Be Kind To Yourself, Simplify And Use That Crockpot!

Last month before Thanksgiving I had gotten really sick and it took weeks to get well enough to even do the easiest task at hand.  It was rough for me to say the least as I am not one who can just simply sit still.  Well, little did I know that this was going to change things for me and see things in a different light.  I think it is a wonderful thing how our Father in Heaven can help direct and guide us in any situation with the help from the Holy Spirit.  We just have to listen to that still, small voice.

I am so thankful for the opportunity that my family and I had to just slow down...alright really slow down!  I have found myself enjoy having less things go on and truly be in our HOME.  As you know we are a homeschooling family and as I was working on our 6 Month "No" again I decided that this upcoming semester we will not be doing any outside classes.  Just a monthly park day and a few other homeschooling meet ups.  It's not that they aren't fun or that my children did not enjoy them but that it truly did take a lot of time away from what I know we are in need of right now and I have seen a huge change these past few weeks.  No feeling rushed and needing to stop a project or learning activity because we need to hurry up to get to the next destination.  With knowing of these minor but crucial changes for my children and I during the day I knew that I wanted to be better prepared having everything we needed for all that I wanted incorporated at home.  Let's just say that I am very excited to start a few fun little classes with music and art with my children in our home.  That means our dog Blue get's to join in and he loves when we are reading and learning!  It makes him happy!

One thing that is in need of a change is our family dinner time.  It's more like the preparation that comes before the gathering at the table to eat the meal as a family.  I really want it to feel like I have been in the kitchen all day  but without the being in the kitchen all day for one meal.  I am trying to have less snacks in our home aside from fruits and vegetables, nuts and a few other things which means that I really want my children to eat more during our meal times.  Since dinner is our last meal of the day I must make sure that they eat enough and are full so I do not hear how one is hungry two hours later before getting ready for bedtime.

I LOVE my crockpot!  Well, I have one big crockpot and one small crockpot.  I need one more big crockpot now.  I have always liked the idea of having one crockpot meal each week but something came to me when I was figuring out the simplifying of our home.  Why not three days a week or more if need be?  This can go for using crockpots for the entire meal, the main dish, sides and more. It truly is up to you.  As for me, it is just something that will continue to make my life easier so why not use it more!?!

For Christmas Eve we had a rotisserie style whole chicken that I cooked in my crockpot!  Say what?! That's right.  My crockpot.  I had seen it before but had not tried it out for myself until now.  I make baked potatoes in my crockpot and other dishes so it was a great time to try it out.  Super simple and easy but very delicious and looked like I put in way more effort than I actually did.

Prep your whole chicken like normal taking the gizzards out and cleaning it, then choose your seasonings.  Whisk your seasonings together to make your rub.  After you put the rub on your chicken in the crockpot it goes on high for 4 to 6 hours depending on the size of your chicken.  What I did after it was cooked through was place it in the oven to broil for less than 10 minutes to give the skin that crispiness we like.  That's it.

It was moist and delicious!  You can do this weekly which is what I plan on doing as you can get a whole chicken for a great price a lot of the time and use different rubs depending on what you plan to do with the chicken.  This is great to do if you want to use the meat for enchiladas, chicken salad and so much more.  The wonderful thing is that you do not need to do much at all to make this.  The same goes for making baked potatoes, mashed potatoes and so much more in your crockpot.

I encourage you to use your crockpot more if this will help you to feel a little more peace when thinking what's for dinner.  Just a little preparation and the possibilities are endless for us all!

I will be sharing more crockpot ideas with you soon!

Scentsy Delivery

Kylie and Blue

 Earlier this evening my husband took one of our twin's with him to our son's soccer practice.  After they had left the other twin and I finished up packaging Scentsy orders that had come in so we could get them ready for deliveries and pick-ups.  I wanted to make sure that our dog had his walk before my husband had gotten home as I knew that would be one less thing that he would need to do after a long day from work today.  Thankfully, Blue has been getting better with his daily walks.

Well, one of the orders needed to be delivered to a friend nearby and Kylie wanted to hand deliver their package, so we took care of that while taking our dog for a walk.  As we were doing this I thought to myself what a wonderful thing this is.  I was doing work for my business while spending time with one of my children and walking our dog.  I know that I have been able to do so much with my business while being home with my children and it has been such a blessing for me.

This has not been something new, but since I began this journey I have been trying my best to really take the time to notice all of the little things that I have been able to do with my Scentsy business and what a wonderful thing it is.  From being home with my children, being able to continue homeschooling and all of the relationships that I have built have been huge blessings in my life. Maybe they are small things, but together they bring so much more.

The other thing is that I wanted to be more than just a Scentsy Consultant.  I wanted my customers and team members to feel and know that I am there for them and want them all to succeed.  I knew that I too wanted to succeed and by getting to know each other, working hard, striving for the best, staying positive and motivated would help.  The relationships with those that I have come into contact with have been nothing less than amazing and I want to share that with them.    Scentsy is more than just a sweet wickless candle company.  It truly is so much more.  I have been able to reach goals that I never thought imaginable, am fulfilling a dream and it keeps on growing.  You can reach your goals too!  You just need to not be afraid to Chase Fireflies!!!!

I Love being a Scentsy Consultant!!!

Scentsy Orders!!!

That Want to Learn, An Upset Stomach and Fun With Homemade Pizzas

The morning started out like most mornings we have here in the Sanderson household with much going on.  I normally wake up pretty early.  But, just to clarify, it is not as early as my husband who is a truck driver.  Let's say that he gets up when the moon and stars are still lit up in the sky (now that is beyond early).

Well, because of my getting up early my son is usually up early as well.  I know I am not the quietest person to get things ready for the day when the kids are asleep, or anyone else for that matter but I try my best.  I never said that I have magic powers to make that happen!  I do the best I can and that counts for somerhing, right!?!  It's more like he is a light sleeper.

My son will either read a scripture with me, draw, read aloud to me from one of his chapter books (so I can be near to help him with any words if needs it) and much more.  Something that he has been excited about lately are two workbooks.  I know!  Some like to use workbooks and some do not.  As for me, if it is something that my child wants to do and learn from, I am all for it!  It is a wonderful tool and all three of my children LOVE workbooks and worksheets.  It is a great tool for my family.  They like to do these activities during what we call our "Tablework Time" and I enjoy helping them when needed.  Seriously one of my twins could sit there for an hour and it has been really fun for her to do the whole time.

Lately, my son Caleb has been taking two workbooks out of our cabinet a lot.  One is a Sylvan learning Spelling and the other is a 100 Words to Know by each grade.  I really could care less about the specifics, but I chose these because they had such a variety of activities within the workbooks and with ones that my son finds fun to do.  It was cheaper than printing off a bunch of sheets in this case.  Besides, he has been working on his reading and spelling.  It is something that he is excited about right now and as a parent I chose to run with it.

My kids must make special sound effects with almost everything they do.  Seriously! Caleb even more than his sisters.  Here's one time that I was super excited to hear these noises.  I was in the kitchen preparing lunch and all of a sudden the sounds had begun, along with bursts of excitement.  Shouts of phrases like "I did it", "Come here, Mom" and more.  Thankfully our kitchen is smaller and I can go back and forth quickly.  I took a look at what he was doing.  Each time he worked on a question and answered it without my help he would get excited.  He was so proud of himself.  It was a wonderful moment.

I know that he works on a lot of things on his own, but I see more of a passion now and a want to do his best job at things.  I was very happy to have been able to witness that while preparing lunch.  It made my heart very happy.  I just had to stop what I was doing to capture a picture of the moment.  So glad that I did.  He could not stop smiling.  

Later on my stomach was upset and I had to sit down.  It was nice to listen to my kids play nicely together for a bit and help each other out.  Caleb truly is a great big brother.  We listened to an audio book from earlier and thankfully I already had the pizza dough going in my bread machines.  It felt great to know that dinner would still be served later and that pizza night did not need to be changed to another evening.  I promised my husband pizza!

I still taught my cardio class that afternoon.  I am glad I was able to do so.

By the time we got back home it was time to get dinner in the oven.  I just really needed help.  My twinsies came to the rescue.  I am very grateful to have been bringing my children up all along to know that family work, chores and helping out when can is very important.  Helping out in the kitchen is one of those things.  Yes, there has been many times that I could maybe get things done much faster without the help, but it would not benefit anyone in the family if I have not tried to make an effort.  Helping to get dinner going so we could eat was one of those times.  Unless you do not like pizza it is fun to help make.  Especially, when you are a kid!  The dough was already made and cheese was grated.  We were off to a great start.  My girls helped with making the pizza sauce and putting the ingredients together on the pizzas.

Happy twinsies!

That's right!  I let my kids lick the spoon when they are finished spreading the sauce on the dough and eat a pepperoni slice when I know they are finish preparing a pizza.  Oh, the horror!  I know.

Smiling faces after a job well done.

The whole day was not perfect by any means, but we had some awesome moments that really helped me to get through the day in great spirit.

The Unexpected and Special Moment During A Bloody Situation

It was a wonderful Saturday all around from a Baptism to a day spent with family and friends.  Our evening was going great and then something quite unexpected happened.  All of sudden my daughter Kylie began to scream and my son and I ran into the girls room.  The first thing I saw as I walk in was my daughter Caylee making a scared and disgusted face curled up on her bed in her blanket.  I reach my Kylie's bed and she had thrown up.  Yes, I know that this happens.  But she threw up blood (along with clots of blood).  It was all over her hair, clothes, pillow and sheets were soaked in it.  To say the least, I was quite freaked out.  My son ran to grab towels and I reached for my phone to immediately call my husband.

As I was trying to calm my daughter because she was frantic and she was filled with so many emotions, I tried my best to remain as calm as I could and let her know that I would get her all cleaned up.  I let her know that a nice bath would help.  She had just taken one a few hours before, but obviously this was a must.

My son overheard me mention a bath and he runs to the bathroom.  The next thing that I hear is the water turned on and he is letting me know that he is getting things ready for her to get in the bath.  I was overwhelmed with the warmest feeling inside.  I personally felt lifted up.  With my husband gone at the time, I was scared.  We dealt with some issues with our twins when they were babies and I immediately began to have flashbacks.

I am very thankful for the thoughtfulness and great concern my son had that night.  It brought tears of joy.  Caylee was quite the trooper herself. She does not handle situations like that very well and she did her best to cheer up her sister from the other side of the room.  She is known to make herself sick by witnessing a situation like that one.

I am glad to share that after she was cleaned up and everything was being washed, we watched a movie together and what was left of the night went smoothly as possible.  Soon we will find out what is going on as other experiences have been happening.  Staying positive.

A fresh start with everything clean again!

Patience Leads To A Win

I just love having a family dinner every night!  Every night I have a vision that it will look like one of those Pillsbury commercials where everyone is laughing, having a grand time and the only minor argument is over who gets the last biscuit.  I know, can't a mom dream.  Don' t get me wrong, some dinners are awesome and I feel like Rocky.  But, there are also those dinners that are not as pleasant and that is when PATIENCE is everything and more.

My children enjoy eating fruits and vegetables, but when it comes to dinner time, you would think that they have never tried a vegetable in their life.  My children used to watch Yo Gabba Gabba and let me just say, there was an episode that made me want to laugh and be afraid at the same time.  It was all about eating those healthy foods, which is awesome.  But, they sang this song and the food started talking about going to the party in this character's stomach and it made me laugh.  Then, as my twins were two at the time and watching this with a scared look on their face, I thought how scary for a young child to watch their food talking to them.

Now my girls are three.  Yes, they will be four in May, but I do not do the whole my child is three in a quarter, three in a half, or three and three quarters.  Not that I have a problem with any parent who does, but I have been getting asked lately if they are almost to the next age.  Honestly, I am just trying my best to cherish each age and when my children have a birthday, then I am ready to move forward.  For now, they are just three and my son is just six!  It works for me.

 Now, onto dinner last night at my house.

My husband and I enjoyed dinner last night with our children.  At the beginning, not so much, but by the end I could hear angels singing, the drummer boy drumming and the Holy Spirit softly whisper in my ear!  Yes, it felt amazing and brightened my spirits tremendously. 

I tried a new chicken recipe called Crispy Ranch Chicken, which we had with fresh steamed broccoli, mashed potatoes and homemade buttermilk cheddar biscuits.  Very delicious!  But, sometiomes kids do not like the idea of something new and having patience was what I needed.  My husband, son and I ate our food, while the girls refused to try anything.  Instead they wanted a snack.  Poor girls.  In my house you can have a snack in the evening, only after you have eaten your dinner, not as a replacement.  Very calmly they each were taken to their room, because it would not be fair to take time away from our son and family conversation. 

Well, not to our surprise, the girls decided to come back to the table and eat their dinner with us.  See, it was not so bad and someone really liked the new tasty chicken recipe.

Patience is something needed not only during dinner time, but all of the time.  I know it sounds like a lot when as adults in this fast paced world, some cannot wait that extra five minutes at the grocery store, or drive the normal speed limit because they need to put the pedal to the metal, only to find themselves next to me again at the stop light.  It is true, we all could use more patience in a world of wanting everything to be done right now.  We just need to slow down and enjoy each moment. 

Everyday I find myself striving to be just a tad bit more patient and it is paying off. 

2 Peter 1:6
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness

I'm trying to be like Jesus and be more christlike each and every day.  What great patience he had and how his love showed thru this.  That is what I am striving for.  Being a wife and mother has helped me along this journey and I would not change a thing.

Dinner tonight was amazing, as everyone loves nachos.  We did try a new chicken marinade that I named Fiesta Lime Chicken and it is one we will add to our recipe book!

My children enjoy family read aloud time before bed!

I Am A Mom And So Much More

Alright, I have been having feelings off and on for a while now that had left me feeling that to the world I am just a Mom. 

I know, that is ridiculous. 

Truly, I am so much more and not to mention a Daughter of a Heavenly King!

Let me explain how these feelings had come about.

I went from working and going to school with one child, to going to school and back to work after having twins, then eventually to staying home with all three of my wonderful children and homeschooling.

So many changes in really short amounts of time.

To my children I am their Mom and to my husband I am his wife and mother of his children, but sometimes you forget that there is so much more to yourself.  At least, this happened to me. 

I am sharing this because it felt so strange to have these feelings inside of me, being the bubbly and outgoing person that I am.  It was as if everything that made me who I am up to a certain point was no more.

 How could that be?

Well, it couldn't possibly be and deep inside I knew I had to keep searching for the rest of myself.  I knew I had so many gifts and talents to share with the world if I could just get passed this. 

Well, guess what?  Last week I had an EPIPHANY!!!  I am so blessed and grateful that I did.

Honestly, I feel like little seeds were being planted all along that I was just not aware of.

It started with what seemed like little things that were obviously huge steps into the light for me.  I started scheduling workouts for myself, joined my church ward choir, started giving a friend cello lessons, and started my own business, to name a few.  How excited I have been.  I am such the frugal gal and it has been awesome to keep sharpening my skills with couponing and other saving strategies.

My children see my drive and the passion in the things that I do and I know it is very inspiring to them as well. 

I am more than a mom who deeply loves her children.  I am a daughter, wife, sister, niece, cousin, and friend.  I enjoy playing my cello, singing, being a consultant, staying fit, cooking, couponing, being frugal and chic, reading, learning, and so much more. 


But, you get the picture.


Even before my epiphany, I was still happy and enjoyed my calling as being a stay at home mother, but I do not feel defined by this one aspect at all and I know my children, husband, family and friends all see me as more as well, and this is a great feeling!

Dinner Anyone?

You know when you put a lot of thought into your family dinner and you are sure that everyone will be so pleased, but nope, it's just not the case?

Oh, yes!

I sure felt that this evening.

As a mother we can all have our emotional moments and this was one of mine.  Yes, I am sharing this with you and it is quite alright. 

You see, I enjoy being in the kitchen.  Call it my sanctuary, if you will.  But, I have been so happy with my new cookbooks and working on my meal planning.  I have it painted in colors I love and it has become my canvas of art that gets daily use out of it.  I create in this special room and then create some more.

Last night I made nachos for a Mexican inspired dinner and it was a huge hit for the whole family.  I only wanted to have another hit this evening, but with an Asian inspired dinner.  I made cream cheese wonton, beefy wonton, chow mein, veggies and beefy fried rice.  My husband Scott, daughter Caylee, as well as myself all enjoyed this feast.  My son Caleb and daughter Kylie did not.

 I immediately became sad and felt that our nice family dinner was not so nice anymore. 

But, then a thought came into my mind.  I really feel it was the Holy Spirit softly whispering to me that everything will be ok, they are kids.

Well, this was totally right and put my feelings to ease.

Kids are known to be picky eaters.  I know that my kids can be picky eaters at times, but it was just the simple fact that I was sure they would love dinner and appreciate all of my preparation for the meal.  I am truly grateful for my loving husband who enjoyed the feast and really made me feel like a queen of the kitchen.  Sometimes, I will not be able to please everyone, but it does not stop me from trying one bit.

This was just one of those dinners.

We have so many dinners that bring me joy, which is why I must keep on cooking!

Time For A Wonderful Season

Things always seem busy in the Sanderson house.  But, this is the season in which things seem to get even busier.  Yet, somehow we are able to enjoy the little moments even more!  Snuggles and reading stories with extra blankets on the couch or in my childrens rooms, having hot chocolate not because of the weather, but just becasue we can and with extra marshmellows.  That is the way Caleb likes to have it.  So many precious moments that I wish I could just capture in a jar and open it to relive that moment at any time.  That would be quite awesome! 

I have always been quite the planner.  Things needed to be followed accordingly, or I would just feel that things were falling apart.  Bring the twins into the picture and it was just total chaos for quite some time.  Have a schedule?  You could just throw it out the window.  What was the point?  It took me a long time to learn that it was alright to have a schedule, but to know that if things did not go accordingly to plan it would not be the end of me or the world for that matter.  Don't get me wrong, I still like to stick to somewhat of a schedule for the structure of my family, but I do not fill it in down to the mintue of every hour. 

I enjoy the month of December so much!  My heart is filled with so much joy.  The lighting of the candles, visiting with family and friends and so much more just really keep it going.  My children enjoyed helping to decorate our house and put up the Christmas tree and we have been making crafts, such as our paper roll Nativity Set.  It has been so much fun to enjoy these things with my family.  The girls are totally into it this year and really are starting to understand what the Christmas season is all about and it has been great to already see how Caleb thinks of others and has been wanting to help and adds things on his Christmas list that are not for him.  It melts my heart.

Today we enjoyed putting puzzles together, coloring, practicing our French with Pezi le chien, taking bikes and a scooter to the park to release some energy, read more about the Donner Party Expedition in our historical fiction book and so much more.  No matter how much sleep I do not get, I would not change these precious moments for anything in the world!  I am truly blessed!

  

We Are Like Plants

We are growing everyday starting in our mother's womb.  Heavenly Father has created us in his image and so we should not doubt.  We were put on this earth to be different and to grow within our environments.  Each and every one of us.  Whether we homeschool or put our children in public school, we want the best for them.  Am I right?  I know that I want the best for my own children.  I want them to grow up in a nourished environment.  Who better to decide what that is than parents themselves.  Erik Erikson, a psychologist stated that children are distinct and to effectively be able to teach them, we must understand and know their differences.  I know that this is very true.  The way I teach my son is different from the way I teach my twins, and each of them also learn differently.  This is how it was meant to be. 

We are like plants.  Even though plants may look the same, they are different.  Each one grew differently starting as a seed.  Without getting all of what it needs, then it would not make it.  The same goes for us humans.  We each have our own journey in life and it is crucial for us to go through phases and be nourished the whole way.  I like to think of the sunlight for a plant as the positive environment and reinforcement needed for us. 

My kids and I are always working on doing things together, I am doing my best to individualize my expectations for each of them and really focus on their strengths.  This is what my children need from me.  I am also working on myself and my own journey along the way.  All I can do is try my best each and everyday.  We all have our off days.  Who doesn't?  Let's not let this deter us from what our goals are for our children and ourselves. 

Being a parent is not the easiest thing and we are always learning.  But, Heavenly Father gave us this responsibility and he knows that we can do this!  I know we can too!