Get into the groove...

So far, so good with the first week of school. We are gettin' into the groove!

This week I have been super busy, but trying to stay super organized too. During the summer I threw all meal-planning, laundry schedules, and anything "organized" out the window. I have a lot of catching up to!

This week, I've got the boys back on their "Hamburger Helpers" chore chart, I started a meal plan again, and have been trying to get my laundry system back in gear. So, it's not just the first week back for the boys...it's the first week back for mom.

While meal planning I thought about how great slow cooker meals are. I have always loved my using Crock Pot, but I think it only made it to my counter top once this summer. I decided to drag it out and dust it off.

{And you might have gotten married around 1999 if your Crock Pot looks like this...}

 

{Someone please tell my husband that I want need this one! Mine is 13ish years old and the plastic lid is now cracked.}

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I am hoping to return to work a couple of days a week this school year and thought it'd make my life easier if I did a few crock pot meals a week. So I started shopping around my favorite blogs and Pinterest for some new recipes.

The first first one I found was an Easy Crock Pot Lasagna... and it was! And it was also very tasty.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound (16 ounces) ground beef {I used ground turkey.}
• 1/2 cup diced white onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 (24 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce {shhhhhh! Don't tell my family!}
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 whole egg
• 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 6 uncooked lasagna noodles {Whole wheat noodles work just the same.}

Directions

1. In a large skillet brown beef and onion. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Drain.
2. Add spaghetti sauce and water and simmer for about 5 minutes.
3. Mix ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 2 Tablespoons Parmesan, egg and parsley.
4. Pour 1 cup of spaghetti meat sauce into a 4 to 6 quart sized slow cooker. Place half of the noodles and half of the ricotta mixture on top of the sauce. Cover with 2 cups meat sauce. Top with remaining noodles (If the noodles don't fit exactly break them to fit) and cheese mixture and meat sauce.
5. Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until noodles are soft. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella and remaining parmesan. Cover with the lid to melt the cheese and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.
6. Do not overcook and don't try to speed up the process by cooking it on high.
7. *Works best with a 4 to 6 quart size slow cooker.

No complaints from the fam, except for maybe a certain 3 year-old who happens to currently detest all food, so it's a keeper!

Next up...

This yummy Crock Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice from a blog I love called Skinny Mom. I'll let you know how that comes out too.

I'd love to hear if your family has any tried and true crock pot recipes.

Now, on to my pile of laundry!

XO,

Hi-Ho-Hi-Ho It's off to camp he goes!

Sama-lama-ding-dong is headed off to his second year of summer camp! He'll be gone for 6 days!
He's super excited this year because he's not a newbie any longer. He knows the ropes and got well-acquainted with the camp last year.

We send him to a church camp just up the road a-ways. That way he gets to experience camp life but his worry-wart momma is less than an hour away!

Last year, I too was a newbie to camp. I had only gone to Girl Scout camp as a child and all this was a little different. Never mind the fact that Sam had never been away from me for more than just a few days and that was when he was 6 months old. So I was a tad nervous about how he'd do, who he'd meet, whether he'd shower or brush his teeth (I still wonder if he did.), and if he'd survive 6 days being away from me. Needless to say, he survived. I survived and he's going back!

I also worried about what to pack and how to pack it. When I got there to drop him off, I quickly realized that ANYTHING goes. There were kids who had their things packed in giant military duffel bags, traditional camp trunks, rubbermade storage containers...you name it. A friend who is a veteran camper's mom advised me to "just pack smart"! Huh?!?!

I started a week ahead of time and my dining room table looked like a miniature Target. Clothes, shoes, sheets, toiletries, checklists. I didn't want to leave anything out!

Okay. Pack smart. I was thinking rain and lots of dirt...I need something water repellent, as the "cabins"/tents are not 100% water-tight and it had to be out of the elements. I also thought about lost articles of clothing...Everything got labeled with the Sharpie and his cute personalized stickers, so there was no mistaking to whom it belonged. I packed clothes that I wasn't worried about ever seeing again. And surprisingly, he came home with all but a couple of pairs of socks. I was shocked! I was also thinking BOYS...It has to be easy to get in and out of or else it will be a tussled mess. It had to be organized and self-explanatory.

So I chose to pack Sam for camp using the incredibly handy and compact plastic storage drawers. They worked perfectly!  I labeled each drawer with it's contents so he could easily locate and return items. It fit cozily next to his bunk and served as a bedside table for his little fan and water bottle. He had easy access to everything he needed. He said he really liked the system so we did it again this year.

He's really looking forward to going. He'll be with his BFF from school and they can't wait to play their little diddies on their guitars in the camp talent show together. What wonderful memories they'll be making...again.

As for F & O, they'll be attending "Camp F-O-C", as Fulton named it - for Fulton-Oliver-& Claudia. And we have to say F-O-C, otherwise it sounds a little odd. But that's Fulton for ya. Since Fulton won't be ready to go to camp until next summer, we have planned lots of fun activities and outings for his week here while Sam is away. I try to make it extra special for them too. They are also going to participate in an evening VBS so Shan and I may actually have a date night or 5! We're making up for lost time. We think our last date night was in April sometime---we lost track.

Hopefully camp week will prove to be fun and exciting for everyone, not just the one getting sent away!

Well, it's lights out for me, campers!

Hamburger Helpers!

Several weeks ago I decided to do a little revamping of our chore system. The previous plan had actually become non-existent and I had just resorted to having temper tantrums to get them to get things done. Not working so well.
I googled chore charts and found a few on Pinterest, but none of them were "new" to me. I wanted something to make them excited about helping and earning a commission.

We are big Dave Ramsey fans. I have mentioned him several times (here, here, and here). Dave suggests paying your children a "commission" rather than an "allowance". Here's his theory: An allowance is kind of a given...not earned. A commission is earned. Then there are responsibilities...you don't get paid for those. It makes perfect sense to me.

Our new system covers commissions and responsibilities. There are no handouts in the real world. So why should there be in our home? We have a "PAYDAY" and they are paid only for the work that has been done. We are also teaching them about tithing (Malachi 3:10), so 10% is immediately taken off the top and put in their envelope for church. They're not so fond of that part, but it will make it less painful when they are adults.

Any who...
I took a combo of concepts online (from this blog) and made up my own. I like to call it Hamburger Helpers.

I made it with Popsicle sticks, mod-podge, and magnets. Super easy!

Each burger has a bun; top bun= A.M. Responsibilities and bottom bun= P.M. Responsibilities.
Sam and Fulton each have six sticks making up the burger and condiments. Each stick has a chore (or chores depending on the complexity) and a value of the commission to be paid. There is an A list and B list of chores to be rotated between the 2 big boys. Yes! Ollie has his very own baby burger, since he is only 3, with age-appropriate chores.

So far, so good. There hasn't been any yelling or complaining involved and they really look forward to payday. Who knew Hamburger Helpers could be so good?

If you'd like a copy of the printable Hamburger Helpers to make your own, just leave me a comment below or contact me. I will email it to you! It will have our chores on it, but they are very basic and common household tasks. If the chores don't suit your family contact me through my SHOP and I'll customize one for you.

Time.

A Time for Everything

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Time.
We have God's word that there is a time for everything.
And there definitely is.
During the holidays, so many things - emotions, activities, obligations, traditions, etc. - are crammed into such a small amount of time.
I love the hustle and bustle, but love the calmness and peacefulness at the same time. It's weird and can be quite hard to manage at times. But we see the holidays come and go each year and I always wonder if I did too much or did too little. I'm still waiting for the year that I feel juuuust right.
I wonder if I'll ever feel that way?

If Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 had been written by me about the past month it would go something like this:

A Time for Everything

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to set up market and a time to break it down,
a time to hunt for and decorate the perfect tree and a time to grind the greens,
3 a time to shop for gifts and a time to return them because you're clearly not the "medium" your husband likes to think you are,
a time to wrap and tie beautiful bows and a time to unwrap them and put the beautiful paper and bows in the trash,

4 a time to bake 3 batches of biscottis and a time to selfishly hide the last one so no one else gets it,
a time to reunite with the best of friends and a time to say good-bye again,

5 a time to worry about the poor health of loved ones and a time to pray {lots} for their comfort and healing,
a time to spread some holiday cheer and a time to receive it with a grateful heart,

6 a time to dress in holiday duds and a time to stay in warm fuzzy PJs all day,
a time to over-indulge in dips made with cream cheese and a time to get on the scale and have a panic attack,

7 a time to design, print, and ship Christmas card orders and a time to proudly display each one you receive on the wall,
a time for Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and a time for Silent Night,

8 a time to remember that precious baby born in a stable many years ago and a time to remind yourself and children of the REAL reason for Christmas,
a time to reflect on the good and bad of the year that has passed and a time to toast a new one.

As we wind down the holiday season and begin a new year, I am praying that I will be blessed with the ability to better manage my time throughout the year and recognize the appropriate "time for everything".

Happy New Year!

Christmas recap to follow...stay tuned!

new package, same great product

for the purpose of simplifying, i have decided to start using my what's bakin'? blog as my primary blog. i love doing practically put and will continue to write posts similar in nature. however, i originally started practically put with intentions of simplifying and organizing my chaotic life. i can blog about my organizational journey here, the same as i could there, and still blog about our family...all in one place. it was getting a tad difficult trying to keep a business blog, a personal blog, and a family blog. quite frankly...i was doing a lousy job.

so here i am. back at what's bakin'?. wholeheartedly.

for those of you new to what's bakin'?...welcome!

for those of you who have been stopping by since 2002 at our first what's bakin'? geocities site...thanks for continuing to share in our lives.

we hope you enjoy our new look and new links to the right. i hope you will check them out and come back to visit often.

xoxo