A New Adventure...

Last October I applied for a job I'd always thought would be cool... Dispatcher for the SJPD.  I figured I'd just see what happened and if the Lord closed the door I'd know it wasn't meant for me.  I didn't hear anything from then until February when I had almost completely forgotten about it.  I took an exam to begin the application process for the position.  There was more testing and interviewing along the way.  I honestly didn't think I would make it as far as I did, and when I realized a few weeks ago that I may actually get this job I began to get anxious over the whole thing.  Talking it out dissolved most of my fears, and I decided to continue with the process unless I felt like for sure I wasn't supposed to.  My family wasn't thrilled about the idea of me going back to work.  My dad was the most openly unsupportive.  I was annoyed, probably more so because I knew he had a point.  While my income would make our lives easier in some aspects it would come at a cost.  I would be sacrificing time with my husband and kids.

I was planning to send the kids to a nice Christian school I toured on Thursday, but Pete and I were concerned that Judah wasn't ready to be apart from me all day for at least 3 days a week.  And when I visited my homeschool mom friend on Friday I was inspired that homeschooling is something I could actually do with her help.  I was so inspired by different methods of teaching she showed me that I realized I wanted to teach Naomi a certain way, and if I sent her to school full time I wouldn't be in control of the way she was taught.

I thought everything over a lot.  I went back and forth in my head thinking of examples of working moms and homeschool moms I admired.  There were good examples of both.  But what was right for our family?  I had been praying that God would close the door if this was not the right thing for me.  But my friend I visited on Friday prayed that regardless of the opportunity, The Lord would put on my and Pete's hearts what He wanted for us. 

Monday morning during my quiet time I knew what I would do.  I came to a point where I was so motivated to homeschool, that even if I could afford to put the kids in private school right now I wouldn't.  I had a peace about it.  And I was excited to get started!  So excited in fact that I spent the whole morning cleaning and organizing the playroom to start getting it ready for school.  

After confirming that my husband and I were on the same page we made a decision that I would disqualify myself from the process and spare us all from the extensive police department background check that was to be conducted next.  

This morning I sent the email.  I was thrilled, and scared, excited, and nervous. I was almost in tears because the feelings were so overwhelming, but overall I was relieved, because I have no doubt that putting off going back to work to be with my kids is the best thing for them right now.

Here's to new adventures in being (not just a stay at home mom anymore) a homeschool mom!

On Water... Drink Up!

My kids think "lemonade" is just water with lemon :) 

Yesterday my husband sent me this link to a video about the effects dehydration.  I was shocked when they said that 90% of Americans are chronically dehydrated!  With summer approaching (it already feels like summer here) I figured it's pretty important that we make sure we're drinking enough water.

The convincing points in the video for me:

• Dehydration slows down your metabolism
• Dehydration causes excessive cravings (Sometimes when we think we're hungry we're really just thirsty)

At one point I was intentionally drinking a gallon of water a day.  What really helped me was measuring out my water the night before.  I just stuck a gallon jug full of filtered water into the fridge each night and filled my glass or water bottle from that jug throughout the day.  Another thing that seemed to make a difference for me was making sure to drink a full glass of water first thing in the morning before having my coffee, tea, or anything else.  If I could drink a large glass of water first I found it made it easier to get to the bottom of the jug before bedtime.

So here are some tips of mine as well as some from the video:

• Drink half your body weight in ounces each day (i.e. If you're 150 lbs drink 75 oz of water)
• Measure out your water for the next day each night so you can track how much your drinking
• Feel free to add things to your jug of water like sliced cucumber, mint leaves, or lemon slices (these can actually increase your metabolism)
• Start your day with a large glass of water before consuming anything else
• If you're having cravings try drinking a large glass of water before giving into them

Now if only I can follow my own advice....

Best Honey Mustard Ever....

My first job was at KFC when I was barely 16... I know, kinda embarrassing, right?  But, hey, I learned the value of hard work and worked my way up to a respectable job at Apple before my 22nd birthday.  Anyway, I used to LOVE the honey mustard dip from KFC.  I would eat it practically every day with my chicken strips... (How I didn't end up being 300 lbs I'll never know.)  But I was so disappointed when I visited KFC some years later for some chicken strips and honey mustard and found that the honey mustard recipe was no longer the same as when I worked there.

A few months ago I found this awesome recipe on Pinterest for honey mustard pretzel chicken... Definitely a Pinterest gem!  The honey mustard is so good and perfect for this recipe, but I wanted to make a honey mustard with a thicker, more dip-like consistency.

Tonight as I ate dinner I decided I needed to share my recipe because it was so simple and delicious.  I thought it up at about 4:30 PM while watching the kids play in the water table outside.  I executed it at about 5 PM, and by 5:30 the kids and I were chowin' down.  I even got an excited "good chicken, Mom!" from Naomi, and once I convinced her to try her broccoli she devoured that as well.

So here are my recipes:

Sautéed Chicken with Onion:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped
1 red onion, sliced
EVOO
Thyme, salt, pepper

I put the raw chicken and onion in the pan at the same time and sautéed them in the oil with the seasoning.

Roasted Broccoli:
1 bag chopped broccoli (picked it up on sale this week otherwise would have just used 1-2 heads of broccoli chopped)
EVOO, garlic salt, lemon pepper
freshly grated parm cheese
freshly squeezed lemon

Toss the broccoli in a couple TBS of EVOO along with a generous amount of seasoning
Roast at 400 for about 20 mins (mine were done in 17)
Sprinkle with lemon and cheese

Honey Mustard dip:
1/4 cu mayo (I used Best Foods "with Olive Oil" kind)
1/4 cu dijon mustard (I prefer it without seeds)
1/4 honey (I buy raw, local honey at Whole Foods)
1 TBS yellow mustard
1 TBS red wine vinegar
dash of salt
dash of paprika

Just whisk it all together.


This honey mustard recipe is the perfect dip for chicken.  The broccoli was melt-in-your-mouth perfection.  Just too good not to share!
I hope someone else enjoys this recipe as much as I have!