Friday, March 30, 2012
Mommy 101
I Wish Game
- When your child is throwing a tantrum and doesn't want to do something like get out of the bath tub, play the "I wish game". Start talking and wishing " I wish the tub was big and we could all climb in and grow fins and swim in here all day. I wish your pre-school teacher came over and ate lunch with us in the tub". Before you know it, they will be in a towel climbing out of the tub!
Be Positive. Say Yes More Often.
- Children learn what "we'll see" means
- The spontaneous stops at the park and other places will be what's remembered
- Quality time and quantity of time are equally important
Relax!
- It is okay to let your house get a little messy. Have a sense of humor about things. The relationship you are creating with your child now (while they are young) will last through the teenage years. It is difficult to have an open relationship later if you don't have one now.
Trust in your Heavenly Father. He trusts you to raise His children. He will guide and help you.
Go out of your way to invite the Spirit into your home
Have a Family Plan.
- Talk about your future! If you know what you want your family to look like in 20 years (sons on missions, college, whole family in temple) it will shape your traditions now.
Have Open Communication Between You and Your Spouse.
- You are a team!
- You are your husband's wife, not his mother.
It's Here...Somewhere by Alice Osborne
Streamline BEFORE you organize.
Three important concepts to remember:
1) Big isn't necessarily better, it's just big. The space you have is perfectly fine as long as it only holds what matters most to you (what you like, use, need, want, and have room for).
2) Less is always best.
3) Strive for quality over quantity
Three reasons why really bright intelligent people keep things they don't like, use, need, want, or have room for:
1) Sentiment
2) You paid "good money" for it
3) You "might need it someday" (this is true, you will, but that's not the point: there is someone that does need it today. Find the courage to send things to charity).
Eight Streamlining Steps
1. Prepare self and family
2. Gather containers
3. Start in the master bedroom and work in clockwise pattern
4. Evaluate and assign (puts rhyme and reason into spaces)
5. Use keeper questions (to decide what matters most, what your keepers are and how to know what to put in each container)
6. Group and store like items together
7. Give every family member a memory box
8. Enjoy the empty space (and make it part of your homemaking standard
Conclusion: The familiar feelings of being overbooked, overworked, and overwhelmed are eliminated as you eliminate clutter and overload from your home and workplace. Streamlining makes the best use of the space you have and gives you an advantage over whatever your day has to offer.
Information taken from It's Here...Somewhere, Spring Creek Books, 2008).
Three important concepts to remember:
1) Big isn't necessarily better, it's just big. The space you have is perfectly fine as long as it only holds what matters most to you (what you like, use, need, want, and have room for).
2) Less is always best.
3) Strive for quality over quantity
Three reasons why really bright intelligent people keep things they don't like, use, need, want, or have room for:
1) Sentiment
2) You paid "good money" for it
3) You "might need it someday" (this is true, you will, but that's not the point: there is someone that does need it today. Find the courage to send things to charity).
Eight Streamlining Steps
1. Prepare self and family
2. Gather containers
3. Start in the master bedroom and work in clockwise pattern
4. Evaluate and assign (puts rhyme and reason into spaces)
5. Use keeper questions (to decide what matters most, what your keepers are and how to know what to put in each container)
6. Group and store like items together
7. Give every family member a memory box
8. Enjoy the empty space (and make it part of your homemaking standard
Conclusion: The familiar feelings of being overbooked, overworked, and overwhelmed are eliminated as you eliminate clutter and overload from your home and workplace. Streamlining makes the best use of the space you have and gives you an advantage over whatever your day has to offer.
Information taken from It's Here...Somewhere, Spring Creek Books, 2008).
Oh-so-delicious Pasta Salad
We have had a lot of requests for the recipe used for our stake relief society conference. We served it on a bed of spinach with a roll. Enjoy!
35-40 Servings
10 cups bow-tie pasta (uncooked)
8 cups cooked and cubed chicken (9-10 chicken breasts)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3 cans sliced water chestnuts
3 (20 ounce) cans pineapple tidbits, drained
2 cups chopped apples (soak in pineapple juice)
2 cups chopped celery
Dressing:
4 1/2 cups mayonnaise
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 T salt
1 T pepper
6 cups red and white grapes
3 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups craisins
Directions:
Cook pasts according to directions. Drain.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients except for grapes, pecans, and craisins. Marinate mixture for several hours or overnight in refrigerator. Add grapes, pecans, and craisins just before serving.
35-40 Servings
10 cups bow-tie pasta (uncooked)
8 cups cooked and cubed chicken (9-10 chicken breasts)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3 cans sliced water chestnuts
3 (20 ounce) cans pineapple tidbits, drained
2 cups chopped apples (soak in pineapple juice)
2 cups chopped celery
Dressing:
4 1/2 cups mayonnaise
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 T salt
1 T pepper
6 cups red and white grapes
3 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups craisins
Directions:
Cook pasts according to directions. Drain.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients except for grapes, pecans, and craisins. Marinate mixture for several hours or overnight in refrigerator. Add grapes, pecans, and craisins just before serving.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Scripture Study - 6th Ward
First we split into small groups to discuss ways to study the scriptures more effectively as individuals, with our spouses, and with our children. Then we made some small crafts to help sisters and their families with their scripture study: study journals, scripture jars, and magnets.
Thai Curry Crockpot Recipe
Ingredients
4 cloves garlic, pressed
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt
1 ½ Tbs Soy Sauce
2 tsp yellow curry
2 frozen boneless chicken breasts (you could do more)
¾ cup coconut milk
½ cup frozen peas (this was my audition because I didn’t have ½ cup fresh basil- so I decided to make a huge alteration… it was good though)
Directions 1. Defrost chicken (I did it in the microwave)
2. In a small bowl, mix garlic, pepper, salt, soy sauce, and curry. Add coconut milk
3. Cut chicken into strips or larger cubes
4. Put chicken in crock pot, cover in the milk mixture.
5. Cook 7 hours (*see below) on low (haha I do like 1 hr 15 minutes on high, 4 hr 15 on low) in your happy crock pot.
6. Last *half hour (crock pot was on high at this point for me), add peas into the mixture. Start rice.
4 cloves garlic, pressed
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt
1 ½ Tbs Soy Sauce
2 tsp yellow curry
2 frozen boneless chicken breasts (you could do more)
¾ cup coconut milk
½ cup frozen peas (this was my audition because I didn’t have ½ cup fresh basil- so I decided to make a huge alteration… it was good though)
Directions 1. Defrost chicken (I did it in the microwave)
2. In a small bowl, mix garlic, pepper, salt, soy sauce, and curry. Add coconut milk
3. Cut chicken into strips or larger cubes
4. Put chicken in crock pot, cover in the milk mixture.
5. Cook 7 hours (*see below) on low (haha I do like 1 hr 15 minutes on high, 4 hr 15 on low) in your happy crock pot.
6. Last *half hour (crock pot was on high at this point for me), add peas into the mixture. Start rice.
Quinoa Chili Recipe
Ingredients
This recipe's Ingredients were scaled to yield a new amount. The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield of 8 servings.
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water
1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (19 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 zucchini, chopped (optional)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
This recipe's Ingredients were scaled to yield a new amount. The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield of 8 servings.
- Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease; set beef aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, and jalapeno pepper; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute more to release the flavor of the spices. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, zucchini, oregano, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Simmer until the bell peppers are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Once the red and green peppers are tender, stir in the quinoa, beef, and corn kernels. Return to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes to reheat. Stir in the cilantro to serve.
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