Dixie Cups!!

Hi ladies!

I can't believe I had not thought of this until now! Cold season is dwindling away by now and of course, I would make a dazzlingly discovery now. As a special treat, I sometimes by a big box of Dixie Cups for the kids to use in the bathroom. I don't buy the box of cups often because they go through them so fast!

Our box of Dixie Cups happened to be sitting out on the kitchen counter top during our two week battle with head colds and realized that if I give the kids their drinks in Dixie cups, the cups can be immediately disposed verses leaving them out for a drink later and meanwhile another sibling comes along and sips on those nasty cold germs inoculating themselves for a miserable two weeks of the ewwy-gooeys.

It saves me from washing cups and trying to juggle who drank out of what cup. I think that this little idea coupled with multiple doses of hand sanitizer and more importantly, lots of hand washing could possibly cut back on sick days!

I sound like a commercial but I really think the germs left our house sooner than usual.

I would love to hear what tricks, or ways you "degermify" your houses when the "ickies" set in.

Be blessed, ladies!

Playdough Test Run

I used the recipe from Super Baby Food. It turned out really well, Mcclellan liked playing with it but not eating it (although, he had to try it!), and it was way easy. I gotta look up the recipe I used all the time when I taught preschool; it kept forever and was super soft.

Homeschooling the Baby

Mcclellan and I seem to go through bouts of super-organization and education in the home mixed with dry spells of, "Oh well, let's just finger paint...again." Do you moms, homeschooling or not, have any ideas of ways to be organized and purposeful about what, when, and how you play and teach your kiddos? I know there are a lot of great books out there, so what have you read that you found helpful? I am a super-planner (always have been), down to the point where I'd like to write a weekly/monthly activity plan. I have a few toddler activity books back from my preschool teaching days that I use frequently, and there are a few websites I really like as well. I just feel like sometimes I'm not doing "enough" to play with/teach Mcclellan. Maybe if I sit down on Saturdays and write our plans for the next week (book of the day, art activity, songs, dances, etc.) I'll feel more on target. I guess for me, I like to have something physical to look at, like a calendar, to motivate and validate what we've done. Its hard too, cause a 1-yr-old has the attention span of a Jack Russell terrier (Melissa, you know what I'm talking about! Zippah!). How do you gals stay consistent and motivated when it comes to whiling away those daytime hours with toddlers at home?

a soapy mess!

The other day I accidentally put some dish soap into our dishwasher (not much, because I caught myself after I'd put in a teaspoon or so, then finished it off with the correct soap) and started the cycle and went to bed. The next morning, our tile floor had a white film on it. I've tried straight vinegar to get it off, but no luck. Any ideas?

Natural Household Cleaner

I keep forgetting to email you this recipe, Christina. I thought I would post it here.

Hard Surface Cleaner:

2 cups water
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon liquid dish soap
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon borax

Mix in a spray bottle and shake everytime before using. I've noticed that it doesn't leave my countertops nice and shiny, so I usually rinse with white vineager after I'm done disinfecting.

Playdough

Anyone have a homemade playdough recipe to share??

Thanks!

Brushing Those Tuskies and Keeping the Pipes Clear

Two things I need some advice on:

1. Brushing those baby teeth. Mcclellan has 8 and my biggest problem with them is remembering to brush them! I even have his toothbrush next to ours, but we never remember to brush his. We've tried during bath, on the changing table, at the dinner table. It doesn't help either, that kid hates us trying to stick that thing in there. I've even tried just wiping his teeth with a small washcloth, and he detests that too. Any ideas?

2. Big eater constipation. Kid has always been a great eater and while some of it is probably our fault for "letting" him eat certain things, we have a problem about 2 times a month with constipation. I pretty much let him eat til he stops on his own (which is usually indicated by him sticking his tongue out with the food all over it!), and he eats most everything we do (still no obvious digestive-problem foods like oranges, tomatoes, cucumber, cabbage, lettuce, corn, etc.). I try not to load him up on bananas or bread to avoid constipation, but it seems to happen still more frequently than I'd like. Is this just something normal for big eating kids that I have to get used to, or is there something you could recommend to avoid the painful, fussy F.O.S. baby?

Gracias, chicas!

NEVER get a dog!

I love dogs, don't get me wrong. I just have a problem with owning one. For all of you who are considering getting a dog, DON'T. I'm getting sick of cleaning up pee on my area rugs from my still-incontinent almost-5-year-old dog. Why anyone would want to do that for years and years is beyond me. I know some of you are thinking it might be fun to get a dog, for your kids or just because you think they're cute- which they are. My personal, heartfelt and sincere advice to you would be: Get a goldfish. They drink their pee. Much easier.

Okay, now I feel better. Even though I have my area rug peeled off the floor and folded over to dry...

Camera/Workout DVD Suggestions

Hi all,
I need to get a new camera since mine died the other day. It was a Sony Cybershot and I really liked it. After borrowing my sister-in-law's camera (for last weekend in Flagstaff-Evan & Jose's 1st time seeing snow!!), I realized that I don't want a Nikon...it took forever to get ready for each photo! So frustrating! So, if you all have any recommendations, I would appreciate it. Right now I have been looking at Sonys, but I am a little worried about them breaking, since mine went out after 2 1/2 yrs. I know my dad has a Kodak that still takes great pictures after almost 4 years!

Also, do any of you have any suggestions for a good workout DVD I could do at home? I was thinking something like kick boxing...something that doesn't require a bunch of stuff to buy and store in my tiny little house...as Christina knows, I don't have a basement and my garage is getting pretty full! I also want something that keeps me on my feet...I bought both Yoga and Pilates DVDs but they didn't work since my kid thinks its fun to tackle me while I'm trying to do it. So if I could avoid that, I would be happy!
Thanks!

Yummy...

This is what happens when you make a pecan pie without the egg yolks! Our neighbor is allergic so I usually just omit the yolk and things turn out fine. Surprisingly, it still tasted really good! Huge thanks to Christina for posting the vinegar info. I let as much of the goo burn to a crisp as I could without burning down the place and then soaked a rag in vinegar and left it on the rest of the mess. It cleaned up pretty well!

Eva, Eva and Me

OK, so it's not just my baby. This is Eva Elizabeth (also known as Granny) holding her little namesake, Eva Mae (my daughter). Eva is Eva's great-great grandmother (97 years young). This is when they met for the first time. Isn't God good!

Wedding dress

Hi all,

I thought I'd put this out there. I got married in August of 2003 and my dress is still hanging in the same bag I put it in 4 years ago. It's too long to fit in my closet so it's been hanging on the outside of the closet door for that long! 4 years! I can't believe it, it's time for me to do something about it. The question is what?? I want to hear from you as to what you all did with your dresses. I may be making a mountain out a molehill...I tend to do that sometimes.

Have a blessed day,
Brenda

Melissa's Kid Pic

Evan Making Cookies

Screaming for Advice

Okay girls. So Mcclellan will be 11 mos. old in like, a week. He has taken to the lovely task of making his voice known and testing the limits of its range and pitch...a.k.a., screaming. Its getting too loud, too often and its getting to be in context. Like when he's mad, he screams. When he's being impatient, he screams. When he's bored, he screams. Not screaming like ongoing, warbly screaming. More like a loud, hig-pitched shriek.

Today, out of desperation for a mode of discipline, I flicked his cheek, close to his mouth. I don't want to follow him around all day, flicking him whenever he screams. Right now it consists of: Shriek, flick, accompanied by a firm, "No. Don't scream. Too loud." and then a few tears and a refractory period of clinginess before going on his merry way. To scream again.

AAaAaaAhhH! Any suggestions? Do I just let it go and put up with it as a developmental phase? I don't want him shrieking during church or mealtimes. When do I intervene? And if its okay to shriek now, why isn't it okay 6 mos. from now. Where is the lesson?

Thank you!!

Cute pic day

My little Luke

Vinegar

Hi all,

I soaked my wedding ring in diluted vinegar last night. I had actually forgotten about it so it ended up soaking for about 4 hours. After scrubbing it with hand soap and a toothbrush, it is now nice and sparkly. Before the soak, it was very grimey. I admit it, it had been close to a year since I'd had it cleaned, so you can imagine the ick on it!

Thanks for the tidbit on vinegar. I just can't bring myself to by a jar of jewelry cleaner. :)

Post-a-picture-of-your-cute-kids-day

Since my old computer crashed my old pic wouldn't show up...so here you go, a new one Mcclellan.

Thai Stir Fry Recipe

Funny how this is turning into a recipe blog...

Thai Stir Fried Rice Noodles with Chicken or Tofu

Ingredients:
approx. 1 c. fresh chicken pieces/strips or 1 c. cubed tofu (we've only ever used tofu in this recipe, and it is goooood)
2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 3 T. soy sauce (this is the marinade for the meat)
3 cloves garlic
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, sliced thinly into matchstick pieces (so you can pick it out when you eat it- no one likes a crunchy piece of spicy ginger...well maybe some of you do)
1 c. shiitake mushrooms sliced (I loathe mushrooms so I omit these)
1 red bell pepper (I've substituted green)
2-3 c. bean sprouts
8 oz. very thin dried rice noodles (or vermicelli, rice stick, glass noodles, whatever you want to call them)
1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
approx. 2 1/2 T. oil for stir frying

Stir Fry Sauce:
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. fish sauce (I use oyster sauce because that's what I always have on hand)
1 tsp. sugar
1 T. lime juice (I use lemon for the same reasons as above)
1/4 c. chicken or vegetable stock
1-2 tsp. chili sauce

Soak noodles in warm water for about 10-20 min. just til "al dente." Not totally squishy because you'll cook them more when you fry them.

Marinate meat in cornstarch/soy sauce mixture and stir to coat. Marinate while noodles soak.

Combine all stir fry sauce ingredients in a cup and set aside. Drain noodles, toss with some oil and set aside. Heat a wok or large frying pan over med-high. When hot, add 2 T. oil and swirl to coat pan. Add garlic, ginger, meat (with marinade), mushrooms and a few T. of the stock. Stir fry 5 min. or until meat is cooked. If pan becomes dry, add more stock. Add pepper (I usually throw in something else green- beans, broccoli, peas, whatever we have) and more stock if necessary. Add noodles plus stir fry sauce. Use two forks or tongs to mix in noodles. Add bean sprouts last and fry for another minute.

Recipes aside, I need prayer requests for the next 3 days as Matt will be in Wichita and I will be home alone, solo-parenting 24/7! Thanks to those of you who've offered to hang out with us!

Now I'm off to buy some UTEE (thanks to my hubby's permission!). :)

Mac and "Cheese"

Alright, my mom got us a really great cook book for Christmas with all sorts of yummy vegan recipes in it. I know, what you're thinking... vegan? I use real butter instead of margarine so it's not really all that vegan but the recipes are great. Believe me, I had my doubts, but we tried this one and it was great. It uses nutritional yeast which is not the same as brewers yeast. It's yellow and flaky and you can buy it in bulk at the MERC but the new grocery store down town has it for almost 1/4 of the price. Please, if you try this recipe don't tell the people who eat it that it doesn't have cheese in it. We both knew what it was before we tried it so we'd love to know what someone would think who didn't realize there wasn't any cheese.

Cook 3 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
In a saucepan, melt 1/2 cup margarine (or butter) over low heat. Beat in 1/2 cup flour with a wire whisk and continue to beat over a med heat until it is smooth and bubbly. Whip in 3 1/2 cups boiling water (I put the water in my kettle when I started the butter melting and it was ready just in time), 1 1/2 teasp salt, 2 Tbs soy sauce (I think next time I'll only use one), 1 1/2 teasp garlic powder, and a pinch of turmeric. Beat well
The sauce should cook until it thickens and bubbles. Then whip in 1/4 cup oil (the recipe doesn't specify so I used canola) and 1 cup nutritional yeast flakes.
Mix sauce with noodles and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes until the "cheese" is melty and yummy looking.

Stephanie's Black Bean Hummus

Wow, I finally made this today and it's great. Thanks for sharing the recipe Stephanie, hope you don't mind I posted it.
Black bean hummus

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans; drain and reserve liquid (I used dry beans and cooked them)
  
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mince garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Add black beans, 2 tablespoons reserved liquid, lemon juice, tahini, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper; process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.

Another great use for bananas

I love bananas! I used them for the first time in my french toast batter...it was so good! I simply substituted a mashed banana for most of the milk. Do you all have any good recipes using bananas?

Neutralizer

Quick, homeopathic remedy for gas. Matt was having front end and rear end troubles last night (thought he was getting flu again!) and took 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar and a cup of chamomile tea which fixed him right up. He took 2 tsp. again like an hour later when he started having tummy pain again. Woke up happy as a clam this morning!

Christmas Traditions: Christina

I'm finally starting to excited about this impending Christmas! Matt and I've been talking a lot about the traditions we want to implement in our family, especially since this is Mcclellan's first Christmas. What traditions, specific things, practices do you and your family (I mean your "new" families, not the one you grew up in) have around the holidays? What makes the holidays so...special (for lack of a creative word) every year? Why do people gather close to family during this time?

I have a hard time with the whole "most wonderful time of the year" thing that America projects Christmas to be. Family, travel, food, trees, lights, shopping, presents. While all these things are fun and not necessarily a bad thing, I reject the idea that they're the focus of this season. Matt and I have boycotted travel this and last year and I'm hoping that's becoming a tradition for us: to stay home, the 3 (or however many) of us, go to church and just revel in Jesus' birth. Not madness, travel, visiting a hundred people, etc. We decided, just this morning, that we aren't going to open any presents until Epiphany, because that's when the kings brought Jesus his gifts. I mean, that whole concept is why we do presents every Christmas anyway, right? So we're holding off til 1/6.

I want to spend time with friends baking, meeting, drinking coffee, having dinners. Since our family lives so far away from us, I want to leave the travel and visits out until after Christmas Day. We are planning on going to Colby after Christmas this year. Its like we take this big deep breath on the day after Thanksgiving and don't let it out until after December 25. Once we've exhaled, it makes things like travels and family get-togethers (which, no matter how fun they are, are stressful) a lot easier. We'll see how it goes this year.

I think I was really disillusioned by all the hype of Christmas this year so much that only recently I feel like I'm starting to accept the Truth of Christmas. To turn off the TV, avoid the crowds, and just quietly worship the King that was born so long ago, humbly, quietly. I wonder, what would Jesus think about the generally accepted way to celebrate his birthday? What about those who celebrate without even knowing what/why they're celebrating?

(While we're at it, what are you girls going to do about Santa? This has been a question I've been mulling over in my mind but not really deciding about, mostly because Mcclellan can't say "Mama" yet, let alone "Santa." I have some ideas but it seems like no matter what you decide some cultural toes are going to be stepped on or lies will be told. I like Santa. A lot. So I do want to incorporate him into Christmas somehow. We'll see how he takes shape amongst our Christmas traditions.)

But back to Jesus, mostly because I like talking about him :) I really want to let go of all the craziness of the season (whether its fun crazy or stressful crazy) and teach our family to be still this season and focus on the birth. I want to abandon all hopes of opening presents on Christmas Day being the focus of Jesus' birthday. I want to attend Advent services (which, sadly we haven't done at all this year!) and Christmas Eve and Day services. I mean Christmas is one of the biggest and most important celebrations that makes up the church year. The other of course, is Easter, which is my personal favorite holiday. But I want Christmas to be up there too. I want to celebrate the birth because we have the death for and of our sins and Jesus' resurrection to look forward to. I've been spending a lot of time thinking about how Jesus' birth was unknown to the world, save a few shepherds and kings. About Jesus nursing with Mary. About him being a baby and growing up in this world. Did he know he was the Savior of our race as a 1-year-old toddling around? Maybe all these questions are trite, and I'm sure they're mostly in light of my own son's development. But nonetheless, these kinds of thoughts have helped me to focus on Jesus birth and life and its culmination in his death. These are the kinds of things we should be pondering at Christmas. Not the fact that Macy's is open for 24 hours until Christmas Eve. That's just crazy.

-sigh- Anyway! Traditions, yeah. Write your own post about your Christmas Traditions or you can comment on mine, but I was just curious how you involve your family in the madness of the holiday season. How involved do you get? How much time do you spend with family, near or far? Any special recipes or meals just for this time of year? How do you decorate? Do you love or hate (or both!) "the most wonderful time of the year"?

Merry Christmas, and I hope you find peace in reconciling the expectations and traditions of the holidays with the incontrovertable truth that Jesus was born to save the world from sin! Its a tough thing to do!

Stephanie

Name: Stephanie Lynn Ellis
Birthday: October 13
State: KS
Husband: Jay
Anniversary: 9/4/04 (Same as Christina!)
Kids: Riley (6/15/06)
Favorites: Jesus, being a wife, being a mom, reading, good conversations, foreign food, traveling, going on dates with my husband, surprises
Not-so-favorites: not getting enough sleep or food, the taste of beer, being tickled
One family tradition: Reading the Bible and praying together after dinner
Five interesting things about you (not your husband or kids!)
1. I'm so glad I get to stay at home with Riley and don't have to investigate child abuse/neglect anymore!
2. I once broke my toe when I tripped over a snow plow in the middle of summer while playing hide-and-seek in the dark.
3. My husband and I had the most amazing honeymoon in the Philippines.
4. I just realized this year that the song about mommy kissing Santa Claus was talking about mommy kissing daddy, and really not Santa Claus.
5. I NEVER thought I would actively participate in a blog.
Final Thought:
I'm excited to get to know some new ladies and learn from you!

Good sermon

I listened to (yet another) awesome sermon from Mark Driscoll about when Jesus turned over the tables of the moneychangers and drove animals out with a whip he made. This definitely gave me a new way to see my Lord.

Go to http://media.marshillchurch.org/
click on "sermons"
then "books of the Bible"
then "Gospel of John"
then go down on the screen and select:
Angry Worship - John 2:12-25

Store-bought Crackers: Just say No!

So far, I have tried three cracker recipes from the Super Baby Food Book (definitely a good use of time and money!)--the teething crackers, cheese crackers, and peanut butter in the crackers...so far, we are 0 for 3 with Riley liking them. In fact, she spit out the cheese cracker all over the kitchen floor tonight. She LOVES any store-bought cracker she has ever been given. Any cracker recipe ideas that are sure to please an 18-month old?

Showing your kids love...

There are so MANY different ways mommies show their love and I'm always up for more ideas. Would anyone like to share how you let your love shine?

Cold Weather Fare

I am in need of tried and true soup recipes. We already have a beef stew, chicken noodle, and chili that we love, but if you girls have any different favorites that you couldn't live without, pass it on. Yay for snow! I think they're saying 2-6 inches!

Question

Well, let's get started. I have SO much to learn and ask.

How do you all store your flour? I'm not sure if I'm doing it the best way, but I keep mine in the freezer in it's original bag with a bag clip to hold it closed.

See what I mean...I need you girls!

Brenda

Name: Brenda Soledad Blake
Birthday: February 5
State: KS
Husband: Judd
Anniversary: 8-23-2003
Kids: Savannah (1-19-2006) and Luke (7-8-2007)
Favorites: being a mom, shopping, friends, learning new things, socializing
Not-so-favorites: Sleep deprivation, swearing, cold feet, gaining weight
One family tradition: Well...since it's the Christmas season, Savannah and I decorate the tree and Judd has always done the lights and the star.
Five interesting things about you (not your husband or kids!)
1. Everyone is surprised to find out that I speak Spanish.
2. I am a Registered Nurse.
3. In high school, my parents sent me to Europe for two weeks.
4. For our wedding, Judd's sister collected money from our wedding guests to send us to Florida for a week to stay at a beach house, which I'm grateful for, but our wedding gift registry was very neglected...no kitchen gadgets, no new dishes, no new bedsheets, etc. :)
5. My hubby and I are working at getting out of debt so we are very strict with our moneys which some days I feel like we'll never see the light at the end of the tunnel and others days I'm fully aware that we're that much closer. Yay!
Final Thought: Thanks, Christina for calling me and "pushing" me towards signing up for Ribs and Rubies! I need that sometimes. I shall come to rely on you girls for a lot on womanly knowledge. What a great group and a fabulous idea, I really believe this is just what I needed!

Melissa

Name: Melissa Danielle Magana
Birthday: May 10
State: AZ
Husband: Jose
Anniversary: 3/14/03
Kids: Evan (4/4/06)
Favorites: Being a mom, talking on the phone, shopping, Christian music, Fall, Chocolate
Not-so-favorites: Sleep deprivation, having a headache, being stuck in traffic
One family tradition: I don't really have one yet...we are still caught up in our family of origin's traditions I guess.
Five interesting things about you (not your husband or kids!)
1. I used to show horses when I was a kid. Walk/Trot Western Pleasure was my specialty.
2. I hate loud noises- music, the vacuum cleaner...you name it.
3. I once drove from Arizona to Georgia (in 2 days) to help a friend drop off a truck. Unfortunately I didn't get to drive much since I was not trusted with the manual stick shift.
4. I love the feeling of a plane taking off.
5. I hate cooking, but like baking.
Final Thought: Yay!!!...I figured out how to do this whole blog thing!

Introduce Yourselves!

Hey girls! All you who have accepted authorship to the blog, go introduce yourselves. You can use the little survey I did or you can just type up a paragraph about you and your family. Let me know if you need assistance with using Blogger, but I think most of you have used it, or something like it, at one time or another. Peace out!

Jennifer

Name: Jennifer Jo Stone
Birthday: June 11
State: KS
Husband: Branden
Anniversary: 12-17-05
Kids: Eva Mae (9-11-07)
Favorites: Being Branden's wife and Eva's mom, sleeping in, reading, baking, homeschooling (thinking about it anyway), dear friends, chi tea (especially when Branden makes it for me)
Not-so-favorites: spit up, earwax, doing laundry at the laundry mat, teething, folding fitted sheets, drivers who don't give a "thank you" wave
One family tradition: Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings with our international friends
Five interesting things about you (not your husband or kids!)
1. I've never dyed my hair because I'm too boring and cheap.
2. I also speak Spanish (looks like Brenda and I will have to chat)
3. I enjoy the challenge of trying to feed my family organic food on a shoe-string budget.
4. I've been to the arctic circle
5. I was in labor 60 hours with Eva!
Final thought: I hope we can all benefit from our collective wisdom here (or at least learn from each others mistakes)! Hey, it makes for good reading while I'm up late walking Eva to sleep!

Super Vinegar to the Rescue!

For those of you who are anti cleaning chemicals. Even if you're only semi-anti like me. 1001 Uses for White Vinegar. My favorite is using it to mop linoleum floors. Cleaning the toilet is good with WV too, but doesn't have the cling power of those gel-bleachy cleaners.

Great Granola

Thought I'd start this out with a recipe from Antonia! It's easy and healthy and provides breakfast for my hubby without me getting up early to prepare it (cause we all know that won't happen).

Combine:
2 C. whole wheat flour
6 C rolled oats
1C coconut flakes
1 C wheat germ

Blend:
1/2 C water
1 C oil
1 C honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 Tablespoon salt

Add blended liquid to dry ingredients and mix. Spread on 2 greased cookie sheets. Bake 1 hour at 250.
I add ground flax seed (about a cup) to the mix. I also put crasins in it after baking. Almonds are nice in it too, chop and toast along with the granola.

Christina

Name: Christina Joy Smith
Birthday: July 12
State: KS
Husband: Matt
Anniversary: 9/4/04
Kids: Mcclellan (2/20/07)
Favorites: Mothering, reading, crafts, blogging, music, foreign food, baking, homeschooling, Spring...or no, wait- Fall, movies, art, writing, pizza, chocolate, wine, tea, coffee, holidays, toys, family, friends, church, Jesus
Not-so-favorites: being sick! sick kid, sick husband, icy weather, washing dishes, flying, driving slow, MIC (Made in China), Walmart...plus all sorts of other obvious not-so-favorites like poopy diapers, satanism, etc.
One family tradition: In the process of creating those...the Christmas pickle.
Five interesting things about you (not your husband or kids!)
1. I got my B.S. in child development and thought I'd never use my education
2. I love concerts
3. I don't like beer...but Matt is slowly changing my mind (oh, wait- that's about the husband)
4. I remember most of my childhood. Except today, I couldn't figure out how it came about that I ever went out on a date with this random guy from high school. I remember we watched There's Something About Mary in awkward silence. And yes, at 16, I was still a child.
5. I have to have tooth #6 removed due to internal resorption (look it up). Its an i-tooth. And I don't want to lose it.
Final thought: Can't wait for the conversations to start flowing on R&R. I'm sick and want to go back to bed.

Welcome to Ribs & Rubies!

Kind of a strange name, huh? When Jennifer and I were contemplating what to name the site, we turned to scripture for inspiration and a creative title. We looked at the usual Proverbs 31 and Ephesians 5 for what the Bible says about women...women who are married and have children. We liked the verse Prov. 31:10 because it states that a woman of noble character is worth more than rubies...something all women, wives and mothers or not, should strive for. And then, as wives, we liked the Genesis passage that explicitly describes how God created woman: from man, bone of his bones, flesh of his flesh.

So there you go. Ribs and rubies. Who we are, and what we desire to be. We are a group of housewives and mothers who want to share with each other our joys, our challenges, our triumphs and our shortcomings. We want to be candid with each other, stay in touch with friends from afar, and possibly make new friends! We are all connected somehow and while its okay to give this blog address to whomever you wish, authors will be limited to those given the rights. If you'd like to be an author, contact Jennifer or Christina.

This housewives and mothers forum is to give us a chance to discuss family, children, health and wellness, our Christian faith and spirituality, nutrition and recipes, homeschooling and education, home management, homemade and handmade projects, and any other rants and raves.