When the moon hits your eye....

Like a big pizza pie, that's when the kids go CRAZY! I don't care who says what about the moon and its cycles, but a full moon coupled with a weather change has turned all the kids into little monsters...my own two included! They have been completely off their rockers this week with a huge meltdown tonight. And my kids at school haven't been much better. It's been like I'm speaking Swahili or Martian or wah-wah-wah of Charlie Brown's teacher. They haven't heard a word I've spoken or read a word I've written on the board. I'm hoping it's better tomorrow, but I'm guessing with possible thunderstorms tomorrow, we'll be doing it all over again.

God is Good!

God has been so good to me this week...and not with the typical "things are going great" idea. This week has been trying. But God has been faithful. There were so many times I wanted to say something, held back, let go, and was rewarded, whether with a resolved situation, a phone call or message, or just plain peace. Wow. What a lesson to learn. And it's overflowed into all the areas of my life. Dealing with SB's meltdown this morning over a broken Silly Band was easier and calmer. I'm very happy right now. :)

That hit the spot!

The rice pudding was yummy! Here's what I did (after looking at tons of recipes):

I made brown rice last night.

Then, this morning, I peeled and chopped some apples and cooked them in a couple tablespoons of butter with a dash of cinnamon and a dash of pumpkin pie spice.

Once they were tender, I added 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 cups of milk, a large box of raisins (as opposed to the mini boxes) and 2 cups of the cooked brown rice. I brought this to a boil, reduced it to a simmer and let it cook for 15 minutes. I loved it! Ryan was sick this morning so he didn't even try it. Sarah Beth ate some of hers, but not as much as I'd hoped.

The only thing I'd do differently is add a little vanilla when I add the milk. I wish I'd thought of that sooner.

Estimated nutritional value- For 1/6 of the recipe: 190 calories, 5g of fat, 2g of fiber, 4g of protein.

Comfort food

I have never had rice pudding. However, a coworker had some this week at lunch, and it sounded good. So...I'm making it for breakfast in the morning. I've already made the rice, so I just have to add a few things after my run. I started looking for crockpot recipes, but got overwhelmed in the hunt. I figured an easy recipe was better for the first try. Of course, oatmeal...the real stuff...sounds good too. I wonder what that is saying about me. Rice, oatmeal...carbs in general. I've been snacking entirely too much here lately. I'm sure I need to ditch the sugar for a while. Anyway, we'll see how the rice pudding turns out in the morning...if I can wait that long :)

:)

Ahh...tonight's like tonight make me smile...well, actually, the earlier part of this evening did...not so sure about trying to get three kids to sleep in the floor of one said kid's room. However...off track. We took the kids, including the niece and nephew, to the local waterpark. I wasn't really looking forward to going and was starting to get a slight headache, but I wanted to take advantage of the last weekday before school starts and the free tickets we had. And I'm so glad we did. The kids were so excited and had so much fun. We spent most of the time in the kids' area and the lazy river, but we all loved it. The weather was great because we went after Hubby got off work. We didn't leave until almost 8 when the sun was starting to go down. We were even able to relax for a while and watch the kids play on their own. Of course, it helps to have a brother-in-law and an almost-grown niece who can help with the younger ones. I needed that kind of time.

I do not, however, need the battle we are having now at bedtime. We enjoyed a pizza picnic in the floor...but sleep is not coming as easily as those $5 pizzas do. It's temporary, I know. I am already so exhausted, and I'll be working again in my classroom tomorrow...yes, on a Saturday, to finish up everything for Monday.

Wow...just typing that made me sleepy...off to bed.

So close

"So close" could mean so many things. So close to winning. So close to the right lottery numbers. So close to your best friends. Or so close to crazy. That would be where I am. This week has been a rough one...can't run outside because it's too dark or too hot when I can actually run. R has to go back to the eye doctor for the second time today. SB has puked more than once in the past week. My classroom is a mess. I have no lesson plans. And a sad day today for other reasons. I know it's all temporary. But it matters right now, and right now, it's hard. I'm ready for this week to be over, even if next week holds an equally hard one.

I know, I know...quit your complaining. And I should. And I will. I know it could be so much worse. I know we are lucky and blessed. And we are. Blessed to have two beautiful kids, of which glasses are the worst medical issue we have. Blessed to have a home with an a/c and comfy surroundings. Blessed to be able to run at all. Blessed to have a job. Blessed to have a big classroom and great classes. Blessed by a husband who handles my stress with ease. Blessed. I'll focus on that for now.

Procrastination

I finally (finally!) got around to making homemade granola bars with Sarah Beth...Ryan didn't want to help. They turned out really well...chewier than expected, but I like them that way.

I tweaked the Playgroup Granola Bar recipe off of Allrecipes.com and came up with this:

Dry Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar (fairly packed)
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 craisins (or more)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mixed nuts and seeds (I used pumpkin, sunflower, and slivered almonds)

Wet ingredients:
1 egg, beaten
1/2 canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a big bowl. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to mix the best you can; then use your hands to finish mixing well.

Use waxed paper to pat into a sprayed 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. They'll be chewy when warm but will harden some as they cool. In other words, cut them into small rectangles before they cool.

Nutritional info if you cut this into 24 fairly small bars:
Calories: 160, Total fat: 15.5 g, Protein, 2.4 g

PLEASE NOTE: This makes 24 small bars. If you eat more than that, you'll have to adjust the calories.