Sending Two to School: The First Day

One new pink lunch box for my 5-year-old, a rainbow colored backpack that my 6-year-old picked out herself, pristine white athletic shoes for one child, second hand shoes for the other, and one home haircut--these were what I prepared to send my girls to school with on the first day.  Thankfully, my two are still too young to lament that we cannot afford to dress them from head to toe in brand new fall fashions.  But does checking off my modest back-to-school shopping list mean I am actually ready to send them back to school?

Lunches packed, photos snapped, we march to school en masse.  We meander through the chaos of school children and parents, attempting to find the proper line for each daughter.  I study the parents and children that will comprise the classes for the coming year.  While I don’t know another soul in the kindergarten group, many of the first grade students and parents I recognize as acquaintances and friends. The bell rings, and into the building the classes file, following their teachers’ enthusiastic faces.  What remains outside on the school lawn is a mother and preschool-aged son unsure of what to do all day.  We return home without the ringleaders of our usual at-home circus of three.

The hours pass slowly and quietly until it is time to return to the school grounds. I am eager to find out what transpired in their new classrooms.  At the sound of the final bell, out stream the multi-hued flocks of children.  Will I spy my kindergartner first, or will she spot me? 

I hone in on her searching eyes.  Our reunion begins as she races to clasp her arms around me.  She’s both excited and worn out from her long day.  She treasures her pink lunch box and already has a new friend (whose name she doesn’t yet remember).  Next comes my first grader.  Confidently she relays tidbits from the day, comparing and contrasting what happened with last year’s kindergarten memories.

We chatter all the way home as we walk.  I marvel at how suddenly this day came upon me.  No, I wasn’t quite ready to send them off again.  But my daughters not only have their parents, they also have each other to help with the adjusting, growing, and learning to come these next nine months.  The bonds that were strengthened this summer between parent and child, sister and sister, will continue to buoy them as their days at school unfold.  And with ready arms and ears I will return to meet my girls each day, mindful of my crucial tasks--to listen, pray, love, and be a steadfast mother that helps each of my three children blossom.

Join me for Company Girl coffee today to connect with other women and their stories.

10 Things to Savor from This Summer

1. Sun-kissed tomatoes from our garden

2. Sweet pea bouquets

3. Snoozing in my Vietnamese hammock

4. Sweet-smelling clothes from the line

5. Summer Spice Ice Cream Sandwiches

6. Stories illustrated and told by my sanguine 5-year-old

7. Sounds of "yee haw!" as my daughters rode like cowgirls in the backyard

8. Scrumptious homemade raspberry pie and jams from St. Joseph Island

9. Seeing my grandfather and grandmother in Ohio

10. Stone necklace my husband gave me on our 10th anniversary

What are you savoring?

Menu Plan for the Week of 8/23

We've had our summer of fun, but now it's time to get back to a fall routine.  Simpler meals should help us get into a good groove.  I'm still grappling with the fact that I have two daughters in school during the week!


-Monday-

• Japanese Eggplant Itame
• Rice
• Cucumber salad

-Tuesday-

• Venison burgers
• Veggie kabobs

-Wednesday-

• Slow Roasted Vietnamese Chicken
• Baby bok choy
• Rice
• Onion pancake

-Thursday-

• Turkey Sausage and Egg Casserole

-Friday-

• Taco Salad

-Saturday-

• Tilapia
• "Russian" Potato Salad

Check out  Menu Plan Monday for hundreds of other menus for the week!

Recipe: Orange Chicken Made Simple (Gluten Free)

"Let's do it the easy way" is my usual philosophy in the kitchen and elsewhere.  This month I attended a temperament seminar based on Beverly LaHaye's book, The New Spirit Controlled Woman, discovering that I am somewhat of a phlegmatic person.  That means I prefer to exert minimal effort.  So I bring you an easier (and healthier) version of orange chicken.  Though inspired by a more complex recipe, no breading or deep frying is required for this one (making it gluten free!).

Recipe for Orange Chicken, Simplified

1/2 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed or not-from-concentrate)
1 Tbsp. Ponzu or Tamari sauce
2 Tbsp. molasses
1 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional--I omitted these for the kids' sake)
1.5 lbs. boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 to 2 Tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1.5 tsp fresh grated ginger or 1 tsp. ground ginger powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
Black or white sesame seeds (optional)
Green onion, diced (optional)

1. Combine orange juice, soy sauce, molasses, honey, and corn starch (plus red pepper flakes if using).  Blend well and set aside.
2. In a large wok, heat oil over medium heat and add chicken pieces.  Stir fry for 4 to 5 minutes, until no pink is visible.  Add minced garlic, carrots, bell pepper and salt.  Continue stirring for another minute or so.
3. Add sauce mixture and stir continuously with chicken until sauce thickens and vegetables are tender-crisp.
4. Transfer hot stir fry to serving dish and top with sesame seeds and green onion if desired. Serve immediately with rice or noodles.  Makes about 4 servings.

Also linking up with other cooks at Tasty Tuesday.

End of Summer Reckoning

It's been a while since I've linked up with the Company Girls.  While I've missed the connections and inspiration, I needed to take a break and regain some perspective.  Earlier in the summer I was very gung-ho about what I aimed to do offline.  Somewhere between my high hopes and low moments is where I think most of our summer days were spent.

Puddingstone necklace my husband gave me on our 10th wedding anniversary

What we did and did not accomplish in June and July:
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• We did not pick strawberries, but my children did go out and pick fresh raspberries from the yard during our two week stay in Canada.
• My husband took two of my children to the "mammoth museum" while my eldest daughter and I went to a book club at the library.
• We made it downtown to the farmer's market on several weekends and bought local, ethically-raised ground beef.
• Found peach ice cream to make Summer Spice Ice Cream Sandwiches (recipe here), but did not create the healthy version.
• We did a few of the activities on the summer calendar from Thriving Family and attempted a fourfold approach to structure our days--for about two weeks in June.
• Attended my husband's best friend's wedding in Ohio and made a customized recipe collection for my dear friend in California, whose wedding I was not in since our friends chose the same date.
• Finally spent some time with my grandparents in Ohio, after being thwarted last December.  Not long after we left, my grandfather, who is 90, was hospitalized, so I treasure the moments we had in July.
• Had a fun vacation for the kids in Canada, but not much true rest for my husband and I.  (I was not expecting much of a vacation for myself with three kiddos in tow, but my husband really needed more of a break.)

What remains (in the next 30 days):

1. Read the New Testament and review my study of John
2. Re-institute spiritual disciplines for myself
3. Begin teaching them to my children
4. Develop and follow through on chore lists for each child
5. Remove excess clothing and goods from the premises (via garage sale, city mission, etc.)
6. Devise and implement a schedule for being online.
7. Celebrate our tenth anniversary in Kansas City while grandparents care for the kids.

Though refreshed from being away and enjoying natural beauty surrounding us last month, my deeper thirst remains unquenched.  I know the simple solution.  Draw near to God and he will draw near to me (James 4:8).  Only then can I become the woman I yearn to be.

How was your summer?  Have you been refreshed?

Recipe for Whole White Wheat Swedish Pancakes (Crepes)

Breakfast was just one more reason I loved getting to spend Friday night at Angela's house. Swedish pancakes were a Saturday morning ritual in her family.  Others call them crepes, but not our Swedish heritage families. Sometimes the adults added lingonberry sauce, but slathering Parkay and syrup on those thin pancake rolls was among my favorite food memories.

We don't make Swedish pancakes every week around here, but my kids really love them when I do. And I have tried various combinations to make the buttery layers healthier. Recently, I tried whole white wheat flour. The results were far superior to regular whole wheat. One could hardly tell the difference between the refined flour version and these whole grain delights.   Just to emphasize, though, do NOT use regular whole wheat flour.  I tried the recipe with regular whole wheat flour again when we were in Canada recently (and attempting to keep the pantry simple).  Think soggy cardboard with maple syrup.  White wheat, finely ground, makes all the difference.

Ready for the recipe?


Whole White Wheat Crepes

3 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk*
3/4 cup (or more) whole white wheat flour
1 tsp (or less) sugar
1/4 tsp salt

1. Add milk to beaten eggs and beat together. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Combine with milk and eggs and beat until batter is smooth. 
2. Pour batter onto a greased 375 degree skillet, tilting the skillet and swirling until batter is evenly spread. Flip when center bubbles form.

A single batch of Swedish pancakes:

My three kids and I had just enough but could have eaten more.

Notes: 
      *  To make crepes casein free, use light coconut milk.

• Recipe can be doubled which I recommend, since any leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen between sheets of waxed paper.  
• To speed up cooking them all, try making two crepes at once on a large electric skillet, or use two round skillets on the stovetop.
• The original recipe uses all purpose flour, so you can use that if you don't have whole white wheat flour on hand.

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I'm sharing this recipe idea as part of WFMW at We Are THAT Family and Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts.  I'm also linking to Strut Your Stuff Thursday  and Foodie Friday.

Menu Plan for the Week of 8/8: While the Husband's Away

I did not expect our little vegetable garden to survive our three week absence.  Amazingly, though, it did.  I am encouraged, then, that by God's grace, the kids and I can manage to stave off chaos and despair while my husband is abroad.  He left tonight for Vietnam; there he will teach an intensive course for new English teachers before returning next week.

While we were in Canada last month, my husband and I planned our menu together.  He reminds me that enjoyable meals can be made very simply.  Rice, meat, vegetables--that's really quite adequate for supper most nights.  Meanwhile, the oven-like weather outside is encouraging me to keep the electric oven in the kitchen off (for the most part).   Here's what I've planned for the week:

-Monday-

• Tuna Spaghetti Pie (cooked in the microwave)

-Tuesday-

• Sesame Crusted Chicken

-Wednesday-

• Venison Fajitas

-Thursday-

• Turkey Burgers

-Friday-

• Cashew Noodle Stir Fry

-Saturday-

• Pigs in a Blanket with Rainbow Relish

Lunches:  Lentil soup, sushi, waffles, tropical turkey/chicken wraps, rice balls and boiled eggs, pasta salad

Check out  Menu Plan Monday for hundreds of other menus for the week!

Looking Back: Engagement by the South China Sea

Under palm trees swaying by ocean breezes, I began to fall in love with my future husband.  While my female traveling partner rested in our room with a painful sunburn, I tentatively ventured out with a casual friend (who happened to be a guy) to enjoy beachside bike rides and watching the sun set over the South China Sea.  It was fitting, then, that a year later the same guy proposed to me on a gorgeous windswept beach in Vietnam.

I traveled by train from China to Vietnam, and my then-boyfriend met me in Hanoi.  We then headed south to the coast, where he showed me the city he had lived in and taught the previous two years.  It was fun to see the place where many of the letters I had written him had been read, and his location when penning poems and letters to me.  On a day when the rain let up, we borrowed bicycles and rode them to a beautiful beach he wanted to show me.

Since it was January, the air was cool for the tropics, and misty.  As I admired the green waves roll into the shore, I noticed my man was bending down.  He reached into his backpack and took out a small piece of lined paper.  He read his proposal from the script, asking me to marry him.  I said yes!  I repeated my answer more than once, still surprised with the suddenness of it all since we had arrived at the beach only a few minutes before.

Next he handed me a spiral seashell that fit in the palm of my hand.  In the curve of shell I found my engagement ring.  I held it for a several minutes, happy, but puzzled.  Which hand was it supposed to go on?  I honestly wasn't sure.  And neither was my fiance.  So I made my best guess and
then urged him to plunge into the cool waves with me to celebrate.   Despite the disapproval of some Vietnamese onlookers who thought it was too cold and windy for such nonsense, we ran in and enjoyed the crashing waves for a few minutes.  Then we pedaled back to share our happy news with the townsfolk and my fiance's Vietnamese friends.

Later we met up with a group of our American friends in Thailand.  I found out I had guessed wrong.


Our engagement story was Part 2 in my Looking Back Series.  Part 1, Things I Learned, Loved, and Miss from Asia, can be found here.