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All I can say is YUM after trying my first panini in honor of National Panini Month. This is the recipe I used
The kids loved them too. Actually, the kids liked them “too much” because there were no leftovers for dad (we had them for lunch) and they disappeared before I could snap a picture for this post. The smell of the panini grilling drew the kids in like a flock of hungry seagulls. So alas, no photo for this post.
Here are my “Mom’s No Chaos Zone panini tweaks”:
- I bought a big package of boneless/skinless chicken breasts, marinated them, and baked them. Then I diced up the meat and froze in meal size portions. I placed enough chicken for a meal [read more...]
I had to look up what a panini is. The only other time I saw a reference to paninis was when I filled up the van at QuickTrip and there was an ad at the pump that said “Paninis are for Weenies” with a big manly looking sub sandwich featured, I assume as the desirable manly alternative to the dreaded weenie-panini. So I figured paninis were some sort of girly finger food.
But after extensive research I learned that a panini….
is just a sandwich, dude!
Ok, I’m sure there are foodies who are going to hunt me down to give me a piece of their mind (actually, since there’s a comment box a few inches down you don’t have to go far) but hey – it’s a sandwich.
So why am I babbling about sandwiches?
One, it is HOT here in Kansas, maybe where you live too. I’m always on the lookout for ways to feed the tribe without heating up the kitchen.
Don’t ask why there’s an empty aquarium in the living room…
I told my daughter to make sure the cage clips were secure. Do teens tend to listen to their parents?
So where is the lovely Cleopatra, my dear daughter’s pet snake? Don’t ask me. I have no idea! Probably in my underwear drawer or curled up in my right slipper.
Yesterday I posted about keeping the kids productively busy this summer. One last way you should always keep in mind is having them do their share of work around the house.
“Oh yeah, that’s all well and fine,” you may be saying. “But how do I do that without losing my sanity? It’s not like my children fight over who takes out the trash. In fact, they fight over who’s NOT going to do it!”
I put a resource called“7 Ways to Get the Kids to Help Out” together for our Just One Thing Challenge last June. Many moms wrote back with great feedback. It’s been tweaked a bit and now I’d like to share it with all of my readers. All you have to do is sign up over on the sidebar or right here!
I don’t know about you but the hottest part of the summer is the hardest time to keep my kiddos busy, and constructively busy, as in NOT busy tormenting younger siblings, teasing older siblings, or pulling the dog’s tail. I know no one else’s kids out there do any of those things, but mine have done all of the above.
And the challenge only grows as they get older. A bored preschooler may whine and vandalize the house with toilet paper while a bored teenager can do some real damage to themselves or make you want to do some damage to them as you watch them stare at TV slackjawed all day with a game controller in their hands. I won’t even go into all the trouble middle and highschoolers can find on the internet.
Here are a few great links for keeping little (and not so little) hands and minds busy for the rest of the summer and a couple of my kiddos’ summer projects. I’d love for you to share yours in a comment too!!!
Sparkplugging wrote an article about 94 ways for work at home moms to keep the kiddos busy, including an idea list for all ages. There are a couple really unique ideas here.
WooJris a super-fun site, mostly for younger children. This is an absolute treasure trove of ideas and goodies!
Micro Businesses- Carol Topp has a blog and website all about micro businesses for teens. If you have a teen, this is an awesome way for them to learn to use time wisely, gain valuable life skills, and make some of their own money.
Volunteering — No links – look for opportunities in your community! Do you have a nearby hospital? Many hospitals let older children do volunteer work. Does your church or another local church have a food or clothing pantry? A local crisis pregnancy center may be able to use some data entry or cleaning help, or someone to knit or crochet little baby booties or caps? A crisis pregnancy center I volunteered at would give tiny booties to undecided mothers to help them realize that what they carried was a tiny baby. You can also see if there’s a local Harvester’s food distribution in your area – they always need help and this is also a great family volunteering opportunity. There are almost endless opportunities to get involved in helping others. This also looks great on job and college applications down the line.
Hobbies are also a great past-time.
This is my getting-ready-to-turn-thirteen year old’s latest stop motion movie. I think he inherited his mom’s loopy sense of humor but don’t tell him, I’m sure that’s not a cool thing for an almost-thirteen year old to hear! This is a very time intensive hobby and I do have to place time limits on it so he’ll do other things but he has gained a ton of camera and lighting knowledge, computer skills, and plenty of internet safety instruction. He’s had to make some tough judgement calls like turning down being a YouTube “friend” to another stop-motioner who was fairly popular but who’s language in movies and comments was pretty awful. And that was his call, not mama hovering over his shoulder, breathing down his neck. Now “when he grows up” he wants to get in with or start a company that makes clean but high quality kids’ movies.
And my sixteen year old daughter is having a ton of fun making bead bracelets this summer. She started by making a few for herself then loved putting the different colors and shapes together so much that she just kept going. She has about 40 now and is going to be listing them on etsy.com this week to make some money to…. buy more beads! She also loves photography and has spent a good part of the summer with a camera in hand.
She learned to make jewelry and take photos in 4-H, which is another great summer activity. Since the fair is in the summer a lot of work is put into projects and fair entries. 4-H can be a time-hog the rest of the year though, so if your family’s schedule is already overloaded this might not be for you.
Time’s running out to take advantage of Make Today Matter’s July special!
Through July 31st all e-books are 25% off so take a gander at what they have to offer. My personal favorite is High Energy Living – Recover, Reclaim, and Maximize Your Energy. You’ll find High Energy Living and many other titles in the Make Today Matter bookstore. Make sure you use the coupon code “EBOOK” to get your 25% discount.
If you happen to be in the parking lot of the local market loading the car with your goods and your daughter starts cracking up and pointing at your feet…
you may or may not want to know why. Don’t ask how I managed to walk out of the house and around the store in one striped flip-flop and one raggedy old croc relegated to mowing days without even noticing. But that’s what “Don’t Ask Mondays” are going to be about… the true confessions of a slightly scatterbrained mom and her like-minded family.
Take heart – if I can learn time management and organization, so can you!
This Monday I’ll be starting a new feature called “Don’t Ask Monday.” Come see the true confessions of a slightly scatterbrained mom and her like-minded family. Make sure you leave a comment letting me know what you think of this new addition! See you Monday!
Are you a busy mom and wish you “had time” for working out and getting in shape? Charlotte Siems knows what it’s like to be a busy mom – she’s a homeschooling mom of twelve. Wow, and I thought I was busy! Charlotte has been such an inspiration to me in my struggle with making time to do what I need to do to get some weight off. I’m so happy to have her share with y’all!
Five Tips to Fit in Fitness!
by Charlotte Siems
As busy women we know we need to get in shape (and stay there). Many women say “I don’t have time,” but there are ways to increase our fitness level without dedicating ourselves to hours of exercise and the expense of equipment. Mothers with young children may feel frustrated with the perceived need to pay a gym membership and get a babysitter (or leave a crying toddler with the gym nursery), not to mention the ordeal of getting everyone dressed, packed and out the door just in time to miss a morning nap. It just doesn’t seem worth the effort, but in reality it is kinder to our families and ourselves to make our physical needs a priority. A higher fitness level means more energy, less hormonal upheavals and a more positive self-image.
A common scenario is to make a resolution to exercise and then jump gung-ho into an intense program, only to burn out and quit after a few weeks (days?). Life happens, and an already stressed-out mom doesn’t need an additional burden.
Here are some ideas to realistically fit fitness into your busy life:
1) Choose an at-home DVD-based fitness program, preferably one with an option for short workouts. I used the T-Tapp exercise system, especially the 15-minute Basic Workout Plus, because of its efficiency and fast inch loss (which was motivating!).
2) Incorporate the techniques learned in the workout into everyday life. Tuck and tighten while you stand in line at the grocery store or while you load the dishwasher.
3) Decide to make fitness a priority for a season of time. Once you’ve reached your goals, maintenance can take a lower-profile position in your life. With T-Tapp workouts, you actually maintain on LESS workouts rather than adding more weight, more reps.
4) Remember that some is better than none. Doing the first ten minutes of the workout is better than deciding you’re too busy to work out and skipping the exercise session entirely. Split it up or call it good, either way your body will benefit.
5) Be careful what you think. Just like your mouth waters when you think of a lemon, your body will respond physically to your thoughts of “I’m too tired” or “This is too hard.” Choose thoughts of positive anticipation and focus on the benefits you’re feeling from getting off the couch.
I never considered myself an athletic type, yet as a middle-aged, out-of-shape, overweight mom I was able to establish a new mindset and exercise habit by taking it one day at a time. It didn’t take long for my family to sit up and take notice of my newfound energy and upbeat mood, along with smaller clothing sizes. If a busy, stressed mom of twelve can find time to fit in fitness, so can you!
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Charlotte Siems is a busy homeschooling mother of twelve children, ages 4-27. After losing over 100 pounds and going from a tired size 22W to an energetic size 6 using the T-Tapp workout system, she became a certified T-Tapp Trainer. Charlotte is the author of “Renewing Me: Size 22 to 6, 15 Minutes at a Time,” a new e-book which can be found at her website: www.CharlotteSiems.com. Charlotte also writes on family and home life at www.ThisLovelyPlace.com. She can be reached by email at Charlotte@CharlotteSiems.com.
My kids LOVED making ice cream in a bag when they were young. Sometimes they forget they’re “older” and make it anyways. This is such a fun activity to do with your kids – it’s quick, easy, yummy, and the kids will think you’re awesome. Check out this video and give it a try!
While we’re talking about the bathroom…. Is the bathroom a pleasant place in your home? Does it smell nice? Is it clean or are there “science experiments” growing in the shower? Check out this article on cleaning your bathroom FAST! Is the bathroom clean but could use some decluttering and organization? Check out Organized Home’s “Easy as A-B-C” decluttering plan!
Yesterday we had not only thunderstorms but tornado warnings. The garden is loving all this rain but the kids can get bored. (ok, mom too!) I found this fun article today. It’s from Grandparents.com but why wait for grandkids to have fun in the rain??
Hi Everyone! I’d love to hear about what you’re doing for summer. Is summer a vacation time for you or a time to catch up on projects?
With five acres, a garden, and critters to care for, summer is usually an outdoorsy work time for our family. It’s also a time of outdoor activities like camping and fishing. When it gets really hot (as it tends to do here in the midwest!) we hang out in the house with the a/c and I get more time to putter on my computer and such.
The main purpose of the “Just One Thing” 30 Day Challenge is to blast stress by declaring war on “tolerances.”
So what’s a tolerance?
Think of a tolerance as a procrastinated “to-do”. Tolerances are those “little things” that don’t cause us major stress in themselves, but since they don’t cause us enough discomfort to address them they tend to multiply and the stress builds. When you have a pile of tolerances you get a general feeling of being stressed out and overwhelmed and you usually can’t even put your finger on exactly what’s stressing you out. You can’t put your finger on it because rather than a major stressor or two that you can easily spot, there are many little things that aren’t a big deal when you think of them.
When you take time to root out all of these “little things” and create a game plan to address them, you drop a huge load of stress and create momentum.
Here are some examples of tolerances:
The wiggly handle of your refrigerator. No big deal, but every time you open the fridge that little wiggle nags you that you need to “do something about that.”
The knob on your medicine cabinet that keeps loosening no matter how many times you tighten it. It’s always lose and when you don’t catch it on time the knob falls of in your hand, usually when you’re trying to get ready for an appointment you’re running late too. grrrrr
The squeaky hinge on your door.
Not having a trash can by the place you most often open mail and pay bills so you have to go out of your way to get waste paper in a trash can and you often get distracted an just leave paper piled in that area.
Speaking of bills, not having one place to put incoming bills and other important mail so you find bills the day after they are due and have to pay late fees and miss deadlines.
That nail sticking up on the deck. Every time you walk by it you know that one of these days a child is going to trip over it or a dog is going to injure a paw on it.
Everyone has their own unique list of tolerances but they all have this in common:
Tolerances sap your energy and create a vague feeling of being stressed out.
Update—- The Just One Thing Challenge is over. We had a blast and I plan on offering this challenge again this January so check back then, or better yet, sign up for my mailing list so you always get the latest happenings!
Heading into the summer months, how are you planning on spending your “free time”? Do you have some fun activities with the kids planned? Some fun projects of your own? But do you also have a nagging sense of having SO much to do that you’re having trouble thinking of summer as a time of vacation? Are you plain stressed out about all the “stuff” that needs to be done and feeling behind – like there are WAY too few hours in the day than work to do?
If so, the Mom’s No Chaos Zone “Just One Thing” 30 Day Challenge is for YOU! What would you say if I told you that spending 15 – 45 minutes a day for the first 30 days of this summer vacation time can make the rest of the summer feel more like “summer” - a time to take it easy and relax? What would you say to an *interactive* challenge that connects you to other moms who are challenging themselves and sharing their energy and collective problem solving power? How about some step by step instruction including weekly audios and chats? How about some FUN?
What if all of this was FREE and was starting NEXT WEEK???
Would you say, “Hey, sign me UP”?
I hope so because I’d love, love, LOVE to have you come join in the challenge! We’re going to start next Tuesday, June the 1st and finish up in time for Independence Day weekend. This Independence Day you can celebrate not only the freedoms of our country but *your* freedom from procrastination and the stress that comes from nagging to-do backup.
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Mom’s No Chaos Zone Exclusive!
It's 10:00pm... Do you know where your quiet time is?
Night owls can have consistent quiet times too! Learn how.....
Charlotte Siems is a busy homeschooling mother of twelve children, ages 4-27. After losing over 100 pounds and going from a tired size 22W to an energetic size 6 using the T-Tapp workout system, she became a certified T-Tapp Trainer. Charlotte is the author of “Renewing Me: Size 22 to 6, 15 Minutes at a Time,” a new e-book which can be found at her website: 
