PB&J Sushi for Kids

As a homeschooling family we eat lunch at home almost everyday.  Left-overs and sandwiches can get boring fast.  After serving leftovers a couple of days in a row Bub said, "Mom, I have to have a break from eating something so I can enjoy it!"  Point taken Son, point taken!
One meal my kids love is PB&J Sushi!  Some would consider them roll-ups but calling them sushi makes it sound much more grown up!

 

 

What you need:
Tortillas
Peanut Butter (or other nut or seed butter)
Jelly
Couple of cute kids!  (optional but much more fun!)
Please for my ego start putting the lids on your condiments on crooked!

Spread peanut butter over tortilla. 

Add your jelly and spread well.  You want the jelly to mix in with the peanut butter so it doesn't squish out the sides.
Roll the tortilla up.

 

Bub recommend licking the butter knife!  You know so you don't have to rinse it off before it goes in the dishwasher!

Slice into 1 inch thick rolls.

Voila!  A yummy, easy, kid friendly lunch!

 

*It does make more than 4 slices but I had hungry kiddos that wouldn't wait for pictures!

Why I don't clean anymore...

During the day that is!



That pretty much sums it up.  With three precious children under foot it makes absolutely no sense to me to clean during the day.  Now don't get me wrong.  They are responsible for their chores and picking up after themselves.  The heavy duty cleaning waits until Daddy gets home or the rugrats are tucked in for the night. 

Here is what my cleaning routine looks like: 
I wake up about 5:30 to do my devotional and have some "Mommy" time. 
While my coffee is brewing, I unload the dishwasher that ran during the night and reload any dirty dishes The Hubs left.  (Most mornings during the summer he is out the door by 5am.)
I load the dishes as we eat throughout the day.  Feeding 3-4 people three meals plus a snack or two dirties a bunch of dishes.  (Ferg is nursing exclusively at the moment.)
At nap time I do run the vacuum every day.  We track in a bunch of dirt!
After lunch I run the dishwasher so that it is empty for our dinner mess.
While Lil' Bit is taking her bath I use that time to wipe down the bathroom.
Once the kiddos are down for the night I clean the kitchen while the Hubs straightens the living room.
Everything will be changing I'm sure once I start school in a month's time but this is what works for now.

What does your cleaning schedule look like?

You call yourself a homeschooler, huh?

Up until this year our children attended public school.  Well, Sis graduated and Bub went for Kindergarten and First grade.  They both did pretty well.  Bub is pretty advanced for his age/grade.  He was always a straight A student and at the top of his class.  He has the medals to prove it

Academically he did fine but we started noticing that he no longer wanted to go to school.  He used to love to learn.  In K and 1st grade we had to deal with bullying and with him being left out.  He likes to hang out with kids older then him.  The Hubs and I sat down at the end of the school year and had a long talk.  After many prayers we finally decided that it would be best for Bub and the little girls to be home schooled.  I would like to say for the record that if I could have had the teachers and the school without the other kids I would have kept him in school.  But alas, other people's children must attend public school as well.
We have spent the last two weeks homeschooling.  It has gone surprisingly well!  I'm not going to say that its been perfect but so far we all like it.

 

I am having to learn to let go and let the Holy Spirit guide Bub and me.  I'm a control freak but I'm finding that the more I let go the less stressful it is on all of us!

The Cast and Crew

This isn't the best picture of all of us but it is the only one I have of the 6 of us.

Me (Mama)
I am the lucky one that they call Mama/wife!  I am a lover of chocolate and books!  I am also a college student studying Nutrition and Dietetics.

The Hubs (Daddy)
This is my dear sweet husband/test subject.  We have been married 8 years this November.  I couldn't do this without him!  He would love to have an old muscle car in the garage to tinker on.  One day soon this will be his reality!

Sis
She is our oldest daughter.  She is all grown up and out on her own!  Sniff Sniff

 

 

Bub
He is our only boy.  He is 7 years old and all boy!  He loves to play outside and ride his bike.

 

 

Lil' Bit
She is 2 and has quite the attitude.  She is definatly the boss around the farm!  She loves to dress up one minute and then go wrestle her brother or jump in mud the next.

 

Ferg
She is our newest addition born at the end of February.  We thought she was going to be calm and quiet.  The older she gets the more she proves us wrong!

About the names:  The kids call each other them.  The Hubs started calling the baby Ferdinan when she was a couple of weeks old to pick on me.  He soon shortened it to Ferg and it stuck.  Unfortunately all the kids call her that and she now answers to it.  I will have my revenge!  ;)

Natural Cradle Cap Remedy

Lil' Bit had cradle cap as a baby.  No matter what I tried it never completely went away and stayed away.  Fast forward  a year and a half and now Ferg has it.  She has it bad. 

I tried to just leave it alone to see if it would go away on its own.  No such luck.  A couple of days ago I got tired of it.  Not necessarily the cradle cap but the comments people would make about her.  Why must we pull each other down?  Why do I let it bother me so?  I pulled out a jar of coconut oil and my bottle of tea tree oil and went to town. (Hopefully I will be able to post soon on the benefits of both.)

I mixed about a teaspoon of coconut oil with one drop of tea tree oil.  Tea tree oil can be pretty harsh on sensitive skin so go easy on it and always use a carrier oil.  I stripped Ferg down to her diaper and rubbed the oil all over her scalp.  While I waited for it to loosen everything up I went ahead and gave her a massage.  Ferg LOVES massages.  Plus she was good and relaxed while I combed her hair.  Use a fine toothed comb, going against her hair gently comb it all out.  It amazed me how easy it was to get it all off.  We followed up with a nice warm bath to wash her hair and get what was loose out.  After 2 treatments it is all but gone!  Just a couple of flakes that come off when I rub it.

I wish I had a before picture but I wasn't thinking!  You will just have to trust me that she had it bad!  I do have an after picture though!  Do you know how hard it is to get a decent one of the top of an infant's head that isn't crazy blurry?  She is a busy girl that doesn't like to hold still for "after pictures"!