Soccer Season

Drills before the game :) Every week they have practice and then a three on three U5 game :)

Jack's team--watching Coach Nicki for directions

super star #8--4 or 5 goals (couldn't tell if he made the 5th) in the game :) his "green singlet" team only had 5 total..... need to remember to pass jack to your team mates AND don't steal the ball from your same team mates

my honey and i weathering the cold

chloe and luke playing

best buddies and team mates--jack and kaden

P.R.

skipped a race yesterday morning.
ran at home instead.
rocked it.
ran 22:45

this is a PERSONAL RECORD!

wooooooo hooooooo

life lessons from a kite

lessons in life happen anywhere..... today my lesson came from an experience with kites.

i cleaned out the junk drawer today and in the process i found two small kites. as the mom of young kids, i am tired of "junk" laying around and thought, oh we do not need these kites..... and without guilt, tossed them in the trash. now, the boys had not even ever played with them..... 

fast forward to jack finding one. he begged and begged to play with it. i was a nay-sayer. i said no, that won't be much fun. it won't work. it would be too much hassle and get in the way.  their hopeful eyes looked at me so i dug into the trash and found the second one. they raced outside to the backyard and i watched from the window. the enthusiasm was contagious. i took my lunch outside to watch and eventually sucked in to playing. they did not ask. i needed to join them!

lesson for me today-- don't be a nay-sayer. if you have enough gumph and will,  you will be successful and have fun. today, i had a lot of fun with  my free spirited little fellas.

Savory French Toast

i am NOT a huge fan of regular french toast... but my family is :)  so tonight i conceeded and made french toast...but with a different batch for me and it was stellar! (boys still had the "regular" french toast) :)

NEED:
bread (i used whole wheat but i think a yummy sour dough would be the best choice in the future)
eggs
milk
italian seasoning
garlic powder
salt
butter (for cooking the french toast)
bacon (optional but so tasty for the top)
cheese (optional but tasty for the top--i used Monterrey jack but next time would use blue cheese)


DO:
add the seasonings to the milk and let sit for a while--let it linger while you get the other things together and bacon started
wisk in eggs
dip bread in mixture and give it a good "soak"
fry until lovely brown on both sides
cut up, sprinkle with bacon crumbled and shredded cheese


to add pizazz, i had a side of really nice balsamic vinegar to dip the french toast in. i even experimented and put a touch of powdered sugar in the vinegar--it added a bright note that was very tasty!

ENJOY :)

Tidbits of Our Boys

i love to listen to our boys :)

here are a few tidbits from the past day or two....


--both boys LOVE the idea of homework. jack has a monthly (optional) packet from his teacher...and he LOVES to do it. we are continuing to encourage him to do a page every night. luke is now jealous and wants homework so bad. grandma tractor is going to give him some when he leaves her house on wednesdays (she takes him one day a week). i also remembered i have a "homework" book that luke can start doing :)

--jack shared today that his class had another teacher come to their classroom and talk about autism because their classmate "J" has it. jack said that after she talked about it to the class he realized that j was not naughty--just autistic like cousin benny! (he really did think j was naughty....came home every day and told me about him...and in my head i wondered....) he shared a story about the sandbox and how he knew something was bothering j so he stopped doing it.

--luke made a new friend today and it made his day! grandma had a playdate at her house--super cute--she invited over a "grandma friend" who watches her grandson :) so luke got to play with a 1 1/2 year old named jack :) i think it made luke feel extra special that he got to show him around the farm and share his special grandma toys with him. he wanted to tell me all about it today when i got home :)

--there is a lunch issue going on.....jack's lunch is coming home half eaten...and i even pack things he LIKES for pete's sake....   so it took some investigative work by grandma tractor and us but we think we know what is going on.... grandma figured out that jack was having too much fun talking and "messing around" at lunch with his friends so he was distracted and not eating.... and we figured out by talking to jack that he gets to go outside as soon as he is done with his lunch. SO instead of eating his lunch completely, he goes out to play when he or his friends are ready to play! so today we talked a LOT about why you need your food, etc etc etc.

--both boys are having a hard time transitioning.... jack misses luke and luke misses jack. it makes me sad to know they are both having a hard time but at the same time it warms my heart to know they love each other so.

Mirror Image

i see me in my kids. many days this is delightful, wonderful and awe inspiring. i love to see the good.... but when i see the opposite, i struggle.

i have been struggling with anxiety my entire life....but it really culminated in fourth grade. the summer before, my mom had been extremely sick and required long term hospitalization. it was even unknown for a while what she had or how to treat her.  long story short.... that year, i did not want to go to school. i would scream and cry....and when i say scream and cry, i mean it! i would stand at the stairs and my mom would have to SHOVE me out the door to the bus....where i would scream and cry and then when i got to school, i almost always ended up down at the office with mrs. bechtel, the lovely yet stern secretary. i know she knew why i was there... my tummy only hurt from crying and so much worry but she was never stern with me. i ate lots of saltines and she was so darn sweet to me. i don't remember going home often, but i do remember lots of adults being worried about me. i made it through fourth grade. looking back now, i know i was convinced that if i went to school, my mom would die or get sick again. i also know that since fourth grade, i have never looked at busses the same and i certainly don't look at fourth grade the same... in fact, it is hard for me to think about elementary. which is interesting since, i have taught elementary and loved it :)

okay fast forward to today and where i was going before fourth grade caught up with me.

since school started, i have had a hard time separating myself from jack. for one, whenever i think about him on the bus, all i can think about are my bad memories of fourth grade and screaming getting onto the bus. on a side note, i also get upset about the bus due to my puke phobia....trapped on a bus with puke is not my idea of a good time.  okay so back today...once again.josh called me on the way home and said that jack's teacher called today. turns out he bit a friend of his on the playground at the end of the day but would not talk about it with her. in this same phone call, josh also mentioned that jack had a tough morning and was crying before the bus came......   oh the mom guilt and anxiety started to kick in!!!! just the thought of his tears as the bus approached catapulted me back in time and i felt so darn connected and horrible all at the same time.

my husband is amazing. i got home and was ready to cry, talk etc etc etc with jack and he suggested that i let him handle it.... so, even though it was INCREDIBLY hard for me, i went for a run and took luke with me. josh was able to work through the biting incident (which it turns out jack was playing dinosaurs and bit his friend in the frenzy of the moment....and consequently earned consequences at home, lost a privilege for the evening, got to write two apology letters, etc etc) AND work through the bus issue. josh helped him by telling him to not think about the things he is going to miss but instead think about all he is going to learn in the day..... what a great dad. jack told me later this worked well for him AND this helped me realize, he is NOT me. let me repeat that, not for you but for me. jack is NOT me. he does not have my anxiety disorder. he does not have my constant silly worries about dumb things. he is NOT me. 

so where was i going with this rambling? i need to remember that my children are NOT mirror images of me and thank goodness for that. they have some of my great qualities and i am sure some of my flaws, but they are their own little people. i need to remember to take a step back and give him (jack) some space to be his own little person and find his own path at school, life, the bus, at home, on the field, etc.....and luke as well.

look at the difference a year can make

look at the difference a year can make.... first picture is fuzzy but was taken exactly a year ago.... and then look below! these pictures were taken today--look at how much weight shan and i have both lost!!! :) way to go us :)

some tough moments

we are hosting a celebration of tom's life on october 17th. we have decided it will be "open house" style where friends can come and go as they want. we are providing sloppy joes, chips with nacho cheese (which was tom's absolute favorite....favorite favorite favorite), drinks and the paper products. we are asking friends to bring something to share.

not only have i been thinking a lot about this celebration today, i have also been thinking a lot about tom because he was honored at the roscommon firemen memorial this morning. i really wanted to attend and up until a few days ago, i thought jack had his first soccer game today. turns out he did not and i thought about driving up but in the end i decided that i really truly needed my time at home today. i feel okay about my choice--the boys and i relaxed, played, watched movies and i got a run in--but i also feel darn guilty. i hate that i feel guilty over this. i even got a bit teary this afternoon as i thought about it. tom and i were never super close and i would not have attended with him if he had gone today...... my parents and sister went and received his honor. i am proud of them for going and glad they were there to represent tom.

the one year anniversary is coming up in a month or so. last year around this time, i attended ben's iep at school. tom called to talk about ben's educational progress and asked me for advice. we had been talking more often at that point and it was nice to be able to share my expertise with him. i felt like we were growing closer--i felt like we were becoming sister and brother instead of siblings. our relationship was diverting from the rocky path it had been on and heading towards a happier place.

i am not overly sad all the time. but this blog post might make it seem that way. i have small sad moments a lot lately but that is all they are, small moments that i am able to work through and move on.

i love you thomas william janik. i miss you.

thanks for listening to my (very rambly) rambles.

Weekly Menu

Sunday:  Sloppy Joes, Chips, Fruit
Monday: Stir Fry, White Rice, Egg Rolls
Tuesday:Pork Carnitas (recipe below--new one for me), Guacomole, Corn Tortillas
Wednesday:  Grilled Brats, Wild Rice, Salad
Thursday: French Toast, Bacon and Fruit
Friday: Stromboli, Chips
Saturday: Tacos
Sunday: Spicy Steak Stew, Blueberry Muffins

New Pork Carnita Recipe--THANK YOU to my friend Jamie for the recipe to try :) 

One thing you need to know though, is when you are about to shred the pork, make sure you leave it in the crockpot juices or pour the crockpot juices over the shredded meat when you are done. Make sure you squirt each taco with lime before you eat! Can't wait to hear what you think! (it is a recipe from Emeril). I use flour tortillas also.

• 4 pound Pork Butt or Shoulder, 4-6 pound
• 2 Poblano Peppers, roughly chopped
• 1 large Onion, yellow, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoon Lime Juice
• 3 cloves Garlic, smashed
• 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
• 4 teaspoon Salt,
• 2 teaspoon Pepper, black, divided
• 4 teaspoon Cumin, divided
• 4 teaspoon Emeril's Essence or similar spice mix, divided
• 1 package White corn tortillas
• 1 package Queso Blanco or Monteray Jack Chees shredded
• 4 whole Limes sliced in wedges, 4-6 limes
• 1 jar Salsa Verde
• 1 container Sour cream

Instructions
To the slow cooker add onion, garlic, poblano peppers, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, and cilantro. Season each side of the pork with half the seasonings and place in slow cooker, fat side up. Cover and slow cook on high for 4 to 6 hours until tender. Before serving, remove as much fat as possible from the pork then shred with two forks. Warm corn tortillas in the oven, then top with pork, cheese, sour cream, and salsa. Serve with lime wedge to be sqeezed over the taco just before eating. 

Spicy Steak Stew

NEED:
round steak
chopped onions
garlic--diced
beef broth
potatoes--cubed
canned tomatoes
worsteshire sauce
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
broccoli (optional)
corn starch

DO: 
brown the steak in a stock pan--season with salt and pepper
add onions and garlic--cook until transluscent (broccoli too if desired)
add broth and two cans tomatoes with juice
add potatoes and bring to a simmer, simmer until potatoes are tender
stir in Worcestershire sauce, pepper flakes
before serving, mix cornstarch with water to make a slurry and stir into stew.

i find it tastes best if i make it, let it sit in fridge overnight and then reheat the next day before serving :)

The Red Team

jack is on the red team :) tonight was his first ayso (area youth soccer....something) meeting and he found out that he is on the red team! this is very exciting since our last soccer experience was through the rec department in town and they did not get the kiddos jerseys much less t-shirts. even though the cost was about the same, this adventure has already provided jack with a red jersey, black shorts and red socks. he is thrilled! all u-5 are on one team and from what it sounds like they spend time on saturdays doing drills, etc and then have a 20 minute game. this is very simlar to the experience we had in the spring with the rec dept and jack loved that so hopefully he loves this one too :)

i believe we are on to t-ball in the spring.... :)

A date

luke and i took a date tonight.

i had high hopes for a trip to the orchard...but it closed at five :-(

instead we visited two local playgrounds and then went to meijer to pick out presents for kaden's birthday. we also got chocolate milk and trail mix :)

most importantly, we played, love on each other and chatted the entire time. that in my book is a successful date with my handsome and smart 3 year old :)

Sad Luke

poor luke. he is really having a tough time with us getting into a new routine (me going back to work). this is the 2nd week back....last week was different but still "normal" for luke in the sense that he was home a day, went to brenda's a few days and also got a day with grandma AND jack! :) but this week.... well our little man is on his own and at brenda's without brother. on top of that, it was an extremely busy and out of the norm weekend for us....josh had hunter safety thursday, friday, and all day saturday. i was gone ALL day and evening/night saturday and the boys spent that time with grandpa. sunday i had to be back at sparta for mock rock practice (homecoming)..... which means that i did not get a lot of luke time.

last night as we put luke to bed, he started to ask me if i would always remember him.... this is a question that has come about in the past few months (and i would most likely guess brought about by our family conversations of remembering uncle tom and grandpa bill and grandma beep beep always). i asked him to repeat what he said and he did. i gave him a hug and kiss and said that i love him very much and there is no way i could forget him. luke started to cry and said he did not want me to go to work :( that just broke my heart. i gave him another hug and told that him that i think about him all the time when i am at work and will never forget him, ever. he cried himself to sleep.

when he woke up this morning, he had the same question for me but was much less sad. (he also asked if "that made sense" which makes me smile :))  i reassured him that he is my little man and i love him very much.

....... then he asked me what would happen when the world ends.... oh my we have a deep thinker!

Jack's First Tough Moment at K

today jack came home with an envelope in his bag for luke. he got sad at school because his missed his brother and his teacher, mrs.heether said he could draw his brother a picture. he actually cried a little bit because he missed him so much. it was so nice of mrs. heether to help him feel better. she even gave him an envelope to put the note in and a sticker to put on the back. jack mentioned to us it was his first time he felt sad at school.... and that others feel sad all the time so it was okay.

what a sweetie.

Weekly Menu

Sunday: Italian Crock Pot Beef, Cheesy Potatoes, Sliced Apples
Monday: Tacos/Taco Salad
Tuesday: Farm (breakfast)
Wednesday: Grilled Marinaded Chicken, Broccoli, Baked Potatoes
Thursday:Turkey Kielbasa, Wild Rice, Salad
Friday: Chicken Marsala over Angel Hair, Fruit and Bread
Saturday: Kaden's Birthday Party
Sunday: Sloppy Joes, Chips and Fruit



Italian Crock Pot Beef
NEED:
Roast
Broth
1 Packet Good Season's Italian Seasoning
1 Jar Pepperochini Peppers

DO:
Place roast in crockpot. Add broth and seasoning. Add pepper juice to taste (the more juice the spicier it is) and the peppers if you want.

Cook on low all day in crockpot.

Shred and serve on "hearty" buns/rolls.

Enjoy :)

home sweet home

just feeling extra blessed today :)

i have a wonderful husband, two SUPER loving children (in fact one is crying now as i type b/c he is sad that mommy has to go to work tomorrow), a safe place to live that is beautiful, a great job, my husband has a great job, we have an extensive supportive family, our friends are sincere and genuine.....

so much to be thankful for.

home sweet home.

Shows

It was a WONDERFUL treat last night to go see South Pacific at Broadway Grand Rapids! It was a present from my mother-in-law! Sarah, Linda and I shopped the day away, then had dinner at a very lovely old world Italian restaurant before seeing the production! It was a fantastic production :) 

One of MY VERY FAVORITE Scenes! She's gonna wash that man right out of her hair... :)

After leaving the show, I started thinking about all the productions I have been to..... 

Les Mes in Detroit

Rent in Chicago 

The Merchant of Venice in London

6 Degrees of Separation in Minneapolis

The Phantom of the Opera in Chicago  

The Nutcracker Ballet in Grand Rapids

White Christmas in Lansing

The Lion King in Lansing

South Pacific in Grand Rapids

A Wonderful Reminder

my friend rosanna posted this quote tonight:

"The instant gratification that comes from yielding to temptation is so incredibly temporary, but the rewards of self discipline endure indefinitely."

i am grateful for this reminder as i continue my weight loss journey and work on getting back on track with healthy eating.......

Blurps from Day 2 of Kindergarten!

i promise not to blog a daily update on kindergarten..... but day 2 is day 2 and i want to preserve some of the precious memories that came home :)

here are things i was able to "drag out" of him ....

--the bus ride was LONG today.... he did not get home until 4:45 :S  but he still said it was okay
--he sat with sammy (the 4th grade neighbor) on the way home.... but first sammy was sitting with his two friends and then when sammy moved to jack's seat, they called him a promise breaker.... and when i asked jack if it was because sammy sat with him, jack said no :)
--the bus driver was late because they had to sit at a spot for a long time because the mom was not there for her child. and then jack said she showed up on a four wheeler with NO HELMET (he was horrified)
--he giggled at the fact that one little boy, maybe a 1st grader he said, fell asleep on the bus
--he played at recess with a little boy and tried to play with some girls...but they ran away "isn't that weird mom" :)
--he read a few books
--he got to watch a movie at rest time (!!) and he sometimes sat and sometimes laid down on the rug
--he likes school but does not like it when the "naughty" boy from the other day continues to be naughty
--he thought his lunch today was okay... :) (brought it from home)
--his friend isaac helps him open his lunch containers
--he must have colored (he did not tell us this but he brought home a bus that he colored and traced his name)
--his class has a lot of kids in it
--in the morning he gets off the bus, stands by a tree and then gets to go on the playground before school starts (tree is important....i said "so you get off the bus and go to the playground?" ...and he said, "NO, i stand by the tree" :))



the favorite part of my day was watching him wave from the front seat of the bus ("where you must sit mom when it is almost your turn to get off the bus") and then having him run to the house and give me a HUGE hug :)

jack seemed way more tired today than tuesday :) i am hoping his LOVE for school continues and that he has this much enthusiasm as the year continues :)

Not exactly proud....

not exactly a proud mom day..... i did and said things that were just not good-mom-like..... i am grateful my boys love me unconditionally--even on my crabbiest of crabby mom days.

Recipes

Meatloaf Muffin Tins: 

NEED: 
burger
stove top stuffing 
tid bit of water (1/4 to 1/2 cup) 
seasoning (optional) 
spaghetti sauce 
mozarella 

DO:

mix meat, stove top and water together. scoop into greased muffin tins. press down with a spoon and put sauce into middle (just a spoonful).
bake at 350 until almost done. sprinkle with cheese and finish baking.
enjoy :)

OPTIONAL ways to make it--instead of spaghetti sauce, use salsa and cheddar/pepperjack

Cheesy Potatoes

NEED:
frozen cubed hashbrowns--thawed (1 bag) 
1 16 oz container of sour cream 
1 can of cream soup (your choice...i use chicken) 
1/2 package of shredded cheese (cheddar) 
finely chopped onion (optional) 
diced ham (optional) 

DO:
mix ALL together...i have to use my hands...just too much to mix 

put in a greased pan and bake at 350 for 45-1 hour covered foil 


SUPER tasty :) and super easy to double!! :)

The Big Day; 1st day of Kindergarten

wow--where does time go? today our oldest (gulp) kiddo went off to KINDERGARTEN!

since i am a high school teacher (you are all thinking duh), i do not have the luxury of being able to take off the first day of school to send my kiddo off nor am i lucky enough to have a later start so i am not even here to get my kiddo dressed and off to school. but luckily, i am married to an amazing man who not only has gotten the kids up, dressed and off to daycare the past few years, he also gets jack ready now and on the bus :)

being that today was jack's first day, he and daddy went to mc donald's for breakfast and then josh drove him to school.

here are the bits and pieces of his day that we gathered from what he shared:
--one little boy was naughty :) and it was not jack..... he really wanted to tell us about that
--he liked his teacher and they read a few books today
--he colored an apple (which was not very colorful.....) when he first got there
--there was an announcement lady in the ceiling but she did not say blah blah blah

"jack, did you have any announcements at school today--you know where a lady speaks through the ceiling blah blah blah?"
"yeah mom i heard a lady but i never heard the blah blah blah")

--he met a friend named isaac and one named zoe
--he played with a soccer ball on the playground at recess
--he loved the koolaid packet for his water bottle in his lunch, his lunchable pizza and the cookies ..not the cheese nips so much
--a lady helped him open his packages at lunch...he just had to raise his hand!
--he knows where his locker is
--the bus ride is long but not too long
--he sat by a boy on the bus home but does not know his name or even what grade he is in
--he enjoyed the mc donald's for breakfast :)
--his teacher is nice and when he asked her to tie his shoe, she did :)

jack was wiped out when he got home but we made it to pizza hut for supper (no power due to wind) and then home to play with thomas the trains. he laid down at 7:45 and crashed immediately :)  tomorrow he does not have school due to staggering the start of kindergartners. the entire class will be together on thursday. i am hoping and praying that he continues to brim with enthusiasm for school.

1st Annual Neighborhood BBQ

The Crew who Came to the BBQ :)

We had our first annual neighborhood bbq! 12 adults and 12 children showed up :) The youngest kiddo was 4 days old and the oldest kiddo was 14! It was a successful gathering and all had a great time!

Belding 5k

i ran the belding 5k today and did pretty well.

time: 23:26.3  (my 5k time in may was 23:28.66 so i was faster this time--wooo hooo)
overall place: 16th out of around 80
female overall place: 2nd (beat by a 13 year old girl....dang she was fast )
30-34 place: 1st

yay for me :)

best part of the entire experience took place when i got home. jack and luke ooohhed and ahhed over my medal and then jack took it from me....and hung it on the fridge in a place of honor :) what a sweet boy i have!

Menu and Recipes :)

Friday: 1st Annual Neighborhood BBQ--Burgers, Brats, Hotdogs, Fruit, Potato Salad, Beans, Cookies, etc. 

Saturday: Date night and boys/sitter had Mc Donald's 

Sunday: slow bbqed Ribs, Red Skin Smashed Potatoes, Salad, bread

 Monday: Farm for Lunch and Lunch meat or Cereal for supper

Tuesday: Breaded Chicken Patties over Salad, Fruit

Wednesday: Chicken Stir Fry  (broccoli, red pepper, carrots, red onion), Blueberry Muffins, White Rice

Thursday:French Toast, Eggs and Bacon

Friday: Meat Loaf Muffin Tins, Cheesy Potatoes (frozen previously--recipe below) 

Broccoli or Peas

RECIPES TO COME IN NEXT POST :)

Annoying Movie Go-ers

dear couple that sat next to us at the theater this evening,

i understand The American was a bit slow..but let me list for you the things you should not do during a movie.....

-you mauled each other..... many many times. you should not do this, especially since you started BEFORE the lights went down and before the movie even started....it is gross
-your cell phone should not ring once, much less twice, specifically when a lady shows up in a scene with no clothes on
-you should not put your hands up your wife's shirt
-you should not make out most of the movie and when you were not making out, your snoring was loud enough to get the attention of many rows around us
-your commentary during the sex scenes gave me images of you that i would prefer to not have
-you should not talk and whisper during the movie....especially since i could hear the nasty things you were saying...ewww

i hope you realized we paid to have a babysitter this evening and you took away from that enjoyment....

sincerely, annoyed movie goers josh and teresa

My Boys Rocked It Running

i convinced my boys (all three of them.....) to run with me today :D now, those of you who know josh, that was NO easy task to get him to run with me. by 1/2 mile of jogging, he asked how far we had gone :D he was ready to be done.... so he ran/walked and i continued on pushing 70 lbs of small boys in the stroller.  at the 1.2 mile mark, we hit a back road so i let the boys run if they wanted to (about 1.5 miles total in length is back road that has little/no traffic on it). the boys took turns "tag teaming it" and probably each ran about 1 mile :) josh caught up with us during this time and the boys ran with daddy as well. i, of course, continued to push the stroller with or without kiddos in it :)

this was our first 3 mile attempt as a family of four :) i told the boys they rocked it and jack replied, "yeah i kicked a few rocks" :P

way to go boyer family :)