Mandi Ehman's Blog, page 147
January 26, 2013
Weekend Reading: January 26, 2013
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source: mandiehman on Instagram
“I have a dream that one day my four little children will be judged
not for the color of their skin but for the content of their character.”
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
We kicked off our week by watching Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the presidential inauguration, an inspiring diversion from our typical history work. This was the first year that the big girls and I have really talked about racism and civil rights, and I was glad to see the list of books that Kristen at Rage Against the Minivan shared to extend the conversation (first link below).
On another note — like most of the country, we’re also experiencing some of the coldest temperatures I can remember, and so we stayed bundled up inside for most of the week. Even the snow we’ve gotten over the past few days isn’t enough to keep the girls outside for very long because they get so cold out there, despite an abundance of layers! Stir crazy anyone?
Have you subscribed to our new weekly newsletter? Check out this week’s issue here and then be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss future issues!
Here are some of my favorite posts from this week. As always, check out what I’m reading to see the other posts that make me stop and think. You’ll find new posts all week long!
Life {On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day}
Resources for Talking to Kids About Race and Racism | Rage Against the Minivan
Sisters and Brothers | Moments with Love
Martin Luther King Changed My World, and I Am Thankful | Desiring God
Food {For Kids…And Husbands Too}
5 Strategies to Help Your Husband and Kids Transition to Real Food | Keeper of the Home
*This week I shared some more of our real food journey at Keeper of the Home
5 Ways to Get Kids to Love Helping in the Kitchen | Life As Mom
5 Foods My Kids Can Cook | Groovy Green Livin
Family {Raising Independent Kids}
Please Don’t Help My Kids | Alameda, CA Patch
On Raising Little Women (or Men): What We Can Learn from Marmee | Simple Homeschool
Brave Moms Raise Brave Kids | Jen Hatmaker
25 Reasons We’re Taking Our Kids Around the World | EntreFamily
Have a great weekend!
Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
Weekend Reading: January 26, 2013 is a post from Life Your Way
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January 25, 2013
Giveaway: Scotties Tissues for Cold & Flu Season (3 Winners!)
IMAGE
But as cold and flu season approaches, we know that we are all prone to get the sniffles at least once. According to WebMD, clogged nasal passages not only make you feel unwell, but the lack of oxygen intake can also impair judgment and leave you in a fog.
Maybe that is why you’ve been purchasing that other tissue brand?!
Recover quicker with Scotties Facial Tissues which offer up to 20 percent more plush tissues per box. Additional options include aloe-infused tissues for extra softness and soothing comfort.
Feel confidence in your choice knowing that Scotties is passionate about the environment as well – planting 3 trees for every 1 they use.
Enter to Win
This week, SPONSOR is giving NUMBER lucky Life Your Way reader PRIZE!
To enter, fill out the form below:
GOOGLE FORM
This giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on DATE. The winner will be selected randomly and notified by email, and this post will be updated with their name as well. Open to U.S. residents 18 years old and above.
Giveaway: Scotties Tissues for Cold & Flu Season (3 Winners!) is a post from Life Your Way
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How to Create Margin in Your Family’s Schedule
The following post is from Amanda of OhAmanda.com :
source: ohamanda on Instagram
At the beginning of my college career, we could hand write our papers. I clearly rode to school on a dinosaur’s back. However, by the end of college (I squeezed four years into five), we had to use computers. Like any good student, I was concerned about the details of my papers. Namely, what size font and what margins should I use. The bigger the font and wider the margins, the less words I had to write. And if I could doubles-space? Even better!
Having extra space on my papers led to extra time to do whatever young college girls do. Today, I recognize the same margins and space in my family’s schedule. When I pre-determine the margins and extra space needed in my schedule, I can have more breathing room, more time and more pause in my life.
Without extra space in my schedule, there is no room to create, no room to be bored, no room to be spontaneous, no room to just be. I want my children to know this space. I want them to feel the adventure of living, not the schedule of a well-ordered week. I also want them to know an attentive mom, not a frazzled drill sergeant who moves them from place to place.
Here’s a few steps to creating space in your family’s schedule:
1. Do one thing at a time.
This might mean your kids play one sport per season or take one class per semester. This might mean you volunteer for only one party at school, or one position at church. Maybe you show up to only one special event in your community or one extra activity with your friends.
You don’t have to do every single thing in every single area of your life. In fact, even if you do one thing in each area, that’s a lot of “one things” to fill your schedule!
2. Just say no.
This is such an overused directive that sometimes it seems trite and unhelpful. So, let’s take it one step further. Not only should you be willing to say no to extra activities in your schedule, you need to learn the art of just saying no. Like the old say-no-to-drugs campaign it means, don’t add any extra words or excuses. Simply say, “No. I can’t do that right now.” or “No. I won’t be able to help.”
One of my best friend’s mom is a family counselor. She always said, “Adults don’t need to explain.” The room mom in your kid’s class doesn’t need a long detailed excuse as to why your schedule is full. It’s tempting to create a half-lie to show how you can’t possibly bake brownies for the bake sale. Instead, don’t explain. Just say no.
3. Let it go.
Don’t stack your schedule so it mirrors others’. Some people thrive on busy. Just because your friend has all her kids in piano, basketball and art classes on Wednesdays, doesn’t mean you have to. Know your limits, where your margin needs to be and only allow your schedule to be filled to it. Let go of all the other things that “should be” done. Just because something is a good idea or would be helpful or fun, doesn’t mean you need to do it every time.
If you have something on your calendar that is a heavy weight, set it down! Your family will breathe easier for it. Let’s choose to give our schedule breathing room so we have time for discoveries with our kids, conversations with our spouse and adventures as a family!
How do you keep margin in your family’s schedule?
Amanda is a stay-at-home mom of two who blogs at ohAmanda.com. In her former life, Amanda was a Children’s Pastor — overseeing, organizing and developing ministry for kids in nursery through middle school, but now that she is a mom, her “skills” are used up on her kids!
How to Create Margin in Your Family’s Schedule is a post from Life Your Way
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California Pizza Kitchen Guacamole {Copycat Recipe}
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Avocados from Mexico for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
source: Mandi Ehman
I’ve never been a huge fan of guacamole (preferring my Avocados from Mexico in sweeter concotions like avocado smoothies and as a healthy fat in baked goods), but my mom has been raving about this recipe, and this week I decided to try it myself to see if it would be a good fit for a game day party.
Mine ended up as more of an avocado salsa than a creamy guacamole because my avocados weren’t quite ripe enough, but even still…it’s so good.
With a variety of fresh veggies, some kick from a serrano pepper and the Mexican flavor of cilantro and lime to pull it all together, this really has an amazing flavor. It’s also healthy enough that you can eat the whole bowl without feeling guilty, and I’m thinking about trying the leftovers in a lettuce wrap for lunch!
My mom couldn’t remember exactly where she’d found the recipe, and a Google search showed lots of versions of this recipe with no indication of the original source, so unfortunately I can’t give credit where credit is due, but based on the reaction I got when I posted a picture of this recipe in progress on Instagram and Facebook earlier this week, I have a feeling you’re going to love this one:
California Pizza Kitchen Guacamole {Copycat Recipe}
source: Mandi Ehman
California Pizza Kitchen Guacamole {Copycat Recipe}
#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews
Ingredients
1/2 cup sweet white corn
1/4 cup black beans
1/4 cup jicama or asian pear, finely diced
1/2 cup onion, finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2-1 serrano pepper, seeded, deveined and finely diced
1 handful cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 avocados, finely diced
1 lime, juiced
Instructions
Combine all ingredients, squeezing the lime over the avocado pieces to delay browning, and mix well.
Click here to add this recipe to your Plan to Eat account.
Find even more game day recipes at the Avocados from Mexico site!
What is your favorite avocado recipe? Will you be serving guacamole at your game day party?
California Pizza Kitchen Guacamole {Copycat Recipe} is a post from Life Your Way
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Food Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.
Layer Your Goals {31 Days to Your Goal}
If you’re just joining us, be sure to start at the beginning of the 31 Days to Your Goal series!
Setting multiple goals at one time can keep you from reaching any of them because it spreads your focus too thin, but that doesn’t mean that you’re destined to only pursue one goal at a time for the rest of your life. In fact, the best way to pursue multiple goals and stay on a path of continued self-improvement is by layering your goals.
What I mean by layering is simple:
Start with one clear, easily definable, actionable goal. Then, after 2-3 weeks, when you’re starting to feel like you have a handle on that goal and it’s become part of your daily routine, add another. And so on and so on. As you get to the point where a goal needs less of your focus, you add a new one, and in this way, you’re making actual forward progress without spreading your attention across too many goals at once.
The caveat to this practice is to layer goals that require different levels of commitment. For example, if one of your goals is to exercise for an hour a day and another one is to launch a new business by a certain date, layering those two goals on top of each other is probably a recipe for failure. That’s not to say that entrepreneurs who are launching businesses can’t exercise, but it’s hard to suddenly carve multiple hours out of your day for new goals, so it’s probably best to focus on one at a time.
However, you could set a goal of setting aside 1 hour a day to write and then layer an attitude (i.e. being kind to store clerks or keeping a gratitude journal) or habit (i.e. choosing fruits or veggies for snacks instead of junk or staying off Facebook during certain hours of the day) on top of that goal. Focus on that new goal for a few weeks and then add another. When you’re ready, add in another goal that takes a time commitment (like exercising).
Layering your goals helps you to approach them realistically without feeling the frantic need to do everything all at once, and it’s really made a difference for me as far as setting and keeping my goals!
What goal could you layer on top of your main goal this month?
Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
Layer Your Goals {31 Days to Your Goal} is a post from Life Your Way
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Get Instant Cash Back on Your Groceries from Ibotta
Have you tried ibotta yet? This great app (available for both Android and iPhone) gives you cash back on grocery and pharmacy items. Use it instead of or in addition to coupons, and your cash back can be deposited into your Paypal account or donated to a local school.
I love saving money without having to print coupons or mail rebates, and ibotta lets you claim and redeem offers right from your phone!
Here’s how it works:
How do you get ibotta?
Download the FREE app and then select the offers you’d like to use. Ibotta asks you to rate your offers as well so that they can personalize them according to your likes and dislikes.
How do you redeem your offers?Once you’ve purchased the item, click on “Redeem” and choose the store where you purchased your items. Then, snap a picture of your receipt and scan the barcode of the item to make sure it matches the offer. ibotta usually deposits the cash back into your account within an hour of uploading your receipt and scanning your item.
How do you get your cash back?Once you’ve earned at least $5, you’re ready to transfer your cash to your Paypal account. Click Withdraw Cash and follow the steps to connect to your Paypal account and have the money deposited there.
Where can you use ibotta?With a growing list of stores, chances are there’s one near you:
CVS Pharmacy
RiteAid
Military Commissary
Target
Walgreens
Walmart
7-Eleven
City Market
Dillons Dominicks
Duane Reade
Food4Less
Fred Meyer
Fry’s
Giant Eagle
H-E-B
Harris Teeter
Hy-Vee
King Soopers
Kroger
Meijer
Pavilions
Pick’N Save
Publix
QFC
Ralphs
Randall’s
Safeway
ShopRite
Smith’s
Stop & Shop
Tom Thumb
Vons
WinCo Foods
This app is easy to use and doesn’t leave you waiting for the cash back you’ve earned. With the built-in barcode scanner, you can also check the barcodes of the items you’re going to purchase to make sure they match the offer before you buy.
Signup and download the app to get started today!
Get Instant Cash Back on Your Groceries from Ibotta is a post from Life Your Way
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Money Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.
January 24, 2013
4 Tips for Capturing Everyday Moments
The following post is from Krystal of Krystal Griffin Photography:
Source: Krystal Griffin
There it is! One of life’s sweetest moments! But why didn’t you get a photo of it? There are lots of answers to that question and they are often problems that have a simple solution. All you need is a little forethought.
Here are four tips for being prepared to catch those fleeting moments.
1. Organize and refresh your camera equipment.
Source: Krystal Griffin
There is nothing worse than pulling out the camera only to see a dead screen or the words “no memory.” It happens to the best of us, but a good routine should help prevent it. Start with locating all your batteries, chargers, cables and memory cards. Make one location in your home for all of these things. It can be as simple as a small shoe box in your desk drawer or a basket on a bookshelf. What’s important is that it is all in one place so that you always know where it goes and you can always find what you need in a hurry. Now that you know where your equipment is you can begin a routine that keeps your batteries fresh and your memory card free. You could check them every Friday before your weekend activities, or each time you are finished with the camera. My routine usually goes along with my “just walked in the door” routine.
2. Leave that camera out.
Source: Krystal Griffin
I have four kids and by the time I made it to toddler number two I realized that cute moments will not wait for me to rummage in a diaper bag for the camera. They also wouldn’t wait for me to take it out of a bag with clips and Velcro. Pull that camera out of your purse, diaper bag or wherever you might stash it. If it’s in a case take it out and find a place that little fingers can’t get to it, but you can grab it quickly. My spot is a bookshelf in our main living area that has a place cleared just to leave the camera. You would be surprised the number of moments you will capture when the camera is handy.
3. Get the safe shot first.
Source: Krystal Griffin
Before you look for the perfect shot, or even the nicer shot, just take the safe one first. Any picture is better than no picture at all. Here is an example. While visiting my sister, my 8 year old reluctant reader decided to pull his 22 month old cousin onto his lap for a story. Once I realized what was going on, I quickly reached for my camera (It was still packed! I should have taken my own advice and gotten it out earlier). I snapped a photo with little thought to the details and in the end it was the best I could get. There are many things I would change about that first snapshot but again- any picture is better than no picture at all.
4. Consider what you want from your photos.
Source: Krystal Griffin
It’s just about the time I think “I never want to forget_______” that I know I need to take a picture of it. Spending a little time thinking about the things you never want to forget (the way my son pointed to his “tat-too”), and you’ll suddenly have a nice list of moments to capture. The other side to that thought is thinking about the photos you already value. That includes the photos you have taken, the ones you love from your past and photos from your family history. When you look at these images, take note of the ones you value and why. It will be great insight to help you recognize a moment when you see it.
What moments have you captured because you were prepared? Which ones have you missed?
Krystal is a stay-at-home mom of four children, ages 4-9, whom she homeschools. She is acutely aware of how fast her children are changing and is passionate about keeping family memories alive through photographs. Now and then she gets to help other families’ bottle up their own memories at Krystal Griffin Photography.
4 Tips for Capturing Everyday Moments is a post from Life Your Way
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Make a Statement with DIY Mantel Words
The following post is from Janel of Life with Lucie and Ella.:
source: Janel of Life with L and E
Dressing up your mantel a few times a year is an easy and creative way to change up your decor and celebrate each season. If you browse different mantels online, you’ll notice that oftentimes people incorporate words into the decor. Sometimes it is a store-bought decorative word or letter, and sometimes people re-purpose items like Scrabble tiles.
If you have a word in mind for your mantel, like a word of the year, it can be expensive if you have to purchase letters to create your word. You can make your own custom words for your mantel with free and really inexpensive items. Let me show you how!
How to Make Your Own Mantel Words:
source: Janel of Life with L and E
Supplies:
paint stir sticks – you can get these for FREE at the paint department in the home improvement store
paint that matches the color of your mantel – I used cheap craft paint from the craft store
paintbrush – a foam brush works well
computer & printer paper to create your template
cardboard from cereal or snack boxes
pencil
scissors and/or craft knife
cutting mat or other material to protect your work surface
heavyweight scrapbook paper – I used a thick glitter paper
double-stick tape or other adhesive of your choice
hot glue gun & glue sticks
Directions:
The paint stick will be the base of your mantel word. To help the stick blend into the mantel, paint it to match your mantel. Allow to dry completely.
Create a template for your word(s). I made mine on my computer using the font ChunkFive from Font Squirrel. If you want to use “LOVE does” or just “LOVE,” feel free to use the template I created {download it here}. The sentiment is certainly appropriate with Valentine’s Day approaching.
source: Janel of Life with L and E
Cut out your template. Trace it twice — once onto cardboard and once onto scrapbook paper. The cardboard will add strength to the letters so that they will stand up. If you use a specialty scrapbook paper (like the glitter one I used), be sure that you trace the template backwards on the backside of the paper so the pretty side will be on the front when you cut it out.
Cut out your letters. For the cardboard, cut just inside your tracing lines. For the scrapbook paper, cut on or just outside your lines. This will help ensure that your cardboard isn’t visible when you attach your letters. A craft knife will make it easier to cut out the insides of letters like O. Use a cutting mat to protect your work surface. If you don’t have a cutting mat, just use a piece of extra cardboard.
source: Janel of Life with L and E
Use double-stick tape to attach the scrapbook letter to the cardboard letter. Trim any cardboard portions if they are larger than the paper letter.
Repeat the above steps to create all of the letters.
source: Janel of Life with L and E
Place the stir stick on your work surface. Decide on the spacing of your letters and use a pencil to mark where you will affix your letters on the front edge of the stir stick.
Apply hot glue to the front edge of the stir stick between your pencil marks, and press the backside of the bottom edge of the letter to it. Repeat until all of your letters are attached to the stir stick.
Arrange the word(s) on your mantel, and make your own statement!
Related Projects:
Rolled Paper Flower Arrangement – Like the flowers in the photo at the top of the post? Make your own!
DIY Canvas Word Art – Make a statement on a larger scale by making your own canvas wall art.
DIY Rustic Paint Finish – Use this technique to give a frame or other wooden decor item a new look for your seasonal mantel.
What elements do you like to use in your mantel decor?
Janel is a stay-at-home mom of two and law school wife. Raised in a budget-conscious and do-it-yourself minded family, she loves seeing something in a store or magazine and making her own version at home for less money. Janel blogs about motherhood, crafts and recipes at Life with Lucie and Ella.
Make a Statement with DIY Mantel Words is a post from Life Your Way
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Dropbox {iOS App of the Week}
I’m a huge fan of Dropbox, which lets you backup your documents, photos and other files automatically to the cloud and access them from any computer or device. I love the security of knowing my files are backed up in real time (and I can even access archived versions for when I accidentally save over something!) and that our photos are safe in case something happens to my computer.
But the best part is the Dropbox app lets you access all of those files from your phone or tablet so that you have access to your documents and photos wherever you are! I use it to open ebooks to find recipes, to access homeschool curriculum on the go and to update files from my phone. So handy!
Download for your iPhone, iPad or iPod: Dropbox (FREE — including 2GB of storage)
P.S. This one is also available for your Android device.
See all of our featured apps here.
Dropbox {iOS App of the Week} is a post from Life Your Way
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Tech Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.
Decide Whether You’ll Cheat {31 Days to Your Goal}
If you’re just joining us, be sure to start at the beginning of the 31 Days to Your Goal series!
I’m realizing that goal-setting is an intensely personal process. What works for one person won’t work for another, and you have to really know yourself in order to know which will work for you. Today’s exercise is yet one more example of that.
For some people, “cheat days” are an important part of their goal-setting strategy, providing them with the relief of knowing they can enjoy their favorite treat, skip a daily habit or take a break from pursuing their goal every so often.
Personally, cheat days don’t always work so well for me. When it comes to something like exercising, I don’t expect myself to do it every day, which is why my #1000miles goal has been so effective — I know I have to ride my exercise bike 4 days a week, but I can choose which days those are.
On the other hand, when I’m trying to create a daily habit, whether it’s Bible reading or flossing my teeth — or change my eating habits, cheating breaks my momentum and ultimately makes me fall off the bandwagon.
Sometimes the only way to “know yourself” is to experiment, but I have a feeling most of us already have enough experience with this one to know which method works best for us!
Do you do better pursuing a goal with or without cheats?
Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
Decide Whether You’ll Cheat {31 Days to Your Goal} is a post from Life Your Way
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Work Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.
