{June 2013}

Boy, howdy does blogging get pushed down the "to-do" list!

Let's get crackin'...

Lewis Gaunt came over for a sleep-over.  Everyone had a blast and we really enjoyed having Lewis with us.  Here are some photos...

 G got to introduce Lewis to Skylanders.

 Lego time...

 We found a good YouTube "Just Dance" video.  The boys were dancing their hearts out thinking they were actually playing the game! :)

Bible Story before bed.

I was having a really hard time missing the birth of my last nephew.  I mean... I broke down at the house by myself about it, and then when JR got home, I tried to tell him, but got so choaked up about it that it took me 3 tries to tell him why I was crying.  He immediately started looking at flights for me to Seattle.  Ryan was the only person who knew I was coming.   But in the mean-time, this is how Claudia, my mom, and my dad thought I was going to meet Elijah:

(I love this photo!)  And even though I knew I was flying over within a few days, I still teared up in this moment.

Before I headed out, though, JR preached in Buckie.  Here are some shots of that Sunday:

 I think that the drive between Peterhead and Buckie is one of the most beautiful drives!  I snapped so many photos with my iPad!  But these 2 are my favourites.

I got to be in Seattle for a week!  My parents were there for the first day, so that was a bonus!

Here are some photos we snapped in between playing pirates with Kaden, cuddling Elijah, helping my sister, and cooking new recipes for Ryan.

While there, I also took some "formal" shots of the Porche Posse... :)

Here are the birth announcements I designed for them...

 This kid is now 3!  (I can't believe how big he is getting!)

Porche, family of 4...

Life kept going in Peterhead... Gideon was allowed to finish out practices with a "fitba" team at school.  Here he is at practice:

He had a blast!

One of my "to-do" items to help our mornings go easier and give more structure to our chores was to make a chore chart.  I gathered lots of ideas off of Pinterest, and here's what I came up with:

So far, this has made our mornings more peaceful and our house cleaner.  I'd say that is a winner in my book! :)

I took my big camera to a Monday Night Class to capture the fun we have there.  Here's a small snippet of the beginning of our time together:  Lots of play!

 Naomi and Amy...

Fitba!!

 Luke was congratulating Gideon after G scored a goal! :)

These kids have blast!

After the play-time, we have a lesson and then snack.

There was a particularly beautiful afternoon and I (uncharacteristically) remembered that I could take my kids outside to play!  (I never claimed to be a super-mom.)

Our shipment {FINALLY} came in 6 days before the FXCC group got to town.  As I started unpacking the few possessions we decided we wanted to keep before we moved over, I realised that it was starting to make this rent house feel like "home".

Also, I was pleasantly surprised that after over a year boxed up... 3 moves in the States, picked up by 1 company, shipped internationally, stuck in customs, picked up by another company, & finally delivered today... Only 3 dishes broken (nae bad).

I think I'll wrap up this post and call it "June". :)

~Daisha

I bet you're wondering...

...what we are eating these days.

And I'm not going to lie... the first week was rough.  I was following a Paleo meal plan that someone else made.

JR was strong and forced down the new foods to set a good example for the kids... but he was NOT really happy with the food.  Neither was Naomi.

But Sunday I decided to do my own thing.  And, boy howdy, did that make a difference!

Sunday we got home from church and I chopped up fresh oregano and rosemary with garlic and rubbed it on chicken breast and wrapped it in bacon.  (are you salivating yet?)  I threw those on the George Foreman grill and sauteed up kale and broccoli in some bacon fat.

It was a hit!  (a HUGE hit)

One night this week I seared up steak in a pan with a compound butter.  Even Naomi loved the steak and G was stealing steak from my plate.

JR was much happier. :)

Last night, however, everyone was singing my praises.  And it was the first time I had a camera ready to capture the goodness. :)

(Disclaimer:  I am a PEOPLE photographer... NOT a food photographer. :)  I left my camera in auto and snapped away.  And really... I don't know how PioneerWoman takes so many photos of each step.  And then plating it and photographing it... I just wanted to dive in! )

Last night I made Paleo biscuits with eggs, cheese (for everyone but me), and bacon with a side of kale.

First off... I sauteed the kale in bacon fat because, like broccoli, Kale's vitamins are fat soluble.  Plus, this is our favorite way to eat it. :)

The grain-free biscuits were AWESOME!

The whole family was excited to see bread on the table.  (Esp. Naomi)

Instead of a fried egg for the meal, I used a microwave thing that cooks eggs in a min.  Next time I'll do the fried egg.  The sandwiches were a little dry. ;)

I stacked up the ingredients, putting grass-fed cheddar on everyone's but mine, and served them up to thunderous applause... well... big smiles and quickly-emptying plates. ;)

Last night I also made some Paleo Banana Bread.  (I didn't put the chocolate in the recipe.)  We had it for breakfast this morning.  Naomi FINALLY enjoyed a paleo breakfast!!!

We are eating WELL.

And here's what I've observed from our 2 weeks gluten-free and sugar-free...

1.  I went from having a 100% guarentee of headache every day to only mild sinus headaches occasionally.  (Whoa, Nelly!)

2.  The kid's (and my) moods are much more EVEN. 

3.  Energy levels have been consistent without spikes and crashes.

4.  Food craving is GONE!  I mean GONE! 

5.  I have not lost any weight.  (and you're thinking... Girl! You eat bacon EVERY day!  Why would you expect to lose weight?!)  BUT... after 9 days I've lost 2 inches off of the measurement around my belly-button.  2 in.   9 days!  I will happily be this same weight the rest of my life if I can lose 2 in. every 9 days! 

6.  The kids are trying new foods.

7.  Veggies are awesome... and fruit is growing on me. :)  (not something I'd ever thought I'd type)


This way of eating may not be for everyone... but I'm certainly seeing the benefits of it.
~Daisha

Two Books that Have Changed Me This Summer

My good friend, Emily, suggested several parenting books to me. I have read 2 of them so far. And they have utterly changed how I think about raising my children.

My children are well-behaved. We have been consistent and started early. Before we go into a situation, we talk about what is appropriate behavior and what is out of bounds. Our children are expected to speak when spoken to and to wait their turn in conversation. In fact, many people have asked me for parenting advice.

However, despite having well-behaved children, my parenting was still lacking. And these books pointed out what I was missing: their hearts.

I was addressing their behavior believing that I was doing my job in "disciple-ing" them. And in a way, I was. They were discipled into being appropriately behaved children. But I was missing the opportunities to guide their hearts and disciple them to Christ.

The first book, Shepherding a Child's Heart lays the foundation for Heart-Centered discipline. It pointed out that I discipline in anger as if I am the one who has been offended instead of God. I have spanked in anger. I have made my children feel that they have to behave perfectly to win my love. I have sinned against them and been unrighteous in my parenting.

This book redirected my attitude about who is really being offended by my children's disobedience. I now realize that God's command for "children to obey their parents" is the offense. My children are not at odds with ME when they disobey. They are at odds with God because of their sin. This makes my role of discipline a "rescue mission" to show them the error of their ways and to point them back towards Jesus and being back in the safety of a right relationship with God the Father.

Hello, new attitude! This thought alone wipes away my anger at being disobeyed and allows me to address my kids with love and concern.

"The Rod" is used as a corrective tool in hear-centered discipline. It is mandated by God. And while JR and I have never had a problem with spanking, this book lines out a proper way to spank that brings the parent and child closer together instead of tearing a rift in the relationship.

The second book I read was the perfect follow-up. Where as the first book was more theory, this book, Don't Make Me Count to Three! was a practical, how-to guide complete with a flow chart of behavior, bible verse, and consequence.

It focuses on using scripture (esp. the Proverbs) to train your children in righteousness. (Man, did it make me realize how much I rely on my own wisdom instead of God's word when I rebuke my children!)

Also, Ginger has a motto for discipline that we are adopting in our family. Discipline is:
RIGHT AWAY, ALL THE WAY, AND WITH A SMILE!

I cannot recommend these 2 books enough. (I also have "Instructing a Child's Heart" in the dock to read after I finish the book I'm currently reading.)

Please, read these books. It will not only change how you parent, but it will change how you deal with other people you encounter everyday.

What Works for Me

Kristen Chapman used to do "Works for Me Wednesdays" on her blog. Well... I don't promise to be that on top of things to be able to do weekly posts... and, quiet frankly, I'm not sure that many things work for me at this point. But as I realize that I have come up with a system that is working for me and my family in our current stage of life, I will try to post about it. It may give you some ideas, and I'm sure your comments will just add to the usefulness.

(This post was prompted by a conversation I had with Claudia earlier this week.)

Claudia asked me for some tips about keeping the grocery budget in check while still allowing for spontaneous guests. Since JR and I have been on our "rice and beans" budget to get out of debt, and are still keeping it pretty tight as we work on the next baby step (we're on #3 for the next few months), I had a few ideas. Then I realized that my ideas extended to some recipes as well as time-saving tips.

So... without further ado, I will share what works for me.

In case of un-planned dinner company, keep a couple of "pantry meals" on hand at all times. Our family favorite is:

Tortilla Soup
combine in soup or crock pot the following:

• 2 cans corn, drained
• 2 cans beans (any kind you like), drained
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 1 jar of your favorite salsa
• Heat on stove and serve with tortilla chips and cheese.

This is a great soup, but we have found that we like it as left-overs because they make great nachos.

Tortilla Soup Nachos

• pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
• line pie plate (one per eater) with aluminum foil (no-mess clean up)
• put Tortilla Chips in bottom of pie plate
• use slotted spoon to dip the Tortilla Soup and spread over chips
• Cover in cheese
• place in oven for 10 min.
• for last 2 min. turn oven to broil
• eat and enjoy!

But Claudia had a good point. We are going into summer and soup just doesn't sound all that appealing. So, I thought about this recipe. Now, I have NOT tested it yet, but I'm not really sure how it could go wrong.

"Tortilla Soup" Pasta Salad

• 1 box pasta, cooked, drained, and cooled (use a fun shape like farfalle or corkscrews)
• 2 cans corn, drained
• 2 cans beans (any kind you like), drained
• 1 jar of your favorite salsa
• toss
• sprinkle with cheese
• (and if you've got it available... fresh cilantro)

So now, you've got a pantry meal that is always on hand just in case of guests. The basic recipe won't break the budget either.

Another way we save money is buying our meat from SAM'S. We could pay $3.99 a pound at Publix for chicken, but we pay $1.97. And here's the time-saving trick that I have found works for me: When you divide up the chicken and put in in serving sized ziplock bags... include the marinade. That way, when it thaws, you are already marinading it!!! :)

It just so happens that both my kids become very needy when it's time to make dinner. So, the crock pot and these pre-marinaded frozen chicken "packets" are SO working for me. Just make sure to label the chicken/marinade combo. :)

If you've remembered anytime between breakfast and lunch to take the chicken out to thaw, then 45 min. before you want to serve dinner, you literally dump all the contents of the ziplock bag into a pan that you place in a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Now all you have to get ready is the salad, or veggies, or whatever.

Our favorite recipe for the pre-marinaded chicken:

Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad

marinade: Newman's Own Lighten Up Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing (now, I find this dressing too strong as a dressing... but it makes a great marinade that flavors the chicken so much that additional dressing on the salad is not needed)

• Cook the "chicken packet" as directed above.
• prepare lettuce for salad
• when chicken is finished, let cool and cut into cubes (unless you want to do this before it bakes) :)
• toss chicken with lettuce, 1 can mandarin oranges
• top with La Choy Chow Mein Noodles
• serve and enjoy

Ok, so there are some of the recipes that save me money and time. If you try them, I hope you enjoy them. And if you make the "Tortilla Soup" Pasta Salad before next week, let me know how it is. :)

-Daisha