What I'm Into- June 2015

Welcome to another very sporadic edition of What I'm Into! The last time I tried writing one of these was exactly a year ago. I never published it! I haven't published much since then- as I've been busy as a contributor on Donna Perugini's blog, AND growing a new baby! We welcomed our fourth baby this past May- a little girl, and we are feeling so blessed. She is awesome, and everyone seems to be adjusting fairly well. These past couple of months have been spent getting settled in, figuring out our "new normal", and we seem to have established nap routines, so for me that means I'm able to think about blogging! Just in general. Maybe not regular blogging. Maybe not super-intentional blogging. But blogging...sometimes. I'll take it!

Books

Since our new baby arrived, I've been on the couch a lot! That has afforded me the opportunity to read!

Dad is Fat: Written by the hilarious Jim Gaffigan, this book is all about his experiences as a parent. Seems like most of it is basically universal. His observations are laugh-out-loud funny and spot-on as usual. If you like his stand up comedy, you'll probably enjoy his book, too.

The Bean Trees (Barbara Kingsolver): I'm not much of a fiction reader. I have a really hard time picking stuff out that I think will be appropriate but also entertaining and meaningful. I had heard about another of Kingsolver's books from a podcast, and decided to look up her other books. Naturally, I was compelled to start with her first book. Well, it did not disappoint! The main character is a young, single woman moving west from her small town. She manages to unintentionally adopt a young child along the way, and starts a new life after she winds up in Tucson, Arizona. I especially liked that it takes place in the Sonoran Desert (where I just happen to live).

Want to Read

More of Kingsolver's books, for sure. Also on hold through my e-library service, A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty and Wild by Cheryl Strayed (see? I'm trying to squeeze in more fiction!) Also, I may give To Kill a Mockingbird a re-read so I can join in a book discussion on The Hollywood Housewife's Facebook page. We'll see. The baby does eat a lot, so it could happen. ;-)

Television

I haven't watched a bunch of television, as my kiddos have kind of staked their claim on the TV right now, but a couple of notable things I've watched have been a documentary called On the Way to School and an Adam Sandler flick called The Cobbler.

On the Way to School is a film that follows children from around the world on their voyage (yes, voyage) to school. This is not a metaphorical voyage- but a literal one. Most of them coming from remote villages and traveling (most of them by foot) unattended for hours through rugged and wild terrain. To get to school. It really had me thinking about how people in our society are apt to call CPS when children are walking down the street alone to get to school, or just playing in their own yard. (Those are thoughts for another post though!)

The Cobbler was about, well...a cobbler who discovers that he has the ability to walk in other people's shoes- literally. It was interesting to see how he made use of that ability- but also a little silly. And weird. It has some really good parts, as Sandler's character really tries to do good with his new found power, and the ending actually made me say, "what?!", but overall, it was just okay. (I rated it three stars). I admit, I'm not a big watcher of independent movies, but thought I'd give it a chance because of Adam Sandler.

In My Kitchen

Since having a new baby, this month I'm just starting to get back into my kitchen. It's a huge blessing to have meals provided by other people, and take-out is great (but expensive!), but it is so nice to get back to normal! I did try my hand at making a sourdough starter, which I failed at! I didn't feed it frequently enough, so ended up with a sloppy mix of flour and water that smelled like nail polish remover. Ha. (How you know you're doing it wrong!)

Family Learning (AKA Homeschooling)

Goodness, it's been a whole lot of informal learning around here lately! But I was able to turn my kids on to Bindi's Bootcamp on Netflix, and we watched Charlotte's Web since we've been reading the book- hopefully I can finish this book with them very soon!

My children have also been noticing cursive writing in various places and my five year old daughter asked me to read something to her that was written in cursive. I asked her if she wanted to learn how to write that way, and she said yes! I brought out some worksheets with cursive letters, and let her trace them.

Internet Favorites

I have been learning more about Myers-Briggs personality types. I finally discovered my own type- INTP. It has been eye-opening to finally figure out my actual type. (I kept getting different results when taking the test- and they didn't seem to fit me at all!) It's amazing how it has made some things about my struggles and strengths make so much sense. Do you know your type?

Something that piqued my interest in that has been the Sorta Awesome Podcast. It has been more than sorta awesome in my opinion!

Last but not least...my wonderful husband has launched out and started a radio show! I'm super excited for him. I listen to the podcast version of Raging Sanity Radio though, because his show airs at 7:00 am. I ain't gonna lie...I don't remember the last time I voluntarily woke up that early (except for church)! Give it a listen if you're into politics and current events.

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month

Hopefully getting back into the swing of homeschooling. We don't usually break for summer since it's so hot where we live.

So tell me, what are YOU into this month?

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What I'm Into (Mostly)- May 2014

Happy nearly June! I wasn't sure if I was going to create one of these posts this month. I kept trying to make it happen, and then...it didn't. Then, I "made up my mind" (yes, in quotations!) that I would go ahead and just do it, only to stop half way and decide that the world would be okay without knowing what I did in May. (I mean, right?) But then I remembered I had already worked on editing some photos for this post, and thought maybe, just maybe, I'll type up a slightly modified version of What I'm Into. And here we are! 

May was an eventful month. I launched back into blogging after a long, unintentional hiatus. I'm happy to report that I managed to publish something almost every week this month. I've been busy with trying to figure out how it is that we're supposed to promote the blogging these days. So much has changed! I've decided to venture into the land of Twitter! You can follow me there too (no, really! You can!) ;-)

Books- I'm currently very close to finishing Beyond the Sling by Mayim Bialik. Yes, I'm a crunchy mom. Well, mostly. I think I fall in the mid-range of maternal crunchiness (if you didn't gather that already). This is one of those books that has me nodding in agreement most of the time. Lots of good research about birth and infancy and beyond. It would have been awesome to read when I was expecting for the first time (so, you know...look into it, if you are going to have a baby soon!)

Also read: The Year of Learning Dangerously by Quinn Cummings. I really, really related to this book, a memoir of a woman's first year homeschooling her elementary-age daughter. She humorously looks at many different approaches to homeschooling, sharing her different experiences trying to find her "tribe". She sometimes goes to great lengths to immerse herself in the lifestyles of certain kinds of homeschoolers with hilarious results. One thing I did not appreciate about this book, however is the author's criticism of certain sects of Christianity. If you're also sensitive to that kind of thing, there are a couple chapters in which you will want to "chew the hay and spit out the sticks". If you are just starting out on your homeschool journey, or even if you've been at it a while, I think you will enjoy this book. I was utterly surprised at how quickly I got through this one! (Being that I've been reading most books at a snail's pace lately!)

Want to Read- A big ol' pile of books! Including Hands Free Mama (I impulsively grabbed this one from the library, because...well, it was there!) I think I may need to return it and come back to it later since it seems so involved and meant to be read slowly to take everything in. I also found an old copy (like from the 1930's old) of How to Win Friends and Influence People at a library sale a while back that I really want to read. I read the paperback version while I still worked at the church, but it's definitely a good book to re-read from time to time. This printing of it includes a chapter on marriage, which I'm looking forward to reading.

Television- Umm...let's just say in an earlier draft of this post, I realized that I probably need to re-evaluate my viewing habits! It's not that I've been watching total trash or anything, just nothing particularly edifying! 

In other media-related news, we observed a Screen-Free Week for probably the third time. It was so awesome. The children actually loved it, and we were inspired to get outside and savor the last of the lovely (Sonoran Desert) weather until probably October or later. The children enjoyed a nature scavenger hunt in the park (found items pictured), and also found a new passion for card games- more specifically the game "war". 

Learning with the Family (AKA homeschooling)- This month, we've revisited the beauty of lapbooks. We've done Five in a Row (as I mentioned in another post) and some of them go along with that, but I found a wealth of free resources for other titles (lapbooks as well as unit studies) in Homeschool Share. I love that it's all laid out for me. No real planning required (yippee!) We love exploring all the little avenues of learning opportunities that present themselves in children's literature. So much fun.

One of the books we read was Make Way for Ducklings. We later had an awesome visit to a riparian preserve in our area- I knew there were ducks there, so I hoped we'd get a chance to sit and observe them for a bit. They were so cool! We brought along some bread crumbs and we made instant friends (pictured). Apparently the sound of a Ziploc bag opening is to ducks what the sound of the can opener is to cats! My children named them Mr. and Mrs. Mallard after the ducks in Make Way for Ducklings. We later walked along one of the lakes and found even more ducky friends. 

Other News- We celebrated a birthday- my oldest is now seven! (Note to self: find some way to slow this down a bit!)

Next Month- More birthdays! This guy is turning TWO! Hardly believable! I blinked and he sprouted up into a toddler. 

Well, those are the highlights! What have you been up to? Share in a comment!

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What I'm into this Month- August 2012 Edition

Oh, August! Where did you go? This month has been a fast paced month for me for sure. We started homeschooling, and in addition to all my other responsibilities, it has really kept me busy. So, I haven't had a lot of time for blogging, though I have started several posts. I hope to get around to finishing them in the coming week or so!

A play-dough fish made by my boy!

On My Nightstand- Same as last month! (Grace Based Parenting). I haven't been getting very much reading done lately. I don't know what to make of that. Definitely going to be more purposeful about reading next month! Which leads me to my next point:

Want to Read- A bunch of other titles. All these unsuspecting books I bring into the house that are promptly neglected. So much to offer, so unappreciated. I've got to do something about that.

TV Show Worth Watching- Well...I've turned into quite the lover of reality TV. Especially the ones about big families. I started watching Jon and Kate Plus Eight streaming on Netflix, and ordered the discs of 18 Kids and Counting (or is it 19 now?) I'm quite impressed at how they handle it all. I've been taking mental notes. Even though our family is not considered a "large family", I can still operate in the wisdom I take away from watching these families in action!

(And lest you think I just sit around watching television all day, I watch most of this stuff in segments when I'm feeding the baby or trying to get him down for a nap or what have you. I used to be able to use this time for reading, but this baby is SO wiggly!)

Movie I've Seen- You know, I still haven't ordered a single movie from Netflix. I keep starting them online, and then lose interest. Terrible! Ha ha! So unless you count overhearing (and catching bits and pieces of) the first two Toy Story movies in a seeming continuous loop being played in the living room, I haven't seen any movies this month.

In My Kitchen- Food. Maybe a little too much coffee (though it might be a good thing...I think this is the briefest "What I'm into this Month" post I've ever done!)

I'm starting to feel the need to begin the GAPS diet again. I hope to stay on it for more than a day and a half this time! But really, I would love to see some changes in foods I can eat while breast feeding (as in the ability to eat more without affecting my little guy). Though, of course it all goes back to me...my gut health is what's causing the food challenges we've been having. (At least that's what I've come to believe).

Newest Blog Read- I almost thought I didn't have a new blog read this month, but then I remembered a dear friend of my husband's family (now my family, of course) Dena, has started a blog called Corkin' the Crazy. She tells the best stories! I can't wait to see what the Lord will do with her writing. Pay her a visit and welcome her to the blogging community? I know her stories will bring a smile to your face!

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month- Cooler temperatures? Please? I might even take the family outside. A new month of home school (more about that in another post!) And more blogging, I hope!

What are YOU into this month? Share in the comments, or leave a link to your blog if you already shared there!

What I'm into this Month- July 2012 Edition

You know I'm back when...

Was it really August the last time I did one of these?! Wow! So since then, I've gestated and given birth to a new baby boy! I do so admire and respect those that just keep on keepin' on during pregnancy. I don't know how you do it! I guess I realized in part why I don't do it: I kinda get anemic during pregnancy. (I think it's safe to say after three out of three). I didn't have a blog during either of my previous pregnancies, but I did have other stuff that got sorely neglected. This pregnancy was pretty rough for me all around, and I've yet to determine exactly why, but thanks be to God, the recovery has been the easiest by far!

On another note, my two year "blogiversary" just whizzed right by in June. I did nothing to commemorate! Boo!

Anyway. July has been a pretty calm month for us. We are getting back into the swing of things, and I've been brave enough to take three little ones out in public "awl by mysewf" as my daughter would say. It's July in Arizona, so, you know...it's HOT, so we don't get out too much. But we've had some breaks in the heat with our annual summer Monsoon (the most amazing weather).

So, without further ado...

On My Nightstand- (Or rather, on my living room side table) Grace Based Parenting. This one is full of revelation for me, even though I'm only on the second chapter! I may be posting about something that "clicked" for me pretty soon. (Brace yourself! Ha ha!)

Want to Read- French Kids Eat Everything (among others). Seems like it would be a good read for me, especially since we deal with a fair amount of picky-ness around these parts.

TV Show Worth Watching- Well, lemme tell ya! I've never really had anything noteworthy to share in this category, but oh, we now have Netflix. (Hellooo, 21^st century!) I've been mildly obsessed with watching favorites from my childhood and adolescence. My selections so far: The Wonder Years (I'm now about halfway through the second season- and as an added bonus I can watch this one on my phone- we don't yet have any sort of device that allows us to watch the streaming shows on the television). Punky Brewster is one of my DVD selections, and we're about halfway through the first season. To my delight, my kiddos actually enjoy this one. It's a pretty sobering thought that my older son is the exact age I was when this show premiered. Yikes!

Also, I've started to watch some reality television- (I have so much to catch up on, being that I haven't been willing to subscribe to cable in about eight years or so...but I digress). I watched PBS' miniseries, Frontier House, and soon discovered that they have several other versions from different eras. (So exciting!) If you aren't familiar with Frontier House, they recreated life on the old frontier in Montana, from the time of the Homestead Act of 1862. They sent three families out with only the provisions that would have been available at that time to see how modern people would adapt. I found their challenges really interesting, especially now that I've learned to not depend on some modern conveniences like certain health and beauty products. (I know there was a lot more to it than that, but that's just one area I can relate to).

There. I think that more than makes up for my lack of enthusiasm for television in the past. Don't ya think? (By the way, feel free to suggest shows for me to watch. I'm all ears!)

Movie I've Seen- Somehow, nothing is coming to mind...even though we recently signed up with Netflix. Ha! (Suggestions?)

In My Kitchen- I'm back on the allergen-free diet. My little one was starting to show some allergic symptoms, pretty similar to what my daughter dealt with in her early months. I figured a little proactivity on my part was in order. I started an elimination diet like the one here, but quickly added in some other foods, since I started to feel like I was starving myself. Not good for a nursing mother! So, for now, we're eating a lot of meat, rice, vegetables, and I'm experimenting with some gluten-free, dairy free, egg free ideas. I made crackers the other day, which were a hit with everyone, I'll share my recipe in a coming post. The good news? The symptoms my son was experiencing have improved a lot! I'm all about progress.

Newest Blog Read- Becoming Peculiar. I found her through a link up on Sorta Crunchy. I saw the title of her post, "14 Reasons I Don't Wear Shoes," and I had to read (who doesn't need more reasons to not wear shoes? Maybe this is why I haven't been totally successful with the Fly Lady's program. Ha ha). But then I got kinda sucked in to reading about her Mennonite upbringing (a culture I knew virtually nothing about). And found some cool recipes for personal care products to try.

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month- Well, it will be six years of marriage for my husband and me! Also, Baby J is turning two months old. Aaand... my big boy will be starting school! We've opted to do the online public school for this year. With the new baby and a toddler to care for, I just wasn't sure about jumping in to doing full-fledged homeschooling this time around. I'm glad this option exists, especially since it can be tailored to each child's specific educational needs. So, for now, we are doing "school at home" rather than homeschooling. I'll let you know how it goes!

What are YOU into this month?

What I'm into this Month- August 2011 Edition

Let's start off with what I'm not into this month: Blogging! (Kidding) But really it seems like I've hit a wall or something. I just haven't been that inspired, I guess. I'm believing that September will be a more active month around these parts.

Without further ado, the things I actually am into this month (beware of the overuse of links- please read the whole post and then check them out. Lol)!

On My Nightstand: One Thousand Gifts- So I really didn't plan to read this book, but one day at the library, I saw it on the "new nonfiction" shelf. It just caught my eye. It has proven to be a timely read for me. Like any other book (Christian or secular), you do have to read it through the lens of God's Word. Overall (so far) I've really enjoyed it, and my perspective on this life of faith has been challenged. I don't normally get into writing with so much free prose and flowery descriptive language, but I think it's absolutely worth the read.

Want to (Re)Read: A Woman After God's Own Heart- there's just something about this book that brings me back to the basics...one of the first I read after becoming a stay at home mom. (Love!)

TV Show Worth Watching: Lately, I've been getting into Kitchen Nightmares. (Gordon Ramsey is entirely too charming, no?) I just enjoy watching it because I used to work in restaurants, plus I love cooking, so I understand what the people are going through most of the time.

Movie I've Seen (in or out of theater): Nothing! I checked out The Bucket List from the library, but never got around to watching it. That's got to count for something!

In My Kitchen: Finally a menu plan! Yay! I've been at it for three weeks now, and it's going fairly well. I've also found it more simple this time around as I don't allow myself to agonize over what we'll eat for dinner. (Did I ever tell you I have a hard time making decisions?)

Some of our favorite dinners this month:

White Bean Chicken Chili
Chicken and Dumplings
Tacos- (the old standby in our house!)

(Nevermind that it's still in the 110's in these parts.)

And just for fun:

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze- I love this blog-she has so many awesome recipes!

In My Ears: So I've managed to be more consistant with playing music in the house this month. New on my playlist:

Audience of One
Until the Whole World Hears (should totally be THE Christian Anthem)
You Said 

A Few Interesting Places Online:

Acid Reflux: A Red Flag
Her-meneutics
In the Backyard

Around our House: Well, we met our new pediatrician this past week. He's really nice and I learned from his website that he has a "special interest" in allergies (and other GAPS sort of issues) which was totally exciting for me since we pretty much deal with food allergies and gut issues all around. He ordered allergy tests for both children (food allergies and environmental allergies) and we have an appointment set for early next month to discuss the results. I really appreciate that since the results of the first allergy test my son had were only discussed by phone. It went a little something like this: Dr- "so your son has tested positive for mild allergies to milk and egg whites". Me- "Okay. So what does that mean?" Dr- "that means you need to avoid those foods entirely." Oh. Right. Hopefully this upcoming discussion will be a little more thorough.

Also, we've gotten back in the habit of a weekly library trip. My wonderful MIL allows me to use her car one day a week while she's at work. This one day also ends up being my errand day. So while I enjoy getting everyone out of the house, on the flip side, we really get out of the house. We've had adventures grocery shopping, banking (forty minutes waiting at the bank only to NOT accomplish what I went in for, thankyouverymuch.) Getting babies buckled into seats, brought out of seats, buckled into grocery carts or strollers, brought into establishment, brought out of establishment, buckled back into seats, repeat as necessary. Did I mention the lowest temp on one of our errand days was 103? Yeah, and the day we chose to go out last week, it was 117! Egads! The highs are expected to be falling below 100 by the end of the first week of September, thankfully! Though, I don't really have a right to complain since my hubby commutes to work in this weather six days a week...with "not the air conditioning" (or at least not air conditioning that he can run constantly). Anyway, I guess all that builds character or something...but that doesn't stop me from looking forward to cooler temps!

New In My Sidebar: ChristianCinema.com is a great site where you can purchase Christian movies, and even sign up for a Christian DVD rental program (sort of like Netflix). If you make a purchase via Happy Christian Home, I will make a small profit (at no additional cost to you, of course).

Also I've signed up for Swagbucks, and have been using it all month. (I've almost earned enough for an Amazon giftcard- yay!) If you'd like to start earning (and help me earn some more too!) you can click on the button in my sidebar. It's free stuff for doing something you already do anyway. Gotta love that!

What are YOU into this month?

What I'm into this Month- July 2011 Edition

Oh boy, time for the July edition of "What I'm into this Month!" Are you super excited? I am! Let's begin, shall we?

On My Nightstand: Gone with the Wind, Understanding Waldorf Education.

Want to Read: The other books on my shelf! I seriously need to stop this compulsive accumulation of books! I have tons of books that I haven't even cracked open yet. (Don't tell my husband I admitted this problem- he might try to keep me accountable! Lol!)

TV Show Worth Watching: None. Sorry. I just haven't been into television.

Movie I've Seen (in or out of theater): Did You Hear About the Morgans? Actually, I don't remember if this was July or not, but it's the most recent movie I've watched. It was really cute, and it had a positive message that's in favor of marriage, which you don't see too much of in romantic comedies.

In My Kitchen: This month, I made pickles, applesauce and tomato paste.

The pickles didn't turn out so well. I think I used the wrong kind of cucumber.

The applesauce was made in the slow cooker and turned out good, but I made the mistake of adding a touch of cinnamon, and my son (the purist) wouldn't touch it (the teeny-tiny bit I added turned the whole batch brown)! My daughter loved it though. I peeled and cored & sliced about 5 lbs of apples, added them to the slow cooker with about a half cup of water (not necessary though, the apples have plenty of water). When they had cooked for a few hours, and were tender, I just put them in the blender. (You can probably just use an immersion blender if you have one).

It's nice to know how to make tomato paste (or tomato anything that I would normally buy in a can) but you use so many tomatoes to make such a small amount of finished product. It's kind of a let down in that sense, but at least I know what's in it! I've generally stopped buying canned tomatoes as most cans are lined with BPA and the acidity of the tomatoes causes it to leach into the product. It's good when tomatoes are in season and you can find them in the market for really cheap!

In My Ears: Can we talk about this? I love music, but I often find myself completely forgetting to play it unless I'm driving somewhere. But...I'm home most of the time, so I don't hear very much music. Does anyone else have this issue? I know that it's totally uplifting when it's played in the house and puts me in a better mood. Do you normally make it a point to play music in the house?

Three Newest Blog Reads: Isn't the internet a never-ending source of new stuff to read? Oh my. This month, I found Taste is Trump, I Heart Mesa, and All that is Good. (The first two being a taste of some local bloggery. :P)

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month: My anniversary. It will be five years! It's our "Wood Anniversary." Ack! I need gift ideas! Hopefully we can have a date night at some point...my husband's been working exceedingly long hours. Boo! (I mean, yay! He has a job!) But we haven't been spending much time together. Anywho. I need a wooden gift for my guy.

So, tell me: what are YOU into this month?