Delish Dish

While this isn't the most Martha Stewart food picture I've ever seen/taken I snapped it really quick because it is one of our favorite meals and I wanted to share the recipe with you.

We love to grill in the summer all the time and I made up this marinade/recipe a couple of years ago. Enjoy!

Citrus Grilled Chicken and Quinoa
4 chicken breasts
***taco seasoning (see below)
1/2 c. orange juice
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
2 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. minced garlic OR 1 clove fresh
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. water

Marinate the chicken overnight if you buy fresh, or marinate until defrosted if you buy frozen.
Grill!

To make the quinoa, use the marinade from the chicken combined with 1 c. water and cook 1 c. quinoa for 10 minutes in the mixture. (Bring to a boil and then boil low/simmer until done) It will be kinda foamy/frothy because of the marinade...that is normal.

Serves 4

***We quit using commercial taco seasoning because some of the ingredients are less than desirable...MSG and "food grade" silica gel (really? Food grade???) Instead we use this concoction to make our own seasoning. If you don't want to make your own, use 1/2 packet of taco seasoning instead. Carrie posted it here a few weeks ago, I didn't make it up.
1 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano

Let me know if you try it/it works out for you.
Quinoa is a grain...you find it in whole food/organic sections of the store. It is kinda like a little circle with a crescent shaped 'germ' ring around one side. When it is fully cooked it is translucent with the germ very pronounced...#1 says the germ looks like baby fingernail trimmings...gross. Quinoa is also gluten-free

Look Out!

Look out world! Here they come! My boys are on the move!

Snug is (finally) starting to pedal his own tricycle!

And this blanket-sitter? Well...

...he is on the move too!
Yep, he is offically creeping. I used to call it crawling, but what did I know? He never even really crawled (belly on the floor pulling oneself along)...he just got up on his hands and knees toes and is cruising along!

How are solids and self-feeding coming along you ask? (You notice I waited not much time to let him dig into real food)

Hmmmm....yeah, I like LOVE them!

I have to continue to weigh him weekly and make sure he is getting 1,000 calories a day, but he is allowed to eat anything he doesn't gag on/is age appropriate!

And we are just tickled!

I didn't do Wordless Wednesday this week because I was busy, but I had two...you can enjoy them with me on a Friday as well as on a Wednesday I figure...besides, when I have ever been wordless????

Praise God

I can't post much tonight because I really need to be getting to bed, but I just wanted to quick say that today's doctor appointment with Baby J was very positive. He weighs 17 lbs 14 oz, and is in the 10th percentile. He is a full 3 lbs heavier than he was in November and 4 lbs heavier than he was in April/March when we really started to get worried.
He is now 27.5 inches which puts him in the 5th percentile for length.

He does not have to go to the GI doctor for THREE MONTHS!!!!

He is starting solids!!!!!

He started creeping tonight (I used to call it crawling, but what did I know?) up on hands and knees moving across the floor!!!!

We are so thankful, but we are also not forgetting the people out there like the Freemans who are not getting such good news about their little ones...but they are still praising God too. In good times or in bad we need to praise Him. I just find it so much easier when things are good. Not the answer I should have, but definitely the truth.

Stellan-home and doing great! No more SVT that they can tell

Abby-home, doing well, but waiting to start chemo again

Kayleigh-still in the hospital, waiting to go home to live out her remaining time

Alphabitty Moments

Yeah! It is Thursday! Mama Bear created Alphabitty Moments to help capture those little things in life that we might otherwise forget. You can click here to participate/see other people's/check out her letter Ks this week!

For those of you who know me, you know we had to get a new computer recently and I don't have my photo editing software accessible yet...these pictures will be layed out quite differently and cropped etc., but for now please enjoy K is for Kisses!

Auntie D. kissing Snug when he was about 7 months old...he had applesauce that contained sugar for the first time at this restaurant and the sugar high made him pass right out! Auntie D. is our kids' Godmother (legal guardian) should anything happen to #1 and myself.

Taken shortly after Baby J came home from the hospital.

My cousin Melissa's son giving Snug some lovin' back in October...

Puppy love kisses. The dogs are not supposed to be kissing on the kids. I DO think it is gross when they lick the kids faces, but this was a cute picture nonetheless.

Mommy smooches the kiddos like crazy...all too son they are not going to want me to do it...I need to get as many in as possible.

Snug kissing on Baby J back when he was in the hospital.

Thanks for coming over to see what K is for us...go check out everyone else's!

Baby J will be visiting the GI doctor today...I will tweet what he weighs and then put up a post about what she says later...he is seriously getting HUGE and although last time I was pretty surprised they didn't let him start solids (I did anyway though, that boy practices with Cheerios* every morning...don't tell) I will be shocked if they say no again this time. I really think he needs the go-ahead on fruits and veggies.

*He gets like 10...and maybe 2 make it to his mouth...not that big a deal I'm sure. Certainly not interferring with his calorie intake...he's up to 1,200 calories a day. C-R-A-Z-Y. If I were to diet...which I of course am not because that would be no fun, my recommended calorie intake is between 1,400-1,700 calories a day. Double C-R-A-Z-Y.

Organization 101

Ha! Organization 101 is so not a great title, but it was all I could think of. I am not very good at keeping things organized. Mama Bear over at the campground came up with a great idea to have people share how they organize their homes/children/clutter so that we can ALL get some ideas this spring. Everyone is encouraged to either put up a blog post about it, or leave a comment so we can all get organized this spring! She has included a contest in the whole thing to encourage people to participate. Please share!

I get asked quite a bit "how I do it" with so many kids everyday. First off if my husband didn't help me I don't know what I'd do. Now that he is on 12 hour shifts I am a bit nervous. Bit being an understatement. Secondly, I feel like I am getting crazier as the days go by. However, I do take up to 6 small children into public at a time by myself, and while it is not my favorite thing to do, it is do-able and crazy.
We'll start with the van. You can't see all of them but there are five carseats/boosters in this picture. We have a specific order we all get in and out of the van, and 'jobs'. I think I learned this from my friend in Michigan who has 10 of her own. Mother Hen, Little M, and Little Miss E get in in that order. Then I put Baby J in his seat and Snug climbs in last. I then get in, close all the doors, and buckle everyone in. I climb into the front seat without getting back out. When we get out, Mother Hen is in charge of unbuckling everyone in the backseat while I get everyone in the front. No one gets out until I call their name when it is their turn to get on the stroller/get a buddy's hand to hold.

Welcome to my entryway. It consists of a small closet and three coat racks. The adult one isn't pictured, but it is where #1 and I each get to hang one (although anyone who has been to our house knows we don't follow that rule well) jacket, and we have a small basket hanging there that keys go in and our camera hangs there too. These two coat racks are for the kids. On the top is fone for my kids. Their jackets and hats hang there. Snug has a small bag that we put winter hats/gloves in or sunglasses/sunscreen to keep them handy.
The coat rack on the bottom is for my Draycare kids. They each have a spot (unless I have several extra) to hang their jacket and under it they have a spot for their tote bag (Little Miss E's was left here today so you can see one). Their tote bag contains any small things they bring along and I don't want lost or papers/projects they have done during the day. Underneath it is the shoe bin everyone's shoes go in. Some of them have play shoes that stay here.

From my entryway you go to my kitchen. Our meals are always planned a week in advance. Not only do I never have to think "hmmm, what to make for supper?" I also can buy things in bulk and plan a few weeks ahead of time if need be. I included pictures of my glass canisters (mostly from IKEA) that I keep my grains, beans, pasta, and rice in. This helps me know when things are getting low. I don't judge things in boxes very well and I get tired of bags ripping. The shelf in the top picture is above my stove and cupboards. I am kinda vertically challenged so I keep a stool in the kitchen so I can reach them. Snug uses this stool to help me around the kitchen reach things he shouldn't. Recipe box pictured in the bottom picture has all the recipes I will be using for the week on top, in the order needed. I dig for them once to make my grocery list. As I use them , I put them away again.

While I am getting paid to watch children, I also expect them to pull their weight around here. I treat them like they are my own children, and we say that this is our "family" while we are together. All the plates and bowls are at child level and they set the table for meals. Most of them can also reach the silverware, and big kids are expected to help little kids. They also clear their own spot when they are done eating...thus the plastic dishes. They are not tall enough to set things nicely in the sink, so they get tossed/thrown/dumped into the sink and I'd rather not replace all the dishes once a week.

On to the dining room. This cupboard houses our phone and big people dishes on top, and preschool activities on the bottom. We try to have school sessions at least twice a week where we work on letters/numbers/colors/shapes/fine motor skills/problem solving. Each bin has a certain supply and puzzles are on the bottom right.

I love using boxes and baskets to organize...but sometimes I go overboard and things get cluttered. Anyway, this is how we organize mail. We have a basket for unopened mail, mail for each of us, and one for things that need to be filed or taken care of. Does it work? Um....for about a week...and then all the mail gets dumped on the table again. Grrr

Here are our rules and schedule. Our calendar (for the kids to learn, not to organize our schedule) is on the left. We follow the same schedule every week. It gets varied a bit depending on school pick ups and drop offs, but pretty much the same.

So this is kinda an embarassing picture because this is what the boys' room looks like right now. REALLY messy. I am in the process of switching winter/summer clothes and of course Baby J is now in 9-12 month clothes! I had to put away all the 6/9 and remaining 3/6 month clothes. I keep the boys' clothes in totes...one size per tote.

That's about it. In general I end up flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to having a home daycare, but under it all my mom informed me I AM indeed organized to be able to do that. Not sure how it works, but I know if I didn't do a few little things to organize everyday I'd go crazy! What do you do to keep organized? I'd love to hear your ideas, and so would Mama Bear.