from the library any more. I started reading it and again, fell in love. Which got me thinking, how many more are out there that I have forgotten about, or not read at all? I thinking the kind of books that your high school English teacher would give on a "Summer Reading List" that no one actually read. Like "To Kill a Mockingbird" or "Jane Eyre." Or any Jane Austen books. And given that I only have to so this once a month, hopefully, it's an achievable goal. Come next December, hopefully, I'll be 12 more books full of knowledge too!

2. To make a new recipe each week. That's right, 52 recipes. To make this easier on myself, it is not limited to dinners, but deserts, breakfasts, cookies, smoothies, sandwhiches, etc. Just new. I got this cookbook from my Aunt for Christmas "Double Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld. She's the one who puts pureed vegetables in her meals to pack them with more nutrients and flavor.

Reading her cookbook really encouraged me. I have been wanting to step up the nutrition level in my household lately, and this was the perfect starting point for me. The whole front section of the book talks about the foods we eat and what food has the most "bang for our buck." She talks about what she shops for, like whole grains, low fat foods, and lots of fruits and veggies. Common stuff, but good to hear again, right? So with this in mind, I am trying to step it up for myself, my kids, and family. More importantly, the recipes are really user friendly, kid friendly, and most importantly, the ingredients are things I've heard of or have currently in my cupboard. I got a Rachel Ray cookbook last year, but ended up getting a little disappointed because almost all recipes included something that I did not have or couldn't easily substitute. "Double Delicious" seems nice, easy, and straightforward. i've already made teriyaki chicken with brown rice and vegetables, and it seemed to go over really well.

So that's my two goals. I hope they are achievable! Every now and again I'll post how I'm coming along, or if I come across an amazing recipe.

If you all out there have any book or recipe suggestions, send them my way!

What are your resolutions? Or goals? Challenges?

I never post on my blog

My posts? There aren't any
Cause I'm a big ninny
I've nothing about which to blog.
No chobies, or flames
no teeth, hikes or games
cause I'm just an old lazy hog.

This one goes out to my Mother-in-Law

It's a new title, Ruth, do you like it? :) Someone, perhaps not my MIL, but someone, has been bugging me to post again.

I have really nothing to say, except my favorite, most specialist necklace broke. Rats. It was my mom's engagement ring on a chain, and the chain just broke in half. Luckily, I found the diamond so it was not lost! (What is it with me and breaking important jewelry? My own wedding ring broke last year too. I should not be trusted with valuable assets). The only downside is really, until I get a new chain, my neck is feeling vulnerable, a bit naked. I have worn that necklace everyday since my wedding day, and I feel like a piece of me is missing.

Also, it's snowing. And I love it.

Horses Horses Horses

(Is that was Meg Ryan is singing in 'Sleepless in Seattle?)

Today was a amazingly fun day. The girls I teach have horses, and today James, Clara and I were able to take a visit to their house to go see them. Now, I don't know who had more fun, James or me. But can I just say that it was so so much fun!? James was a super brave boy and rode their horse Topper three times. And the biggest smiles we got out of him was when he was going the fastest! They even let me ride a horse, but it probably wasn't a pretty sight seeing me haul myself on the horse, fumble around as I rode, then slip off the horse once I was done. As an added bonus, it was a super beautiful day here in Michigan. Can I get an amen? So here are some super cute pictures of my kiddos with horses.

James and Mariah

James, Mariah and Makayla

Clara sat on a horse too!

Going fast! Such joy!

My little cowboy

He's got some big boots to fill.



So thanks to Michelle (who also took the amazing pictures), Makayla, and Mariah. We had a great time! And we'll see ya for school on Monday!

The gospel according to Ms. Frizzle

Lately James has gotten into watching the Magic School Bus. Remember that anyone? From 5th grade, learning about friction or the body? Anyways, James just recently watched one where the Magic School Bus (let's say MSB for short) gets really small and goes inside the human body to look at the heart, lungs, blood vessels, etc. Okay, so have that in your mind as I tell you the rest of the story.

We were talking about God and Jesus this morning at breakfast. Some of our conversation was going like this:

J: Is God the biggest of them all?

Me: Yes.

J: Can he come inside? (Like, Is he too big to come inside?)

Me: Probably.

J: Can Jesus?

Me: Yes.

J: What is Jesus' favorite food? It's...it's...Eggs! And cheerios!


So that's where some of the conversation went a little more serious. He asked, "When can I see Jesus in heaven?" After debating a bit, I just went for it. I said something like we accept Jesus into our hearts and when we die, we go to heaven. Then we'll be with Jesus. His next question of course wasn't about dying but, "Where is our heart?" So I told him inside our bodies. He looked at where I was pointing, (and I had a "9" on my shirt) and he said "By the nine?" I said no, it's inside our bodies. And then I said it. "Just like how the MSB went inside Ms. Frizzle's body, that's where our heart is, inside. He then looked at me, and I was expecting something big and profound relating to the spiritual discussion we had just been having and he said with big eyes, " And the MSB spins reallly really fast and gets really small!" That was it. I lost all Jesus talk from there on....

Is it bad that I related accepting Jesus into our hearts to the MSB? I hope not. Who knows, he probably thinks that Ms. Frizzle and Jesus are riding around in a tiny school bus right now, probably in his lungs. Oh well.