What We Are Eating: Week Two

Recap of Week 1
I have to say, I am proud of our first week accomplishments.  We stuck to our meal plans and were able to significantly reduce the refined sugars and white flour in our diets.  Everyone was pretty good about it, except Gracen.  She was devestated that she could no longer have Cocoa Pebbles.  To be completely honest, I have to admit, I did break down and by her a box of lower sugar, whole grain Honey Nut O's.  However, I did not allow her to eat it everyday.  I want her to think of it as a treat, rather than a staple.  With Christmas treats fresh in their minds, the kids did ask if we could make cookies, so we made the Giant Breakfast Cookies (link to recipe in my meal plan below).  We have made those before, and they really like them.   Overall, I am happy!

Week 2 Goals

• Learn to make homemade chicken stock.  I will be using Kitchen Stewardship's homemade chicken stock recipe.
  
• Find a cookie recipe without refined sugar that my children will like.

One of my readers, Rebekah, is planning to follow along with this series and the weekly goals.  To keep track of her family's progress, she thought it would be helpful to have a chart upon which she can record everything.  I though it was a great idea, so I have designed one that can be downloaded.  You can fill it in with the weekly goals that I will be setting for this series or with your own personal goals. 

Thanks, Rebekah, for sharing your idea.  If anyone else has any ideas or comments about how I can make this series more helpful/useful, please leave me a comment.
Table

Good Finds

• Trader Joes Goddess Dressing (No high fructose corn syrup, 1 carb, no additives or preservatives) - We ate this on salads, but also as a veggie dip and a spread for wrap sandwiches.

• Trader Joes Whole Wheat Wraps (only 4 carbs) - Good for soft tacos, sandwhich wraps, breakfast wraps, and quesadillas.

• Arnold's Whole Wheat Bread  (No high fructose corn syrup)

• Trader Joes Sunflower Seed Butter and Almond Butter - Even my picky children give these the thumbs up.

• Stevia - An all natural sugar substitute that we use in coffee, tea, and mix in plain yogurt and cottage cheese.
  
  
• Cashews - Everyone in our family loves a handful of cashews for a yummy snack.
  

Week 2' s Meal Plans

Breakfast
Cottage Cheese and Fruit Salad
Giant Breakfast Cookies
Hard Boiled Eggs and Fruit
Trader Joes Soy and Flax Flakes
WW Bagels with Turkey Bacon
Pioneer Woman's Egg in the Hole


Lunch
Almond or Sunflower Seed Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
Pasta Marinara
Tunafish Salad with WW Pasta
TJ Chicken Strips
Ham Sandwich
*Items I serve with these - mini peppers and dip, celery and almond butter, fruit, plain yogurt (with stevia) and granola, giant breakfast cookies, cheese sticks, pickles, broccoli and dip, dried fruit bars, Whole Food's Veggie Straws (not really the most healthy, but kids love them for a treat)
**Saturday and Sunday - Leftovers or Quesadillas


Dinner
Spaghetti Squash (WW pasta for kids) and Turkey Sausage with Marinara
Turkey Vegetable Chili
Mediterranean Steak Salad
Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Oven Roasted Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Veggies
Seared Tuna with Sesame Seeds over Mixed Greens (kids will have ww mini bagel pizzas)
Leftover Night

Check out what other bloggers are eating at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

How did your first week go?  Did you accomplish your goals?  Did you learn/find anything you would like to share?  I would love to hear from you!

To see all of the posts in this series go here!

This and That

ABC Adventures

I read lots of Tot School and Preschool Corner blog posts.  Many of them have so many fabulous alphabet activities.  However, it can be overwhelming to try and keep track of all of them.  Fortunately, United Teaching will begin hosting a blog meme in January to link up all of our ABC Adventures.  You may include posts detailing your alphabet-related ideas for crafts, learning centers, games, recipes, songs and rhymes, and books to read.  You can read all about here. I look forward to participating and reading everyone's posts!

Last Minute Homemade Gift Ideas
Beauty and Bedlam - Earring Organizer and Decorated Clip Boards
Pink and Green Mama - Shrinky Dink Photo Ornaments
Pink and Green Mama - No-Sew Fleece Pillow
How Does She... - 30 Neighbor Christmas Ideas
Giver's Log - Teacher Gifts
The Idea Room - The Inn Keeper's Key
Make and Takes - No-Sew Fleece Scarf

Candle Holder
This was the Christmas gift that Wes made for me in nursery school.  It is so pretty that I had to share it with you.

It is a mason jar, sponge painted white with gold stars, with a glass votive holder inserted into the mouth.  There is a little card attached with a brown ribbon.  The card says "Jesus is the light of the World".
Love it!

My Santa List

Cast Iron Skillet

Deep Covered Baker

Bless This Home Tile Set

Lisa Leanard Necklace

Random Thoughts

Just some random thoughts I wanted to share...

Julie and Julia
John and I just watched the movie Julie and Julia. I loved it! We both enjoy cooking, so we have challenged ourselves to cook some of Julia's recipes over the Christmas break. In fact, for Christmas dinner we are going to make her famous Boeuf Bourguignon. I am not sure what we will make for dessert, yet. I waiting on my copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1
to arrive and then I will make some final decisions. Can't wait! By the way ~ Amazon has this cookbook on sale for only $19 (normally sells for $40.00). What a steal!



The Pioneer Woman
One of my favorite blogs is The Pioneer Woman. I just love Ree! Needless to say, I really enjoy the cooking section of her blog. She has the best recipes! If you ever want to woo your husband, you have to make him the Marlboro Man Sandwich. Trust me...he will be thanking you for days!

Ree has written a cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl, and has been doing publicity tours to promote it. I was so excited to find out that she was coming to a bookstore near me. I could not wait to go, purchase a copy of the book, and have Ree sign it. Unfortunately, the day she came it snowed all day. The streets were icy and I did not feel comfortable driving to the bookstore (about 45 minutes away). So sad! Anyway, to make myself feel better, I ordered the cookbook from Amazon. I can't wait to get it and try some of the recipes.



Cute Holiday Craft
Wes made this cute little wreath in nursery school. It turned out really cute, so I wanted to share the idea with you. It is made out of a paper plate with the middle cut out, red and green crinkly paper stuff (used in gift baskets), and 2 mini candy canes. I think it would be really cute to add a big bow made out of Christmas ribbon.



Gracen's Lucky Day
Gracen's class recently worked in cooperative groups to make gingerbread houses. Then the teacher drew names and one child from each group got to take her group's gingerbread house home. Gracen was so excited to have her name drawn. She is very proud of the house she helped to create. She has it displayed on our dining room table. Well, she did have it displayed there. I had to move it this morning because I kept catching Wes picking off the gumdrops and eating them!



A Goat for a Gift?
This year my children will be getting one of these special cards (from Heifer.org) as a gift from John and I. The cards describe the donations that we have made in their names. These gifts will be the last ones the kids open. After they have opened them, each child will read her card aloud (I will read Wes's) and we will discuss the spirit of giving and helping those in need. I hope these gifts will be remembered for years to come.

We are donating chicks from Gracen, bees from Wes, and ducks from Sam.

A Recipe for Christmas Joy: A Giveaway

This giveaway is closed.
Jen from The Happy Little Homemaker is the lucky winner.
Thanks to everyone who entered!

When life gets busy I don't always have time to visit all of the blogs (and sites) I love to follow. However, I do visit this site each and every morning. I find that the Daily Devotionals on their blog are the perfect way for me to start my days. One of my favorite contributors on this site is Marybeth Whalen. I love her style of writing and, from reading her personal blog, I find it very easy to relate to her. She seems like someone that I would be friends with "in real life".


I recently purchased A Recipe for Christmas Joy, an e-book written by Marybeth. I cannot tell you how much I love this book. It has tons of great ideas for finding peace and happiness during the busy holiday season.

Here is Marybeth's detailed overview of what you will find in her book:

* how to make Jesus the center of your Christmas
* a complete menu for Christmas dinner and a traditional New Year's Day meal (with recipe's!)
* a week by week checklist for organizing your Christmas
* helpful websites
* suggestions for easy meals on those busy nights
* how to observe advent in a way that will work for your situation
* ideas for decorating for Christmas and instructions for gifts you can make
* many tried and true recipes for Christmas goodies
* 25 ways to make the holidays holy days
* fun and creative ways to reach out to others at the holidays
* list of great Christmas read alouds for you and your children
* a week of devotions for the week between Christmas and New Year's

Marybeth has written several other books. You can check them out here . She also has a novel, titled The Mailbox, coming out in June 2010. I can't wait to check it out.

For this giveaway, Marybeth is offering one of my lucky readers a copy of A Recipe for Christmas Joy.

First Entry Requirement ~ Leave me a comment telling me about one thing that brings you joy during the holiday season.

1. Subscribe to Cheaper by the Half Dozen, Marybeth's personal blog. (1 entry)

2. Follow Marybeth on Twitter. (1 entry)

3. Subscribe to Raising Itty-Bitty Bookworms. (1 entry)

*Make sure and leave a comment after this post for each entry so I can give you all the credit you deserve (and don't forget your email address too)! Winner will be announced Friday, December 18, and contacted by email. Winner has three days to contact me at contact@ittybittybookworm.com. After three days another winner will be drawn.*

The download link will be emailed to the winner, so be sure to leave your email address in your comment entry.

Mom Powered Partnerships

~ Originally posted on Keeps Me Smiling ~

Moms are popular these days. They are creating products, starting businesses, and networking at a rate that has caught mainstream attention. They've found their own market niche (other moms) and are working hard to get their message out. So, what is going to define the next generation of moms who succeed in business? As the competition gets tougher, I believe it will require not only remarkable products, but also the ability to form partnerships with peers. The good news? This is what moms do best!

Here is a first-hand example. Tara Rison is the creator and founder of Itty Bitty Bookworm, a literature-based preschool curriculum. She used Twitter to comment about my product, and later hosted a My Busy Kit giveaway on her blog. Since then we decided to co-produce a travel activity sheet, using her curriculum, to be included in My Busy Kits. Not only have I improved my product with more educational content, but we've also gained visibility into each others networks. We discussed the topic of partnerships on Maria Bailey's Mom Talk Radio earlier this month, and in preparation pulled together ideas to share on forming partnerships...

* Use the Direct Message capability on Twitter to reach out to others (in a productive, non-spammy way)

* Feature guests on your blog

* Ask questions and advice - moms love to be resources!

* Develop relationships by leaving blog comments, retweeting useful posts, or paying a compliment over email

* Don't be bashful!

When you're in start-up mode, it's easy to get overwhelmed and intimidated. But there are many others in the same place, hoping to make a difference. So find some partners and forge ahead together! Not only will it be more fun, but you will probably find encouragement, support, brainstorming and collaboration along the way.

From One Mother to Another: Travel with Kids Made Easy

This giveaway is closed.
The winner is Lil' Ms. P from A Mommy Talks.

Thanks to all who entered!

Update:

Meg is the winner of the My Busy Kits giveaway. Congrats!

Thank you to everyone who entered. There was so much interest in this giveaway, My Busy Kits has decided to offer a second person a busy kit of her choice. Therefore, we are extending the giveaway for another week. The second winner will be randomly selected on Monday, October 19.


Good Luck!
When my children were younger we did not take many long road trips. However, now that they are a bit older, we have been traveling more. We try to visit family (11 hour trip) twice a year and take several shorter trips throughout the year, as well.

To keep my kids busy on long trips, I have always packed bags of things for them to do. This usually works well. However, it is one more thing to plan, pack, and unpack. The bags also take up a lot of room in the car, which is a problem when we have already had to pack luggage, toiletries, and food. This is where My Busy Kits come in handy.

If you are not familiar with them, My Busy Kits are compact activity kits for kids. They are filled with all sorts of small toys, games, projects, and activities to keep kids busy on road trips and airplanes, during church services, waiting at restaurants and doctor's offices, etc.

I was recently sent the following Busy Kits to review with my children.

The Airport Kit

Click to see contents.

The Busy Kit for Boys
Click to see contents.

The Busy Kit for Girls
Click to see contents.

I was so excited when these arrived to my house. Not only are they totally fun (and I knew my kids were going to love them), but also because we were about to go on a trip to DC. Now, I wouldn't have to pack any travel bags!

Here's what my kids thought of My Busy Kits...


As you can see, they loved them. And I loved them, too. The Busy Kits kept the kids entertained the entire 3 hour ride to DC, while we waited at restaurants, and on the ride home!

When we returned home, I packed all of the supplies back into the bags neatly and put them away. We will definitely be using them again for our fall trip to the Poconos. Now we are spoiled, we will never want to travel with our Busy Kits.

The founders of My Busy Kits are offering one of my lucky readers her/his choice of one Busy Kit. To enter this giveaway, visit the My Busy Kits website and choose the kit that you would like if you win. Then come back here and tell me about it in a comment. Be sure to leave a valid email address.

For extra entries:

• Follow Keepsmesmiling on Twitter.
• Subscribe to Keeps Me Smiling Blog.
• Follow my blog.
• Subscribe to my blog.
• Tweet about this giveaway and leave your Twitter name in the comment. You may do this once a day.
  

*Please leave a separate comment for each of these that you do.

The winner will be randomly chosen on Monday, October 12 and contacted by email.

Thanks for entering and Good Luck!

From One Mom to Another

Just wanted to let you know about two Mom-owned businesses that I absolutely love...



KT Naturals sells all-natural mineral makeup and skin care products. I recently tried samples of their foundation, finishing powder, and blush. I have to tell you ~ I was shocked! The products went on smoothly, stayed in place all day, and looked natural. But here is the best part, KT Natural's products are significantly lower in price than those of national cosmetic brands. For example, a full size jar of foundation from other companies can cost anywhere from $15-$25 dollars. KT Natural's are only $12. I also like the fact that when you reorder, you can order a refill in a bag for only $10.50. This helps save money and the environment.

In addition, I respect the company for signing the The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (safecosmetics.org), pledging to not use chemicals in our products that are known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutation, or birth defects, as well as voluntarily pledging to follow Natural Ingredient Resource Center™ (naturalingredient.org) criteria for labeling natural ingredients and products.

Stop into their on-line store and pick out some samples (only $2) to try. You won't be disappointed!


I am not sure where I first read about Goat Milk Stuff, but I think it may have been on My Charming Kids. If so, thanks MckMama! I love this company for several reasons. First of all, it is owned and operated by a homeschooling family who live on a homestead in rural Indiana. The family works together to run the company, but each person has a specific job to do. So cool! Second, I love that each soap contains over one ounce of goat's milk and is only made with natural fats, coconut oil and olive oil. Plus, the colors in their soaps do not come from dyes or synthetic colors. Third, the smells! Oh, these soaps smell so yummy. My favorites are Clean Cotton and Lavendar for the bathtub, Rosemary Citrus Basil for my kitchen sink, and Ocean for my bathroom sink. Lastly, I respect the fact they treat their small Alpine goat herd with lots of love and care. The goats are not fed any antibiotics or growth hormones, so there is nothing unnatural passed into their milk. My children love the soaps, as well. My two youngest have Eczema and the soap is very gentle on their skin. They all love the little muslin bags that the soaps come in. Try some of their soaps and let me know which scents your family likes.

*Honest Reviewing ~ I was given samples of KT Naturals' products to try. I will definitely be ordering. I purchased soaps from Goat Milk Stuff.