April 34 Weeks Of Clean Assignments

There is just something about spring that screams CLEAN!  You know, that whole Spring Cleaning thing.  The good news is that if you have been following 34 Weeks of Clean since we started you are already well on your way.  Yay you!!


The bad news is that if you have been with us from the beginning you may also feel like slowing down.   We start off strong and then start to fizzle.  It happens.

Can I encourage you to keep pushing forward?  You are doing great, and even if you have slacked off there is no time like the present to get back on the bandwagon.

You CAN do this!

One week at a time.

Can I also remind you of a few things?

• Your space did not get dirty in a day, it will not be clean in a day.  It's ok.
• The more stuff you own, the more stuff you have to clean and organize.  Choose your battles!
• Our things do not define us!
• Surround yourself with only the things that are useful and that you love.

So here we go- your month's schedule, including a week off!  Gasp, I know, can you believe it?  You are almost half way there.

Week 14- Arts, Crafts & Hobbies

Week 15- The Master Bedroom

Week 16- The Master Closet

Week 17- The Master Bath

Week 18- Half-Time

I am cheering you on!
Blessings,

What's On My Nightstand in April

Welcome to April!  Where has the time gone?

The three books a month thing is working pretty well for me, so for now I am going to stick to that plan.  Before I show you the three new books I have to read in April, let me make a few comments about the ones I chose for last month.

Rain Reign by Ann Miller- This is a good middle school book, but let me warn you ahead of time it is pretty sad in places.  As a matter of fact, it just really hurt my feelings in more than several places.  The main character is greatly misunderstood because of her high functioning autism, and is eventually deserted by her dad.  I do want Colby to read this one, but pretty sure emotionally he is not ready to handle it yet.

Taming the Lecture Bug by Joey and Carla Link-  Another great book by the Links!  It made me think a lot about some ways I handle parenting with our youngest and how to make a few changes we needed to make.  I recommend this one for sure!

Minimalism for Families by Zoe Kim-  I know you probably think I am crazy with the minimalism thing, but I am here to tell you that once you have walked through 34 Weeks of Clean a few times, you look at your stuff differently!  In a good way!  And while I have not gone crazy and thrown everything away, (which is NOT what minimalism is about) I have started to look at my possessions with a much more discerning eye.  Let's just say we have taken a few more trips to the Good Will and a few consignment shops in the past few weeks.

So this month?  Here you go-

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate-  Continuing on with my middle school reads I found this book while ordering Rain Reign.  If it is another one that makes me cry, I am taking a break from middle school books!  Actually, Riley has a long list of books she wants me to read so I will brave that next month.

The Whole Town's Talking by Fannie Flag- See?  I can read adult fiction as well!  I read Fried Green Tomatoes YEARS ago and remember liking it, so when I saw this at the grocery store (I know, I know, pitiful place to find a book!) I grabbed it.  I am looking forward to some light hearted material that hopefully does NOT make me cry.

And lastly, because I am gluten for punishment, I am reading another parenting book- Why Can't I Get My Kids to Behave by Joey and Carla Link.   I really enjoyed the last book I read by the Links so I am actually looking forward to this one.  It is no secret that we are raising a strong willed child after three laid back, easy children, so I am always up to learning a few new tricks.

So here we go- let's get reading, friends!  I would love to hear what you are currently reading.

Blessings,

Going on an Adventure With Carole

My boys love History, Geography and adventure!  There are days they exhaust me with their constant need to tell me everything they know about those subjects, honestly.  But let's face it- there is much worse knowledge to have and when they can get it by reading amazing books from Carole P. Roman, this mom is happy!  We have been blessed to review Carole's books before but for this review we were blessed with the books If You Were Me and Lived In...Peru, If You Were Me and Lived In... Brazil and If You Were Me and Lived In...Scotland from the Carole P. Roman Books and Collections.


 

Carole recommends her culturally based book for ages 4-9ish, but I would most definitely extend that age range.  My son is 10 and at a higher reading level and loves these books and their format.  While the reading level and stories may be at that 4-9 age range, the information is most definitely not and can be enjoyed by a much wider target audience.

Traditions, vocabulary, geography, and more are presented in each book and at the end of the story you will find a pronunciation guide that gives not only the pronunciation, but also definition of unfamiliar or location-specific words.  Your child will learn the words for "mom"and "dad" in each country, visit famous places, see what foods are popular, and even see what kind of celebrations take place there.

We were so excited to add these to our growing collection-

If You Were Me and Lived In...Peru- 

My son, Colby, chose Peru because of its location in South America.  Because he was born in Guatemala, he loves learning about nearby countries and seeing people who look similar to him.  Although all of the pictures are drawings, they are colorful and the skintones of the local people are realistic.  In this 25 page book we learned that the capital of Peru is Lima, that the currency is called Nuevos Soles, and a little about the ancient city Machu Picchu. Colby's favorite part of the book was about the celebration Carnival in which people celebrate in the streets with squirt guns, water balloons, and even buckets of water to pour on people.  Go figure!

If You Were Me and Lived In... Brazil-

We chose Brazil for the same reason, it's located in South America.  I will tell you though, because the people in Brazil speak Portuguese, the vocabulary in this 26 page book was harder for us to pronounce! Thank goodness for the pronunciation guide, although I am pretty sure we are still messing up a few words.  In this book we learned that a country can actually decide to move its capital city, as Brazil has done, as well as about the Amazon Rain Forest and the Brazilian Grand Prix.  We decided we would like to try their dessert, called Brigaderos, since it involves butter, milk, sugar and cocoa powder!

If You Were Me and Lived in...Scotland-

This one we asked for in honor of Colby's two older sisters who traveled to Scotland this past summer.  It was so fun to read about places they had been able to visit and things they had taken pictures of for us such as the capital of Edinburgh and the famous dish Haggis, made of meat and spices cooked in a sheep's stomach.  And yes, my daughters actually ate some!

And did you know that the unicorn is the official animal of Scotland?  Who knew?

Whether you enjoy exploring the world from the safety of your own home, or just love finding books you can read together as a family, I have no doubt you will love adding  Carole P. Roman Books and Collections to your home.  There are many to choose from- have fun!

   

Our Last Monday Menu

Yes, I will still be cooking, but this is the last week I will post our menu for the week.  Next week I will be rolling out the first of our Menu Masterlists and a Menu and Shopping Printable to help you with your planning.  With these tools, I hope menu planning will be made easier and maybe even a bit more enjoyable for you!


So here goes-

Monday- Out to eat

Tuesday- Hamburgers

Wednesday- Ham and Scallop Casserole

Thursday- Orange and Balsamic Chicken

Friday- Shortcut Chicken Manicotti

Saturday- Southwest Chicken Chowder

Sunday- Easter Meal

What does your Easter meal look like?  We will be having ham, mashed potato casserole. green bean casserole. deviled eggs and rolls. 

Blessings,

Gift Cards For The Win

Seriously, friends, gift cards are the bomb diggety.  (Yep, I am from that generation of slang!)

One of the things I talked about in a post about Living Deliberately was to have a more regular date night with my husband.  Let me tell you why that is often a challenge-

• His schedule
• My schedule
• We are old and tired
• We follow a budget

Seriously, that is my story and I am sticking to it.  The story, that is, but not the bad habit of not going on dates.  THAT I am determined to change.

Quite honestly, the biggest deterrent for our date night is the money.  It is not necessarily that we don't have the money to go out, it is that we are Dave Ramsey wannabes and dates fall under the entertainment category.  As do meals with our kids, including our almost weekly Sunday meal out with friends.  Having a limited amount budgeted means we pick and choose, and honestly kids and friends often trump husband and wife.

Still with me?

Here is where the gift cards part comes in.

Thanks to my mom and her Christmas gift to my hubby, we are using gift cards to go out.  It may seem like a little thing to you, but it is BIG for us.  Again, not that we couldn't do it otherwise, but just the fact that we feel like we do not have to deprive others to have fun ourselves.   It just makes it more fun and less of a guilty pleasure.

I know, I know, it is probably just me but work with me here.

Gifts cards make going out to eat fun.

For naysayers who say gift cards are the lazy mans' gift, don't you listen to them.

They are the bomb diggety!

Happy Date Night, friends!

Blessings,