21 Weeks of Pregnancy

Another update on my pregnancy HERE!

New Vitamins, scan pictures, thoughts and more!!!

Managing Your Home Part 3

A little while ago I wrote this:

..."Organizing your home is quite the task. It takes a super mom to herd her little monkeys and get everyone and her home in order at all times. This, however is unrealistic and will only bring frustration and disappointment to those mothers who thrive on this.

But there is hope for us all, even for me as I write this in the midst of a chaotic moment in my home. I write down lists for my kids of chores that need to be completed before we begin our day. "Build the home, before we play in it" is somewhat what we are after. Well, I have my eldest back chatting and rebelling, my daughter in cloud 9 dreaming of butterflies and singing, and my littlest one, causing havoc as she trots along. Not the haven, I was hoping for.

I put KLOVE on for motivational music, to help us focus and plug in, only to find out it's just adding to the chaos. I really am starting to feel hopeless now, how does anyone teach their children to contribute to the family life"...

And now, finally! 

We're done scheduling for now! It took some time, figuring it all out because no day in the week is the same for us. But we're done for now. We're on trial mode right now, just to see how well the master schedule will work out and I already have a feeling, that I'll be doing a few minor changes here and there, but all in all, I'll say it again - We're I'm DONE!

Here's an example of a day during our week. Oh yes, I went to dollar store and purchased 7 frames and some magnetic strip to minimize our fridge clutter. It looks nicer...

I've noticed better behavior in the kids and especially in me, holy moly, less of that tensed up wicked witchiness! The kids have been back chatting less, and it seems that they cannot argue with a schedule on the wall, but they can argue with me. If it's written, it goes and I've noticed an attitude change in them, I really have.

We get bible time each morning, and it can last from 15 to 30 minutes. I'm using this book with them, and we're enjoying it. The kids sit still, even our youngest who is 2 and these lessons lead to some deep conversations and it has really helped us bond. It gives a good start to the mornings and focuses our attention to the one who gives us time. Jesus. 

I must admit, I'm more flexible than maybe some other mothers are, using this method, and it's ok. Sometimes we decide to do other stuff instead of what's on the list, however, I've still noticed that everything gets done and we have plenty of rest too. It takes practice and consistency to create a new habit, a new schedule. We'll get there, I know it!

Another thing I have noticed is that the kids argue and bicker less. One, they don't get too bored and end up in each others faces, and two, I have the time to teach and take the time to guide them when I see a problem arising. I also believe that our bible time in the mornings places our hearts in a way that our minds are tuned with doing what is right. This is my opinion.

One thing I like about colour coding the schedule is, that my middle child doesn't yet know how to read, but by knowing the theme of the colours, she memorizes them quickly.

More on Organizing your home and scheduling HERE!

More on Fun With Kids HERE

More on Managing Your Home HERE

What are your tricks for keeping on top of things, or semi? :)

Mango "Pudding" -Kiisseli

When I was little, my gramma used to make us Kiisseli. It's like a berry/fruit soup. I loved it. We had it hot, we had it cold, we had it in our porridge or just as it was. It was yummy!

I had a bag of frozen mango in our freezer and I decided to make Kiisseli for homesickness sakes. It turned out well, and the kids scoffed it down, and now I'm experimenting with berries and thickness.

Ingredients:

• fruit 400g
• water 4-6C
• brown sugar 1/2C
• vanilla (optional) I used coconut
• potato starch and 1C cold water

Bring mangoes, sugar and water to boil, and then simmer for about 20minutes. You can use a hand blender to smooth out the consistency or a potato masher to leave texture. I went with texture. After it has simmered long enough, remove from heat, in a separate cup, mix potato starch in cold water (read package for instructions, and depending on how thick you want it) and slowly pour it into the soup mixing it at the same time. Place back onto heat and boil for a few minutes for it to thicken up.

Let it cool down slightly before you serve it. It is piping hot! We like to chill ours, so I put it in the fridge to thicken up.

Healthy, yummy Mango Kiisseli!

More Recipes HERE!

40,000 WOW!

Wow! 

My blog has hit 40,000 views today! Amazing! 6,000 views just this week! 

I am so happy you're here, thank you for visiting! I hope you'll visit again!

A BIG Thank YOU!

 Love, Cathy

p.s please leave a comment, I would love to hear which topics interest you the most!

YOU Can Do One! - DIY Wall Decor Step By Step Guide

My husband is out of town. The creative bug has bit me. I'm bored of our bedroom, it's white and sterile and not the "boudoir" I would want it to be. We don't spend a lot of time in our bedroom, so we never thought of investing in the decor, since it felt like a waste of money -for us, so I came up with this idea. My husband doesn't know about it yet, but I'm sure by the time you are reading this post, he knows as well. This is how I did it, and this is how you can too!

First I thought about what I wouldn't mind looking at each night and then I 'googled' for ideas. In this case I 'googled' for images of Cherry Blossom trees. I took a pencil and while I was holding my phone in my left hand, I sketched as I saw fit. Yes, free handed, straight onto the wall. Trust me, it's OK -you can always erase it if it looks wonky. I didn't measure or even try to copy the images I looked at. I just took a rough idea of what the branches looked like and how they fell, then I sketched away! 

A good idea is to sketch eye level, any picture or frame looks best at eye level. My husband is tall, so i kind of estimated my way around.

 (These are very light, click to see them, or any photo larger)

I used a spirit level to draw lines on which I could use to write on. 

I decided to use acrylic (which I watered down a bit) paint for a few reasons. I am pregnant and can't be breathing in toxic fumes, I make mistakes, I change my mind often, I wanted to do it now, I can always wash it off if I'm unhappy or I can gloss it over, if it's just how I want it. This way, it lasts!

So I went through some verses I liked and I found Song Of Solomon 3:4, that goes well with us!

..." I have found The One whom my soul Loves"...

Then I decided on the colours. I went with our bedroom curtains, different hues of blue/turquoise.

I painted away! I'm one of those people who likes to finish it right away. Unfortunately if I stretch it out a few days, it will never get finished. 

If you paint over your sketching, there will be less erasing afterwards. Trust me, it hurts to erase pencil off the wall, ha ha!

Then... after the branches and text were finished I took some old laminated schedules and used them as stencils for my blossoms. I took a permanent fine point marker and sketched a few blossoms real quick. I tried making them all shapes and sizes.

After this I stenciled away! :)

I added some flowers around the picture, to give it a flowing effect. I'm hoping I succeeded! I took another brush and hand painted darker details inside the flowers and fixed my mistakes around the letters.

After I was happy with it, I hand painted finer details in the flowers.

Finally I went over the letters with left over black to give it more of a depth. I was done. It'll do!

Hope he likes it!! 

And now, I'll tackle the kids' room!! Try and stop me!

More DIY and Crafts ideas HERE!

Check out the mural I painted in our living room HERE!

De-Itemize In July!

De-itemize in July is already here! 

De-ITEM-ize your life for once and for all! Remember, decluttering isn't de-itemizing! De-itemizing is a major step. It means to get rid of things that you can use, or want. It's giving away posessions to gain more time -quality time- with you and your family.

De-itemize in JULY can start NOW!

Don't know where to begin? here's a few ideas:

• Own one brush.

• Bless someone with your favourite craft supplies and books.

• Even if it's pretty to the eye, give it away, and your eyes will rest on minimalism (less visual noise) and you won't need to dust it.

• You'll do well with less clothes. Keep your absolute favourite pieces, give away the rest. Let your closets and wardrobes breathe. Wouldn't it be nice to see air flow through those places?

• Own only 2-3 sets of bed linen.

• Keep only your absolute favourite beauty products. And then half it again. You can do it.

• You don't need 2 cake pans.

• Give away 80% of your board and card games. You'll have family game nights more often. It really works.

To learn more on what de-itemizing is, read THIS!

More on Organizing your home and life HERE! ( must read )

Drop me a line, tell me how you are doing!

Naked Egg - Experiment - Homeschool Fun!

You take an egg, place it in a glass and fill it up with vinegar.

For a few days you watch it bubble.

And eventually the outer layer will dissolve.

How cool is that! It bounces!

If you bounce it too hard...

The kids were stoked!

More on 'Fun With Kids' HERE!

More on Homeschooling HERE!

Roles, Rights and Responsibilities (+Priviledges) -Homeschool Project

For the final project of my son's second grade, we went through his role, right and responsibilities being a part of our family and community. At the end, we added a list on priviledges, because sometimes we take for granted of the stuff we have and get. Little did I know that this porjects opened up some great conversation and bonding time with each other and also this was a great way to grow in Christ.

 

As he comes up with more rights, he can jot them down.

We had a good chat on his roles, and it also made me think of mine. I'm not just a wife and mommy, there is more to me! :)

Going through his responisbilites, it was a good reminder to him as well as me, that I or my husband, do not do everything for him. It is our duty to train them to be sufficient, and hard working and kind to people around him. No one is a servant to him, no one owes him anything. It is more blessed to give than to receive. I really enjoyed our time of discussion. Sometimes we may think that what we say to our kids doesn't "sink in", but it does.

Last but not least, what are your priviledges?