Looks Good in Polka Dots

Last night I found a cute envelope sitting on the keyboard of my laptop.  It really didn’t surprise me.  K2 is famous for writing all kinds of love notes and giving them to me.  I am over-flowing with love scrawl!  (No complaints here.)  This one looked a little… PUFFIER than usual.  I had planned to leave it sit for a bit while I finished up some after dinner chores but K2 was adament that I open it.  So I did.  I was a bit shocked.  On the flowery paper inside is a note written in second grade handwriting, “Here is five Dollars I think you Need more Money so here.  Love K”   Hmmmmm.  First thought… cute.  Second thought… why does she think I need more money?  Third thought… where did she get this five dollars from?

Of course I told her Thank you for the thoughtfulness and lovely note.  Then I asked her where the money came from.   There was the classic pause.  “Um.  I think from Daddy.”  So I recapped.  “Your Dad gave you this money?”.   I knew something wasn’t quite right.  

I explained to K that I didn’t need her money and that it was very kind of her to offer it to me.    I also texted her Dad to see if he had given her the money.  He hadn’t.   I then called K into my bedroom to sit on the bed with me and have a little chat.  I explained the importance of being honest with Mommy… that being truthful is the most important thing.  I really struggled with knowing that she had done something wrong, needing her to fess up and not punishing her beyond the point of getting honesty out of her… if she did come clean.   It took about 15 (excruciating) minutes before the truth came out.  At one point she told me that the money was found in her sisters room.  I said, “If we leave this room with that being the truth you told me and I find out its not the truth, and K, I will find out if its not.  Then you will be in BIG trouble.  So you need to think REALLY hard before you decide that’s the truth.” 

She found the five dollars in her brothers closet… in his piggy bank.  Which is what I thought… but I feared maybe she found it at school on a Teachers desk or something.  I hoped she had just found it laying around somewhere. 

We talked a lot about respecting other peoples belongings.  About responsibility.  About how she would feel if someone took something that belonged to her.  I also stressed that if she needed/wanted money for something she should come to me and I would help her.  I then had her give me the money and it was quietly put away.

I pray this is the last time I will have to go through a lesson on honesty with this child.  I have many others that will go through this stage as well.  Let’s hope I handled it right.

Last week I made the shift to working from home versus the Corporate America juggle.   I guess, I can’t really say its a complete transition… its more of an ongoing process.   It really has been a tough balance trying to juggle kids, homelife and finding time to work.  Let’s face it… when I’m home there are a MILLION things to do and its easy to get distracted.  However, if I’m not working… I’m not getting paid.  My goal this week is to make sure I get a full 40 hours logged in.  I have some exciting prospects for upcoming contract/freelance work.  Let’s just pray that I find a good balance. 

I’ve mentioned before… when K3 gets sick… she gets SICK.  It sucks.  Really.  The winter cold/cough/ick has arrived at our house.  And it’s no fun for anyone… especially not for K3.  She is miserable.  I had to keep her home from school today because she is coughing constantly.  Coughing so hard that she will vomit.  I am at a complete loss as to how to help her.  I have given her Dimetapp… even though I try to avoid the dyes, chemicals, etc… I can’t stand to watch her so miserable.  It doesn’t seem to be helping at all.  I was investigating all the natural cough treatments that are avaliable… I am so leary to try something unknown because of the vast amount of allergies she has.  Working today has been a challenge… it’s hard to be on the phone with a five year old coughing her lungs out in the other room!  Let’s pray this passes quickly!

It is no secret in our house that school lunches are bad news.  That’s why our children only have hot lunch twice a week and NEVER eat breakfast at school.  When they beg, I remind them about nutrition and that school food isn’t about healthy choices. Our lunches are.  Part of my nighttime ritual is packing lunches for the following day.  They usually include:

Peanut Butter Sandwich on Whole Wheat (K3 has GF bread), crust cut off with a nifty sandwich cutter

Purple Grapes

Organic Baby Carrots

Organic Cereal Bar (for afternoon snack)

Natural Fruit Leather

Organic chocolate milk or Organic juice box

We mix things up sometimes and make sandwiches on Tortillas instead of bread… or crackers and cheese.  Depends on how bored Mom is with the lunch fixings!

This morning there was an article in the Oregonian about our school lunches… and how Oregon doesn’t help subsidize the cost of lunches.  The article reinforced my belief that limiting hot lunch to two days a week is a good idea for our family.  Read the article here:

http://www.oregonlive.com/education/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1201931707160100.xml&coll=7&thispage=1

Later this morning while I was browsing the actual paper version of the news… clipping coupons, I came across an article about our local favorite, fast food restaurant, Burgerville.   I continue in my belief that the occassional visit to Burgerville is okay… although maybe not good for the waistline.  They are committed to sustainability, using local products and making “green” choices. 

Burgerville uses natural beef and cage free eggs.

It buys wind-power credits for all restaurants… this offsets the effects of 1700 cars.

Recycles cooking oil to be converted to biodiesel.

Pays 95% of health insurance premiums for employees working at least 20 hours a week.

Has begun composting food waste and is trying to reduce trash by 85 percent.

How can I NOT love Burgerville?  Read the full article here:  http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/stories/index.ssf?/base/metro_east_news/120191730759330.xml&coll=7&thispage=1

“There’s a car, Mom”

“Another Car, Green Car, Big Truck”

*Cough, Cough*…”eiaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyeeeeeeeiiiiii.  I sick. I need cough medicine.”

“Blue Car, two cars… Yay we home!”

Driving with a three year old is always a new experience.

We find ourselves with the challenge of finding foods that are tasty and similar to our old favorites.  I have modified a couple of great Sunday Morning recipes and they have turned out wonderful!

GFCF Nuns Puffs (Puff Pastry) — Gets two thumbes up in our household!

(adapted from a Better Homes and Garden Cookbook Recipe)

1/2 c. Earth Balance Margarine (or other Non Dairy butter)

1 c. Soymilk

3/4 c. rice flour (or your favorite GF flour blend, we cheat and use premade mixes at the market… works well with plain rice flour though.)

4 Eggs (doesn’t work well with subsitutes)

Organic Sugar

Organic Honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray 12 cup muffin pan with all natural cooking spray or grease completely with shortening, include tops between cups.

Start by melting the margarine in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat.  Once melted, add soy milk and stir constantly until mixture comes to a low boil.  Add the flour (all at once) and beat with a wooden spoon until completely incorporated, mixture should form a ball.

Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Beat in eggs, one at a time each egg to fully incorporate (beat for about a minute with each egg) before adding the next.

Divide dough into muffin cups filling each about 2/3 full.  Sprinkle with organic sugar. 

Bake for 30 minutes (until golden and PUFFY).  Remove from pan, serve with honey drizzled over the top. 

Our kids also like these with fruit and powder sugar or just drizzled with honey.   YUMMY.

Another Yummy Favorite… CREPES!!

I really didn’t know if I could manage crepes… I mean, they look so difficult!  They turned out yummy.

(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 c. soy milk

1 c. rice flour  or gf flour blend.  (Everyone has different tastes… plain rice flour makes it simple.  Some blends make them a little more gritty)

1 T. Canola Oil

1/4 tsp Kosher Salt

Combine eggs, soy milk, flour, oil and kosher salt.  Beat until combined.

 Heat a 6 inch skillet over medium heat (I find medium heat to be vital)… spray pan with natural cooking spray.

Place two tablespoons of batter in pan, lift off heat and tilt pan around to spread batter evenly throughout pan.  Return to heat, brown on one side only.  Invert only paper towel lined plate.  Repeat process, spraying pan with cooking spray as needed.

We made a couple different fillings.  The kids love warmed, previously frozen berry blends with non-dairy whip cream.  My favorite is to warm a cup of cream cheese, add about a 1/4 c. organic sugar and serve over warm berries.  TASTY.

These also work well as a more substantial meal, add cooked breakfast sausage and hashbrowns in the middle or your other favorite breakfast foods.

This morning I stopped at the market after dropping the kiddos off at school.  Daddy is back from his trip overseas and is in dire need of Diet Rockstars. 

As I am standing in the checkout line with my (not so healthy selections), I notice the lady in front of me has several boxes of individual valentine type treats and a mylar balloon.  We live in a VERY small town (population about 600) so we are all friendly around here.  I struck up a conversation… it went something like this.

Me- “It looks like you are heading to the classroom with some Birthday goodies”

Other Mom- “Yep, but its not even my kid.”

Me- “Oh you got roped into it, huh?”

 Other Mom- “Well, her Mom sometimes forgets and I wanted to make sure she had something for the class.  So, I’ll take these up there and if her Mom sent something I figure they can go in the snack drawer at home…”

Me- “Wow, that’s REALLY nice of you.”

Other Mom- “I figure it’ll catch up someday”.

Me- “Well, if nothing else you are teaching your children about kindness.”

And we went on our way… it’s odd, this exchange choked me up.  How WONDERFUL that she was concerned for this little girl.  I often worry that there isn’t enough kindness out there… this reminded me that there are still small, random acts of kindness going on everywhere.   This made my day…. perhaps my week.  And it reminded me to keep looking for ways I can touch others lives.  The small things that often no one else notices… but in the grand scheme, they matter to ONE person.  That’s all that really matters.

I didn’t get the Mother’s name… so we parted strangers, and yet I will remember this exchange for a long time to come.