The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ July 26

For Today... July 26th

Outside my window... BEAUTIFUL! Sunny, with a blue sky! Looks GREAT outside today!

I am thinking... About sending a note via Facebook to my nephew because I have not talked to him in a while.

From the learning rooms... We will be starting just a little today! I'm excited! Arlee and Frosty will be starting their first of four novels today. Arlee will be reading The Outsiders, and Frost will be reading The Cricket in Time Square. I'm going to to to set up a routine of certain things that I will go over with Zach daily. Like read thru the alphabet with sounds, counting to 100, counting by 2's, 5's, 10's, math facts, sight words, and reading from a book. Then we might do some Math worksheets, or jump on Study Island {offered thru our virtual school}. With Liam, I have a learning bag from the library to work with him on. We are mostly working on colors right now. He knows the basic Red, Blue, Green...but we are working on others like purple, yellow, black, brown, etc. I would also like for everyone to watch the ABC's Signing Time today. And work our way thru Arlee, Frosty's, and Zachary's daily 3 a day {read to self, read to someone else, listen to reading}.

I am thankful for... Well, since we are getting started with our school today, I would like to mention how thankful I am for the opportunity to home school them!!

From the kitchen... I'm hoping to get some bread started today for the week. I also had a friend of Husband's and IL's give me some zucchinis...so I would like to get some zucchini bread made today, as well.

I am wearing... Capris and shirt...like usual. {I didn't even have to change this from last week! LOL...it's what I am usually wearing!}

I am reading... Really nothing at the moment...I am anxiously waiting for Arlee to get started and finish up with The Outsiders! It was one of my favs to read growing up! I'm looking forward to reading it again! It won't take her long to get thru it. After spending the last week or so working her way thru the Harry Potter series {she's on book 6}, this book is nothing! She'll probably tear thru it all in one afternoon!

I am hoping... To work on the front of our house this week. We ran out of time on Friday, and Saturday was just way to wet! SO maybe over the course of this week we can get it spruced up!

I am creating... A pot of coffee here in just a minute! LOL!...does that count??

I am hearing... The kids watching the Disney Channel. I think it's like Lilo and Stitch.

Around the house... Well, like I mentioned above, I'm hoping to spruce up the outside this week. Also, we finally got paint for the back room!! So, {hopefully} we will get some painting done either this week or this upcoming weekend! YIPEE...I'm so happy!!

One of my favorite things... One of my NEW favorite things is my new earrings!! Yesterday, I noticed that Danny's earring just didn't have much of any luster left. So when we were out and about at the store, we bought a pack of earrings...basically just for the ONE for him! But, I get all the rest that came with it! YEAH ME! They ended up being hypo allergenic...and I don't know if that is why, but when I put them in my 2nd holes I forget they are there! Which is a lovely thing! All my other earrings, for the past few years, when I put them in my 2nd holes, they will just bug the crap out of me!! They itch and feel weird and all. So, I was VERY happy last night when I didn't have any of those problems!!

A few plans for the rest of the week... Just work around the house sprucing it up. Tomorrow is Kids' Day at our County Fair...we talked about going, but don't know for sure if we will go or not after Danny gets home from work. Danny and Cooper has their last obedience class on Thursday, and Arlee has her guitar lesson on Thursday as well. Friday Arlee has a dr appointment. And, we will have to get things together for Frosty because he will leave for overnight Boy Scout Camp next Monday morning.

Here is a picture I wanted to share with you..

Here is Liam when we went up to the park a week or so ago. He's soo cute!

LOL....I remember that on this day, everytime Zach would come down the slide his hair would stand on end because of the static! It was SOOOO funny, but I didn't get a picture of that one! But, I think I have an old one of that happening to Liam...and I think it was at this same park....

Oh yes...here it is....LOL

Look at how short his hair is there!!! WOW! Here's one from just a few weeks ago to compare better! Funny, because back last summer, when the top pic was taken, we thought his hair was long then!

*I just noticed...he's even wearing the same shirt! LOL!

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Upside Down Baked Pancake & Just Catching Up

I don't remember if I shared this one back at Christmas time or not. This was one of Liam's favorite gifts! LoL! A battery powered toothbrush! In between every present after opening this one, he had to stop and go "brush his teeth"...just like in the pic above! He's so cute!

Friday evening, we all ran up to Wal Mart to pick up a few things we needed around here. While we were there, we came across a nice grill that Danny really liked. He very much needed a new one. So, since we were already piled up with stuff, I suggested he come back the next day to buy it. That way he can have the whole van to haul it in! And so he did!

Last night he grilled out for the first time on his new grill. We marinated some yummy steaks! OOOOOOOH, they were SO GOOD! Along with the steak, I had some green beans in the crock pot for most of the day with some bacon & onions! I even made a delicious chocolate cake. I had some strawberry glaze up in my cabinet, and I cut up some strawberries, mixed them together and put it all on top of the cake! I snuck a little piece...and it was AWESOME!!

I also wanted to share another recipe I tried out. Upside Down Oven Pancake. EVERYONE liked this one! Danny liked it because it wasn't too sweet, but had just a hint of sweetness to it.

First off, I had to make some syrup!

After melting the butter in the dish, I added some bacon...

Then the crushed pineapple...

Mixed up the pancake mix, added to the top...

Then baked it!

While I was waiting to it to bake, I got a little creative. I decided to fan out some strawberries, and find my powdered sugar to sift some on top! I even sliced some bananas to add on the side as well!

Well, that's really all I have time for today. It's Sunday, again, obviously, and so Danny is back to work. Catch up day here for me.

Here's wishing everyone a wonderful Sunday!

Oh, and BTW...here is the recipe for the...

Upside-Down Oven Pancake Prep: 15 min, Cook: 20 min.

• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 6 ounces Canadian bacon, sliced
• 1 cup crushed pineapple, well drained
• 2 Tbs. brown sugar, packed
• 1-1/2 cups buttermilk baking mix
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400°F. Melt butter in a 9 inch round oven-proof skillet in oven until melted. Arrange bacon slices, overlapping slightly, on butter. Spoon pineapple evenly over bacon. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Combine baking mix, milk and egg in a bowl. Beat vigorously 30 seconds (batter will be slightly lumpy). Carefully spread over pineapple. Bake uncovered 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Run knife around edge to loosen. Immediately invert onto serving platter. Serve with maple syrup.

This recipe serves 4 people. Due to the nature of this recipe, it adjusts the number of servings in multiples of 4 only.

Per serving: calories 575, fat 15.6g, 24% calories from fat, cholesterol 80mg, protein 15.0g, carbohydrates 96.3g, fiber 1.4g, sugar 67.1g, sodium 1213mg, diet points 13.0.

Dietary Exchanges: Milk: 0.1, Vegetable: 0.0, Fruit: 0.3, Bread: 1.9, Lean meat: 1.4, Fat: 1.8, Sugar: 3.5, Very lean meat protein: 0.0

Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal

Tried another recipe yesterday morning. Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal. This is the first time I have ever "baked" oatmeal. I thought it turned out pretty yummy, Arlee & Frosty both really liked it {even got 2nds}, Zach and Liam ate a little but wasn't too much impressed, and Danny thought it was kinda bland. SO there are our reviews.

~ Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal ~

Here's mine...

and in the bowl. I added a small sprinkle of choco chips, as well...

This will be a short entry today. It's Thursday, Danny's last day of work for the week, so I would like to get as much cleaning done as I can...1st because I want it to look 1/2 way decent when he gets home, and 2nd because I am not one to do a whole lot of cleaning while he's home!

I have LOTS to do...much more that what I could ever get done today. But, I'm going to give it my best shot to get as much done as I can in the time I have left today!

And, with that, I bid you all farewell...for I am off to the land of dishes, laundry, & messies! I will write again as soon as I can! If you don't hear from me in some time...please send a search party!

Have a great day all! And, enjoy the upcoming holiday weekend! Be safe, and have fun!

Oven Omelet & Looking Into Asperger Syndrome

I decided on having breakfast for dinner last night. I really wanted to try out another one of the recipes on The Five J's blog. {I'm so happy I came upon this blog! If I have not mentioned it lately!}

Cooking is such a magical art isn't it? How you can turn a bunch of ingredients, like in the picture above, into a filling delicious meal for a family! It is just amazing!

First off, I had to get my buns started...

Put it in the bread maker for it to "do it's thing" while I got some other things ready to go.

Like I shredded the cheese...

...and cubed the ham...

I also went ahead and sliced the sausage and got that ready to cook...

About an hour later, the dough was ready to come out of the bread machine...

After letting the dough rest for a few minutes...it was time to get my buns into shape...

I sat these on my preheating oven to rise while I put together the Oven Omelet.

Here is mine BEFORE it went into the oven with the buns...

When the buns were done, I buttered them. Then started to put the rest of the breakfast/dinner together. I heated up some hash brown patties and some applesauce.

Danny, Arlee, Frosty, and I really liked the Oven Omelet. The two younger boys are a little pickier, so they were not too crazy about it....but that really was not too big of a surprise.

Last night, late last night, I was IMing back and forth with another mom on Cafe Mom. I mentioned about what the Dr had said about Zach possibly having Autism. I talked just a little about him, and she thought that maybe it sounded to her more like Asperger Syndrome.

So, just like any other respectable Digital Mom would do, I hit the internet this morning looking it up to find out more. I came across many different websites, naturally, with lists of symptoms...and I do think that they describe Zachary much better!

I have only begun looking into this, and am very anxious for when we can go back to the Dr and discuss this more with him.

If anyone reading this has any helpful links for me about Asperger, parenting a Asperger child, and/or home schooling a Asperger child, I would VERY MUCH APPRECIATE them!

Well, that's all I have time for today. Have a great day All!

Chicken Strips, Sugar Cookies, & FREE Home Ec Handbook Online...

This is a picture that Danny took of the lilly out in our habitat garden.

Yesterday, after I got done with all the kids' pancakes, Danny gave me a call to let me know he'll be able to swing by home for a little bit! YEAH! I love it when he gets to stop by during his day! I made him a HUGE plate of pancakes, strawberries, and whipped cream.

Some of you probably noticed my thought bubble yesterday that said that it was our 7th wedding anniversary! So, I'm really excited I got to see him a little extra yesterday on such a special day! I just love being married to this man SO MUCH! Can not get enough time with him!

And, I wanted to also mention how PROUD OF DANNY I AM!! Today marks 5 days of him NOT smoking!! {Round of Applause!} He is doing so good! He is using the patch, lollipops, and Starbursts to curve those cravings and habits! LoL! YEAH DANNY!!

Ooooh, I told you yesterday that I was trying a new recipe for lunch. Well, the older kids went swimming after Danny left to go finish up work, and by the time they came back in it was about time to start dinner! So we all just had a quick snack, and I moved the new recipe to dinner!

Here is what I will be turning into our dinner...

The recipe came from the blog I shared with everyone yesterday {The Five J's}. Here is the recipe...

Oven Baked Chicken Strips

Well, actually, it is the entry on The Five J's blog about it, then you will need to follow the link on there to the actual recipe...sorry! But, I did more like what they did on The Five J's website.

I used skinless boneless chicken breasts, which after thawed, I cut into strips. Dipped in the melted butter, covered with the crumb mixture, and arranged in a couple of my casserole dishes...

After they cooked for about 30 mins...finding out I probably should have flipped them about 1/2 way thru the cooking time...I put them onto our plates with our sides...whole corn, and baked beans...

They were a HUGE hit with everyone! I couldn't help myself but to try one...I mean two...well, in the end I think I had three! Whoops! Just couldn't help myself because I thought they were SO YUMMY!

After dinner, Arlee wanted to make some cookies. So we went looking for a sugar cookie recipe for her to make. We came across the recipe for Easy Sugar Cookies, and she decided to try these.

They turned out REALLY good! She has turned into quite the little baker around here! Here is her plate of cookies...

So thanks to Miss Arlee, we had dessert!

And, on a side note here...I came across a link to a Home Ec program online for FREE! Whoo Hoo! It is Christian based, but mainly focuses on the topic at hand. The Future Christian Homemakers Hanbook looks really great, and VERY close to what I was hoping to find to work thru with the kids...especially Arlee!!

Okay...well, that is about all I have time for today! Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and read! It is VERY appreciated!

Have a wonderful day!!

Zach's Dr. Appt, Arlee Camp, Breakfast

Good afternoon, friends! I'm getting a late start to my day! We all didn't get up until after 10am, then I got hooked on my computer...I really need to work on that one! Danny has me now addicted to Mobsters on MySpace! Ugh! We are in a competition on how many mobbies we each have! LoL!

I'm just now getting to making our breakfast. This morning it will be pancakes with strawberries, whipped cream, and syrup! Unfortunately, I won't be having any! I'll be having my two scrambled eggs!

While I'm waiting for my griddle to heat up, I wanted to share a blog with you all that I stumbled across, The Five J's. I found it the other day while doing some looking on the net. I've only looked thru it a little, but have found a few things of interests...so I wanted to pass it on to everyone!

Okay, well, my pancakes are cooking now, and the strawberries are already cut up...so what can I share with you now that I'm flipping the pancakes?? Oh, how about Zach's Dr's appointment this past Friday?

Here he is when we went to pick Arlee up from her Girl Scout Overnight Camp...

So, this past Friday, Arlee, Zachary, & I went to the Dr's office. It was an appointment for Zachary...Arlee tagged along because we were picking up one of her friends on the way home. We were at the Dr's to discuss Zachary maybe having ADHD.

The Dr asked me why I think he may have ADHD. He also asked me more specific questions about some of Zach's behaviors. In the end, and mind you this was our FIRST and ONLY appointment discussing these things with our Dr. He says he suspects that Zach does have ADHD, and possibly some ODD {Oppositional Defiance Disorder}, and maybe even be on the spectrum of Autism. WOW.

The Dr suggested that Danny & I take the Vanderbilt Assessment Scale test. I actually will need to take it twice...one as to what he does in our "home" environment, and one as to what he does in our "school" environment. Here are the links to the parents test...

Vanderbilt Assessment Scale ~ Parent Test

The parents test and teachers tests are similar...you can do a google search for Vanderbilt Assessment Scale to find MANY different links to them.

We have to make another appointment to go back to talk with the Dr. We are hoping, after Arlee's guitar lessons are over, and Cooper's puppy classes are over, Danny & I will be able to get a Thursday Evening appointment. That way, maybe, we can get Danny's mom to watch the other 3 kids...and the two of us can go together with Zach. Dr Reynolds says he will be able to better see what we are dealing with once he sees our completed tests.

Okay...well, I've still got a few more batches of pancakes to go...I did mention Arlee's Girl Scout Overnight Camp a little earlier...how about a couple pictures from that? All these pics are from her last day when we came to pick her up to bring her home!

She was SO TIRED!!

Here is when Arlee's group leader was telling about how Arlee was always with her, and always ready to help out all during camp.

All the girls learned the dance moves to the Hoedown Throwdown and they all danced it for all the parents!

Oh yeah...the pancakes are all finally done and together! Don't they look yummy?

Well, now that breakfast is finally out, I guess I better start my day! I'll be trying a new recipe for lunch today...I'll update you all on them tomorrow!

Have a great day all!

Butterfly Show, 2009

Went to the Butterfly Show last week. It is held downtown Cincy at the Krohn Conservatory. It has been quite a few years since the last time we have been. This will be Liam's first time going!

We had a very wonderful day together! Everyone had a pretty good time...we even got to bring home a new friend, Archie...he's a Venus fly trap! LOL! He's already had his first meal, too! {Gross, but cool!}

So here are some pics that I would like to share with you...

{Zachary wanted to go home to play Wii...that's why he was looking all upset in the above pic.}

{The light was BRIGHT in there...Look at Liam, he's like glowing!!}

{Liam had SUCH a good time...Zach, well, it took some convincing but he did enjoy himself!}

{Awwww...I think this turned out SO very cute!!}

{Whoo Hoo...Liam got one!!}

{...and he was SO excited about it!!}

{Guess Arlee got one too...ON TOP OF HER HEAD!!}

{This is coming out from behind the waterfall}

{This one is for everyone who always says, "why are there no pics of Mom?"....here is ONE! Usually I'm the one behind the camera!}

{The BOYS!}

{This is a pic from the overlook that is right down from the Krohn. That is Kentucky across the river.}

{There is the Purple People Bridge}

{Someone was very tuckered out on the ride home!}

Thanks for stopping by to check out our photos.