Facebook: Friend or Foe?

Facebook...it's had such an effect on our culture. In good ways, like connecting with people you would have otherwise lost touch with and for feeling very loved and honored on your birthday and other special occasions. But also in negative ways, such as encouraging "voyeurism" and shallow connections.

We are not designed to maintain hundreds of "friendships" in a meaningful way, so while it's fun to scroll through facebook and see what people are up to, it really doesn't satisfy a deep desire of our hearts for real relationship. It's like if you were sitting on the couch with someone, pouring your heart out, and as you finished, they just looked at you, gave a "thumbs up", and walked away. Well-intentioned I'm sure, but misses the mark relationally.

It makes me wonder, have we become a drive-by society? Are we so busy we only have time for the thumbs-up button, or even less, for just observing/lurking in others' lives? If so, what are we so busy doing??

For the record, I've asked myself these questions too. The answers didn't feel so great. I realized that when I took a look at what I *said* my priorities were, they didn't match up with what I was spending my time doing. For example, I found myself putting off Noelle & Matthew so that I could finish an email. "Hold on guys, Mommy just needs to finish this one thing first." Really?? Could the email not wait until later? And even more, what was the message I was sending to the kids by my actions? All they want is my time and attention- for me to be in the moment with them.

I'm not saying I need to drop everything all the time to cater to my children in a way that teaches them entitlement and unhealthy neediness. I'm saying I came to a realization that caused me to take a good look at what I value in life, and make adjustments in my time accordingly. Not just with the kids, but with my marriage, my family, and my friends.

Put another way, I realized that when I come to the end of my life, I probably won't wish I'd spent more time on Facebook...

Getting Into the Routine

It's back to school time. So long, lazy mornings...hello, alarm clocks and routines. Last school year was challenging, in that I always felt like I was prodding and herding and nagging the kids in the morning and then again in the afternoon when they got home. I'd start with my soft-gentle-sing-songy voice at first, "Time to get up, kids". Then I'd use my Jo-Frost-Supernanny-calm-yet -firm voice, "You need to get up and get ready for school now, or else you'll be late". And finally, I'd resort to my teeth-clenched-while-taking-deep-breaths-so-I-don't -lose it-but-in-actuality-really-losing-it-voice, "GET.UP.NOW!!"

I knew (hoped with all my might) there was a better way, but couldn't come up with any bright ideas on my own.

And then, just at the perfect time (aka- like, the day before yesterday), my friend Brandy posted a blog entry she found that had a free, download-able afternoon routine chart. Here's the link, and a picture of mine I hung in our entry way:

I love that it has pictures and words so that Matthew can follow it on his own too. This same blog also has super-cute morning routine cards, back pack tags, lunch box notes, etc, all for free!

http://www.livinglocurto.com/

As adorable as the morning routine cards on that site were, I was really hoping to find a sticker chart. After quite a bit of searching, I found this one, pictured below: http://www.pricelessparenting.com/Chart-for-Kids.aspx

Not as cute, but I think it will be more useful and motivating for the kids each morning.

The kids are really excited about their new routine charts. Both of them got up this morning without any fuss, and instead of me bird-dogging them about each step, they went back to their charts to see what they needed to do next. And they loved getting to put stickers on the chart after completing each step. I'm not going to jinx this like I did when years ago I proudly proclaimed my child was sleeping through the night, so let's just say I'm cautiously optimistic this will work long-term...

Oh, and I think this is a great example of how we (as parents) are not designed to do this child-raising stuff on our own. Nor should we feel bad about "borrowing" tips and tricks from other parents. If it helps our kids and our sanity, then why not??

So, thank you Brandy and Living Locurto blog lady for giving me back some of my sanity this school year!!

One of Our Traditions...

Matthew just turned five last week, which means it's time for the annual birthday video montage!

I'm so thankful my husband knows his way around video editing software :) He's made yearly videos like this for Noelle & Matthew since they were born. I will treasure them forever!

So, without further ado, here is a 10 minute glance back at the past year of Matthew being four:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By35JX_pqMc

"Are you a whiner or a Miner?"

A common phrase around here, especially with a 4 year old and 6 year old.

With our 4 year old:

Me: "Matthew, go brush your teeth."

Matthew: (whining starts, with all words drawn out to 10x their normal size) "Buuuut IIIIII neeeeeeeeeed heeeeeeelllllllp."

Me: "You are almost 5 years old, you can do it by yourself."

Matthew: (mock crying, more whining, and falling on the ground in a heap) "I can't do it. I can't walk."

Me: *insert title of this post here*

And, with our 6 year old:

Noelle: (drama-filled, whiny voice about 2 octaves higher than normal) "Why does Matthew get to do computer time and I don't?"

Me: "Because Matthew earned computer time by reading some books."

Noelle: (huffs and puffs, then gears up for the best defense a 6 year old can come up with) "But, but, but, but...it's not FAIIIIIRRRR!"

Me: *insert title of post here*

We'll probably have to come up with a new phrase once the eye-rolling, heavy sighing, and shrugging start.

Questionable School Supplies

I was at the local Dollar Tree store yesterday, and as I passed this display I had to do a double-take.

I wonder what school supply list THESE are on??

I know getting a kid outfitted for school can sometimes cost an arm and a leg...but really? A hand and a foot?? (thanks Cristol for that line!)

This was one of the funniest things I've seen in a while.

What do you value?

Each family has things they value and place a high importance on. In case you can't read Noelle's writing in the picture above, here are ours:

Miner Family Values

1. We Love God

2. Family First

3. We are Bucket Fillers

4. We Tell the Truth

5. We Do Our Best

and, a 6th one that has surfaced as a huge value since making the poster:

6. People are More Important Than Things.

The first one speaks for itself: our faith in God is our family's foundation.

Family First...we want our family and our home to be a place of peace, security and love. In order for that to happen, we need to feed our family and marriage by spending time together, with both immediate and extended family. This may mean making tough decisions on events, activities, and trips. But at the end of the day, we want to say we chose family over the busyness of the world.

We are Bucket Fillers...this came from one of our favorite books, "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" by Carol McCloud. It's based on the idea that everyone carries around an invisible bucket, and we either fill buckets or dip into buckets, depending on our actions and words. We want to be known for being kind and for treating others the way we'd want to be treated.

We Tell the Truth...Noelle has been begging me to let her watch episodes of Hannah Montana on Netflix. I told her we could watch a couple of the shows and then I would decide if she could continue watching or not. Well, almost every episode is about someone lying to someone else and trying not to get caught, while also being as sassy and disrespectful as possible. I told Noelle she couldn't watch it anymore because we are a family that tells the truth and fills others' buckets. The show goes against two of our biggest values. The cool thing is, she understood why I was saying no and didn't argue or try to negotiate. Having these values stated and known makes decisions and boundary-setting easier and clearer.

We Do Our Best...pretty self-explanatory. It's important to us to have integrity and stay committed to the things we say we're going to do.

People Are More Important Than Things...this is one I'd been struggling to articulate until my good friend Sarah Jean stated it as something her family has on their values list. I LOVE this one. In a culture that markets status and stuff to kids in a way that makes them think that "more is better", we are hoping to teach them that people and relationships are worth exceedingly more than anything money could buy.

WFD?

What's For Dinner?

Every weekend I take some time to meal plan for the upcoming week. It's not easy coming up with dinners that are a) healthy, b) kid-friendly, and c) easy to make. We try to eat "clean" as much as possible....I'm not a short-order cook (I don't make a separate meal for the kids)...and come 5pm when we're all getting cranky, it's all about prep that takes 30 minutes or less.

Here are some of our favorite recipes that meet the criteria above- most are from Allrecipes.com. I'd love to get new ideas for dinners, so if you have a favorite, please post it in the comments section!

Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients
5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins (i used one 1.8lb tenderloin and it was just fine)

Directions...
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first six ingredients; add pork. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Drain and discard marinade. Place the tenderloins in an 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees F for 25-35 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with pan drippings. (the pan drippings are AWESOME!)


Salmon with Dill

Ingredients
1 pound salmon fillets or steaks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 tablespoons butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Rinse salmon, and arrange in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle salt, pepper, onion powder, and dill over the fish. Place pieces of butter evenly over the fish.
Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork.


Seared Ahi

Ingredients
2 (5 ounce) ahi tuna steaks
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns

Directions
Season the tuna steaks with salt and cayenne pepper.
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the peppercorns in the mixture until they soften and pop, about 5 minutes. Gently place the seasoned tuna in the skillet and cook to desired doneness, 1 1/2 minutes per side for rare. If you are not a fan of seared/rare fish, just cook the tuna all the way through until it's not pink anymore...it still tastes great!
We (Gary & I, not the kids) like to slice and eat this sushi-style, dipped in soy sauce and wasabi.


Slow Cooker Cranberry Roast (ingredient mix sounds strange, but tastes fantastic!)

Ingredients
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast
1 (16 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions
Place onion soup mix in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place roast in the slow cooker, and top with cranberry sauce.
Cover, and cook 8 hours on Low.
Remove roast, and set aside. Set slow cooker to High. Whisk together butter and flour, and slowly mix into the liquid remaining in the slow cooker to create a thick gravy. Serve with the roast.

Empanadas (Noelle's favorite dinner)

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground turkey
6 refrigerated biscuits
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1/4 cup water
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes (or Rotel if you like more kick)
8oz Velveeta or 1 cup salsa-cheese sauce

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 450
Place turkey in a 12 inch nonstick skillet over high heat, cook, turning and breaking up the meat, until it is crumbled and brown.
Meanwhile, use a rolling pin to flatten each bisuit until it measures about 4 1/2 inches accross and is 1/4 inch thick.
Place flattened bisuits on and ungreased baking sheet.
When meat is browned, stir in the taco seasoning mix and water.
Remove skillet from the heat. Place 2 tablespoons of meat in the center of each biscuit. Leave any meat you have leftover in the skillet.
Fold the dough over the meat to form a turnover, and press down edges with the tines of a fork to seal. Bake about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the tomatoes with their juice and the Velveeta/salsa-cheese sauce to the skillet with the leftover meat. cook until heated through.
To serve place turnovers on individual plates and top with the sauce.

Taco Soup (Hearty enough to be the main dish)

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey or lean ground beef
1 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2- 15oz. cans diced tomatoes, not drained
1 can refried black beans
1 can mexicorn (corn with peppers), not drained
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dressing mix
2-4 cups water, depending on how much liquid you like

For Garnish
Shredded mexican blend cheese (or regular cheddar is fine too)
Fresh chopped cilantro
Tortilla chip strips

Directions
Add oil to large stockpot and saute onion.
Add meat and brown. Drain any fat.
Stir in all other ingredients and heat over medium heat until warmed through.
Serve with desired garnish.
Serves 6-8.


Enjoy!