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4.19.2012

These Are the Days

I've thought a good bit about Lucy's upcoming scans this week.  They are next Thursday, the 26th.  I've thought about them, but I, thankfully, am not dwelling on them.  What good would that do?  I'm sure as next week inches closer the scanxiety will begin to settle in in a major way.  All I can do is pray.  I ask you to do the same, please.

One thing keeping my mind preoccupied this week is our schedule.  We are busy.  Very busy.  Just like any family with 3 kids and 2 society-contributing adults.  I'm not complaining.  I actually like staying busy for several reasons.  One, it keeps my mind off of the bad (scary) thoughts that can easily creep in every hour.  Two, it means that we are healthy enough to be busy!  So, that being said I'm trying to figure out some things to implement into our daily lives that will help us stay focused and on task.  Nights are particularly hard as we have a lot of medical prep for Lucy.

In the fall I purchased a new planner from erincondren.com.  This is the print I got and I just love it.  I have a thing for planners and this one is by far my favorite.  It has a spot for everything!  I have it by my side every day of the week.  Right now you can get a 2012 planner 40% off.  Just thought I would throw that out there.
erincondren.com


I also found these printables from Pinterest.  I LOVE Pinterest and adore the mobile app.  I will be the first to admit that my kids have been "loved" (not spoiled) a little too much.  Erik and I agree that its time Ella starts contributing to our family.  I don't want her to see this as a punishment, but rather to teach her that everyone has to do their part to make our family work.  We also want to give Lucy some jobs so that she feels as much a part of the family as Ella.  We haven't figured out what everyone's jobs will be but they will obviously be age appropriate.

http://thebursettfamily.blogspot.com/2010/07/free-digital-download-chore-charts.html via Pinterest
Out of necessity I have become much more effective with my night time activities.  Every night I always do a load of laundry, make sure the dishes are done and prepare the girls backpacks for school the next day.  I try really hard to make sure the playroom is clean before I retire as well.  Last night I was beat and just didn't do it.  I regretted it when I woke up to a huge mess this morning.  Oh, well.  Today was a new day.
I make sure to lay out clothes for the next day and prepare lunches as much as possible.  I got these two items from Potterybarnkids.com this school year.  Ella absolutely loves getting notes from me in her lunch.  I also like being able to send her chips and hummus or veggies and ranch in this container.


potterybarnkids.com

The biggest thing I am working on is getting back on track with my meal planning.  I used to be very diligent about planning each and every meal and was able to make one trip a week to the grocery. Now I find myself at 5:00 in a panic because I haven't even had time to think about dinner, much less plan a healthy meal for my family!  As a stay at home mom I feel that this is one of my major job duties and I take pride in providing a hot and nutritious meal for my family.  It might sound old fashioned, but that doesn't bother me.  Again, I'm loving Pinterest and the new recipes I am trying to incorporate into my meal planning, especially the gluten free recipes.

I have a recipe journal that I copy success recipes into after my guinea pigs give it a thumbs up.  Last night I made this recipe for Parmesan Tilapia and it will definitely be going into the journal.  I don't even like fish and I thought it was really good.

http://www.food.com/recipe/mamas-supper-club-tilapia-parmesan-53914

So, that's what's been on my mind this week.  Trying to make it all work.  Trying to keep this family afloat.  If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
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20 comments:

  1. I'm praying for Lucy's scans to be clear, actually I haven't stopped praying. :)

    Praying and praying

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  2. You rock, sister! Just remember that God goes BEFORE you... isn't that comforting? Each and every day, among the hectic life of a stay-home-mom's daily want to be schedule, I find myself saying, "God goes before me". I like the visual image of Him going before me, and it brings me comfort.

    We will be praying for a clean scan. And speaking of prayers, I had planned to drop you a note. As I was tucking my Lawson in for like the fourth time tonight, and was frustrated because he would not quit talking {paying for my raising}, he asked if I could please say his prayers again; he said I didn't say everything with the first prayer. I agreed. I said who do you want to pray for this time? He said, "Lucy, Aaron, Uncle Jim, my new baby cousin, and Aunt Julie." :) My eyes filled with tears. He will be four next month. I had already prayed with him and we had already mentioned Aaron, his new baby cousin, and Uncle Jim. This time he remembered your girl. He's never met her, of course, but he knows her picture each time it's on my screen. Your sweet Lucy is causing people to talk to God. I'm sure that doesn't make you feel better with regard to "justifying" her illness, but I love that my little boy wants to pray for your little girl. If we only had their faith as we walk through this journey called life.

    I will continue to pray for her in my private prayers, as well as with him. You're so special to me, too. Hang in there. I am excited for you to pray on the National Day of Prayer. God is so proud of you, too.

    Enjoy your weekend, and know that you're not alone on the ship with stay-home-mom life. YOU ROCK! Thank goodness that God is our ROCK!!!!!

    Blessings and Love,
    Selena Bragg
    Martin, TN

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  3. I'll be keeping you guys in my prayers, as always.
    I checked out that fish recipe. I think we'll try it. I'm not a big fan of fish either. I'll be honest, though, I'm a little nervous about the mayo.

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  4. Prayers headed your way ... always. And as for suggestions for easy meal solutions, hope I'm not overstating the obvious when I say SLOW COOKER! (or crock pot or whatever). ;-)

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  5. Now that tilapia looks so good. I've never fixed tilapia but I definitely see that happening in my future! Thanks for the recipe. I keep all of you in my prayers but will surely be thinking and praying about Lucy's scans.

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  6. I too love, love journals & planners! Don' miss out on www.momagenda.com! I have used their planners for years! They too have a few printables are great to use around the house (free)! And if you love fonts too----try www.kevinandamanda.com for downloadable free fonts! We have to re-meet again! We have so many of the same interests! Hugs and prayers for you!! I don't often comment but read each post!

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  7. Kate,
    Just love reading your blog. The tilapia looks really good and i think I pinned it but haven't done it yet. Your blog is very inspiring to me. I am always excited when I see you have posted something. Thanks for sharing your love for your kids and our Lord.

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  8. give it a shot. im not a mayo fan either, but i liked it. might want to reduce amount of mayo though just a tad!

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  9. ha! yeah I rock alright :) thanks selena

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  10. definitely one of the kitchen tools I need to use more!

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  11. story of my life...lots of pins but very little follow through. Gonna try to get better at that though

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  12. Oh Sweet Kate,
    It is always my joy to pray for your family! I have a post it on my computer notes and it is the first thing I see when I open it.
    Cooking is a passion of mine so I get the whole good dinner on the table thing and Pinterest is a good place to look.
    I will be continuing to pray for next weeks scans with a peace in my heart!

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  13. Lucy is in our prayers every week at my church. I'll add the specific prayer for the scans.

    The tilapia looks yummy, but I do like fish. However, I've been getting bored with just plain lemon sauteed so I'm going to try this. Now, about those Pottery Barn containers...the one you've pictured here, does it have a little compartment in the middle for dips or hummos? It kind of looks like it in the photo but I don't see it on Pottery Barn's website. If so, I would LOVE to order some because we carry a lot of lunches in this house. I have celiac disease so I always take my lunch (I work in a hospital and I trust nothing in the cafeteria except for the hard boiled eggs) and my daughter hates the school food.

    I am a Pinterest junkie, but I never seem to use most of the good ideas I see. lol...

    I love you recent photos of the kids, especially the one of Lucy making the faces in the background of Jack's photo. I'm so glad that she seems to be feeling well enough to act like an ordinary silly kid. :)

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  14. I have never met you, but have been reading your blog for a while now through friends of friends. We have been praying for Lucy and will continue to. I am gluten free as well and have found Pinterest to be a wonderful way to find new recipes to try. Being gluten free is so hard sometimes but finding recipes that others have tried and loved is always great. I'll have to search for your Pinterest board to find more inspiration.

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  15. Hey Kate!
    I'm on a GF diet, too! Meal planning has been a huge stressor for me until I found www.emeals.com. For a minimal fee you pick the type of meal plan you want for your family (they even have a GF meal plan) then each week you log on and print off that week's menus with the grocery list! Beautiful! We even like the recipes! Hope this helps... :)
    -Molly

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  16. Continued prayers for Lucy and especially for great results with her scans on the 26th. I also adore Pinterest. I have a number of recipe boards b/c I had so many favorite foods so now I have crock pot, casseroles, fun foods, food, etc... Oh, so much yummy food! I have tried about 4 that I have pinned and I have to say each one was fantastic. I also wanted to share I saw on Pinterest someone who made up charts of chores that were titled, "What I Do to Contribute to my Family"......I love the sound of that! I hope your weekend goes well. Praying....

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  17. I don't know if you heard about this site, but check out GlutenFreeChecklist.com. They have a "what's for dinner" email thing and you get an email every day with a GF recipe. I've gotten some real winners from that.

    Many continued prayers for Lucy and for all of you to get through next week.

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  18. AndreanicolesimmonsApril 20, 2012 at 6:58 PM

    I think you are doing a fantastic job!! My life sounds similar.. medical prep the night before, dishes, laundry and the need to have toys picked up before bed. The morning routine is always quick and then I come home and CRASH with Owen. I try not to sweat the small stuff and worry about tomorrow.. each day is a new one. I too plan a family menu weekly. I've got dinner down to a science, but I need to plan some better breakfasts that are healthy and quick!

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