Iron Chef Mom–Tomatoes

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I love a cooking challenge!

I bumped into this website–Cheerios and Lattes.  Each week MacKenzie has an Iron Mom Chef contest . . . this week’s ingredient is tomatoes.

Tomato Caprese

I make this a lot in the summer–I grow tomatoes and basil.

I cut the tomatoes almost all the way through and fill them with the mozzarella.  This particular cheese is pre-sliced–but normally I would have thinner slices of cheese.  I drizzle with olive oil and fresh ground pepper.

tomatos

 

Be Blessed.  I find joy in all the seasons but . . . I love growing food in my garden, making it look beautiful and sharing a meal with my family (preferably outside).

The Cloud Project

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We spend a lot of time looking at the sky–clouds, the sun, stars, sunsets, moon cycles . . . I’m not sure why?  I am in awe at how God created nature.  We study and label but to understand the innate beauty–for that there is no label.

So if you see me outside looking towards the heavens–I haven’t lost my mind, I’m thanking God!

For this cloud study we:

  1. read lots of board books and noticed the different clouds–I love Bob the Builder clouds!
  2. checked out a bunch of books from the library on weather . . . no cloud books :-(
  3. cleared off the craft table (in this house that was a plan ahead job–our craft table is used ALL the time for everything)
  4. supplies:  glue, scissors, craft sticks cardboard for the peek a boo cloud project

We read the books and studied the clouds that we saw outside.  It was a low key unit.  Then we made our cloud identifiers!

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oh no!!! glue.on.my.hand

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For my little guy he had to cut, fold, glue, center the craft stick and hold it until the glue sort of stuck . . . 2 minutes/stick.  This was a great exercise to:

  1. work on fine motor skills
  2. work on the letter C and how it can sound different
  3. the CL blend
  4. stick ends with a ck but has the same sound as C–sometimes I say that words have a silent letter on the end–silent k or silent e.
  5. sensory issues–glue can be tricky, sticky . . . we had several breaks for hand washing.
  6. everyone was able to word at their own pace
  7. this project is a take a-long project–we keep them in the car and talk about the different clouds we see and what kind of weather we might expect.
  8. We talked about when God created the clouds.

Be Blessed.  God’s beauty is all around us–to be still in His creation is a gift.

Whatever Words Wednesday, Show and Share

 

My Daily Intention

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My “word” for 2013 is Intention.  I want every choice I make to be intentional.  I’m not gonna lie–it is hard.  I wake up with the best of intentions–by the time I’m trying to get 4 kids into the car by 7:30 am . . . I’m not always “Joyful Mom–in everything give thanks”.  I am a mockery of what I intend.  Dang.  Not what I intended.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with a group of women about their visions.  In my effort to bring the lesson home, the group created Vision Boards.  I rambled.  I’m not sure that it turned out the way I intended it to.  A few women said that they liked it and it wasn’t the vision board that was made the biggest impact.

WHAT?  That was the whole point!  The Vision Board.

The impact was made when I tried to provide a guided meditation on purpose, intention, desires, needs, our alignment with our souls . . . you get the idea.  It lasted about 10 minutes of being quiet with our eyes closed (I peeked at my notes) and I think it may have been the first time many of these women took a few minutes to be still.  To think about how God works in their lives.  To think about their purpose.  What are their gifts?  talents?  A quiet time to do soul-searching and wait for God to guide us.

One thing that I have realized is that living intentionally takes all my attention.  I still make breakfast, lunch, dinner, fold mountains of laundry, plan meals, do the shopping, put the food away, teach the kids, put God first, love my husband like no other . . . my life is an endless to do list.  Yet, I’m happy.  I am at peace.  I feel content.

Energy flows where attention goes.  

My attention is my intention.  

My intention is to seek my purpose.

My purpose is how I use the gift God has given me.

“in everything give thanks” is my prayer of intention.

In my vision board research I found Christine Kane, an inspiring woman.  She has an excellent FREE e-book about vision boards.  In reading her website I found this affirmation/prayer. I have read it each morning and each night . . . it starts my day in a happy place and ends the same way.  I do have some rough spots each day, I accept that moments are tough.  I chose to move forward in joy (I strive to be Joyful Mom)–100’s of times a day if need be.

[button align=”” color=”” size=”” link=””]My Daily Intention

As I begin this day, I choose to know the following:

I am one with all that is. As Spirit, Energy, and Life Force move through me freely, I allow the following intention to attract all the force, form, and energy that is required for it to become a reality with ease and grace in my life…

I know that today is a perfect unfolding. I am fully present and aware in every moment.

I know that new opportunities manifest effortlessly for me, and I welcome them with happiness.

I know that wealth and abundance are my reality.

I choose to radiate and shine in every activity of this day – and I easily release any negative thought forms I come into contact with.

I know that I bring value to the world – living from my highest purpose.

I know that I am loved. I am blessed. I am cherished. And I am surrounded by people who encourage me, who adore me, and who delight in everything about me.

I am deeply grateful for all of these blessings and all that I am creating and attracting in my life. Thank you for this day. Thank you for this truth. Thank you for this life.

And so it is.

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What is your intention?  How are you blessed?  I yell “get in the car!”, what do you struggle with?

Be Blessed.

I’m linking up with these awesome blogs!  Motivation Mondays, Mindful Mothering, The Better Mom,  Multitudes on Monday, Mercy Mondays, Titus Tuesdays, heart and home, God Sized Dreams