{SQT}: Date Your Mate & Loving Family

Life is really never predictable and mine is no different. We have had so many different things going on this week, I don't even know where to begin! Here are my Seven Quick Takes I am sharing at This Ain't The Lyceum for this week.

{ONE}

We have two new additions to the family! Shadow and Cloudy are two cats we adopted earlier in the week. We did not plan on adopting these cats but we saw them at a pet shop and we couldn't resist. I am proud to say neither of these cats are kittens. They are 6 and 10 years old. We learned from the pet shop owner that because of their age and the fact that they were taken into the shelter due to a hoarding situation that they assumed the cats would never be adopted. They have a strong bond so they had to be adopted together, which caused additional placement issues. These two fur babies are the most loving creatures we have ever come across. They are always purring and following everyone around and are always ready to sit in your lap. Lemon, our first kitten is about 2 and is still transitioning but I know they will all love each other soon enough. 

Welcome to the family, Shadow and Cloudy!

{TWO}

This past Tuesday was the first day of school! Little Man started 4th grade and Goalie started Kindergarten. We love the boys teachers and they are enjoying the routine that the school year brings. Both boys have friends from their classes last year and because they are at the same school this year, they are both excited to walk together. We also have a sweet little bot that lives in the complex and he joins us on our walks everyday. 

The only hiccup we are experiencing from the start of the school year is Goalie being super tired in the afternoon. He was taking naps all the way up to the start of the school year and not having one during the day while at school is really been difficult on my sweet boy. I am hoping we can find a way to calm the sensory breaks we are having in the afternoon due to his afternoon exhaustion. Goalie gets home from school in great spirits and then as the afternoon progresses I start to see a steady decline in his attitude, patience and irritability until he breaks. My poor baby will cry and be miserable until bedtime. Prayers for my Goalie while we figure out a healthy solution to keep him happy and focused throughout the day.

{THREE}

This week was the first week of the Date Your Mate Challenge! My hubby and I thought this challenge would be fun and put a focus on us growing our marriage stronger. For our first date this week we had a sushi date! It was nice because it was the first time we have had some quiet time to have adult conversations. We want to set an example for our children about what a happy and healthy relationship looks like and the only way to make that possible is to make sure it is strong in faith and love. This date was an amazing break from our daily routine and was so much fun. We have two more dates, a nature date and an adrenaline date, we are suppose to accomplish plus some additional challenges, writing a love letter to our spouse,  for the week. I'll keep everyone updated with all of our fun activities! 

{FOUR}

As much as I love football season, I am so glad we won't be having practices 4 times a week anymore this season. I am so exhausted from running around. I have been waking up early to help the boys get ready for school, working out, going to work, picking up the kids from school and heading straight over to the football field for two hour long practices. After practice, we rush to get everyone fed dinner and ready for bed. Then I do all the really fun stuff like completing the laundry and dishes. This week has been brutal. At least today there is no practice so I will probably have a movie night with the boys to relax and celebrate the end of a very busy and productive week. Next week we have practices 3 days a week and it's not 3 days in a row! YAY!!

I still haven't heard any news about soccer and Goalie is getting super anxious so I will try to make a call down to the sports office to figure out what is going on and whether we can expect to have a season or not. If there will be no season, I might sign Goalie up for some karate again. 

{FIVE}

I decided that since I am doing all this extra walking from taking the boys to and from school, working as a server and after school extracurricular activities that I needed to up the amount of steps I would attempt to reach each day. My goal was 10,000 steps during the summer and now my goal is 20,000. It's only been a couple days but I am feeling the burn! I am still searching for a new fitness challenge so if you have a suggestion, I would love to hear it! Maybe you would be interested in joining me? We could create an accountability group on Facebook. 

{SIX}

I am starting to stock up on all the yummy fall goodies that are being released. Pumpkin spice coffee and pumpkin spiced chai tea are the first of many delicious concoctions I will be sampling throughout autumn. I couldn't wait to enjoy the delicious coffee my husband got me so I am enjoying my second cup this morning. It's so delicious! I might enjoy a nice cup of tea after work for an afternoon pick me up out on the patio before the boys get home from school.

What other beverages do you drink during this season of spiced beverages? 

{SEVEN}

Last but not least, I completed our Autumn Bucket List. I always find moe things to add to our list throughout the season but we have a very long and exciting list of activities and adventures I can't wait to explore. Today I woke up and it is a crisp 60 degrees F and the high isn't suppose to go higher than 73 degrees! Its suppose to be even cooler tomorrow, however it is suppose to be warming up after this weekend so I will enjoy my little taste of Fall while I can.

What are traditions you do throughout the Autumn season? Are there any things that you think I should add to my families list?

I am excited for the weekend and I hope every one else had an amazing week with their families. Just a short work shift stands between me and my Saturday off to celebrate Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. 

Colorado Autumn Bucket List

Autumn is my favorite time of the year. I am a lover of craft beers, holiday wine and seasonal coffee. This season brings the best of all my favorites together and combines with the amazing cool crisp air. This will be my first fall in the mountains and I can't begin to describe how excited I am! Here is a great list of fun activities that I have decided really need to happen during this Fall!

Boo at the Zoo:

As I mentioned in our Summer Time Bucket List, we purchased a membership to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. This special event is just one of many events we are excited to experience thanks to the perks of this membership. It's not free but we save $5 per ticket!

Emma Crawford Coffin Race and Parade:

I could not begin to describe this event if I tried! This is the info from Colorado.com:

Emma Crawford was a young woman who came to Manitou Springs in the late 1800’s seeking to be healed of tuberculosis by taking the “cure” from Manitou’s healing mineral springs. Emma passed away in 1890. Before passing Emma asked her fiancé to bury her on top of Red Mountain. Her wish was honored, and her remains rested peacefully until 1912. At that time, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company decided to build an incline to the mountain top, forcing her coffin to be moved. She was reburied on the south slope of the mountain. After several years of rain and harsh weather conditions, Emma’s remains slid down the mountain into the canyon below, where two young boys found her name plate and the silver handles from her casket.

Manitou Springs, in honor of Emma Crawford, celebrates the fun and crazy event of the Emma Crawford Coffin Races annually as a part of our history to be shared with all.

Labor Day Lift Off:

What could be more fun to watch than over 50 hot air balloons during a mass ascension?! This will be happening Labor Day weekend. We've never been up close and personal to a hot air balloon so obviously we are all ready and excited for the experience. Check out our experience!

Oktoberfest:

As I mentioned earlier, I am a lover of crafts beers! Especially pumpkin and spiced varieties and you can never go wrong with a cider. This festival embraces yummy beer and food!  

Rock Creek Farm:

It is a MUST that you visit a pumpkin patch during the fall. This particular farm offers all sorts of fall activities and goodies for the entire family. Corn Maze, Hayrides, scarecrows and pumpkins! I can't wait.

Scarecrow Days:

In Old Colorado City, it is a tradition for the businesses to construct a scarecrow and place it outside their buildings for this seasonal contest. People take pictures of themselves with their favorite scarecrow and the scarecrow with the most picture votes wins!

Anderson Farms:

This farm is known for its amazing corn mazes. My husband wants to visit this for another reason though. He wants to participate in one or both of the scary activities hosted here annually. There is Zombie Paintball and Terror in the Corn. I'm not sure if I will fully participate in these but they also have a Fall Festival for families.

Lantern Festival:

We moved from a small town in Florida and I had no idea these lantern festivals existed! When I think of floating lanterns, I imagine the Disney movie, Tangled. I can't begin to describe how excited I am to see this real life fairy tale scene come to life.

Giant Pumpkin Festival:

There are several different locations that are offering Pumpkin Weigh Offs near us. I'm not sure of which location or date we will be attending but I feel that this type of festival is a MUST! 

Apple Picking at Ya Ya Apple Farm and Orchard:

I have visited many farms but I have never been to an apple orchard before. I imagine that this will be something I will remember always and of course we will make some candy apples from these delicious treats and some pie or cobbler!

Candy Apples:

When I decided that we would go to an apple orchard for the first time, I thought about what we would do with our wonderful apples. Candy Apples are so yummy and I figured we could set up a mini candy apply decoration station with different sauces and candies to decorate with.

Starbucks Coffee Date:

Have you heard of the Date Your Mate Challenge? Well I just joined the Challenge with my husband and we decided that this would be a great Date night idea for us to sit around and just talk while we enjoy an amazing cup of season coffee. 

Watch Hocus Pocus and other Halloween movies:

I love Hocus Pocus, Charlie Brown: The Great Pumpkin and Curious George: Fall Festival and many other Halloween classics. We will have to set up a couple movie nights or a movie marathon! Check out the Seven Best Animated Halloween Movies for Your Family!

Carve Pumpkins:

Carving pumpkin while reading the story of the Jack O' Lantern is probably my most favorite activity. Getting to carve out Saint O' Lanterns or other fun things to display for Halloween

Apple Cider and Other Fall Beverages:

Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea, Pumpkin Spice Coffee and Apple Ciders are delicious fall beverages that I miss so much during the spring and summer months. I'm going to have to make a list of all the delicious drinks I try out this autumn season. 

Halloween Costumes:

This year my husband and I decided we want to do a couples themed costume like Beauty and the Beast or something similar. I wish I could convince the boys to do a family themed costume but they just don't seem interested... sigh. 

Trick or Treat:

This is my kid's most favorite thing to do in Autumn. Honestly, what kid wouldn't love running around dressed up while receiving insane amounts of candy? 

This is just the beginning of an amazing Autumn season! We are full swing in school, football and soccer and now I am waiting for the weather to follow suit. What are your plans to enjoy the amazing season of autumn? Please share your ideas and traditions. I am always looking to add fun activities onto our lists! I am sharing this with Talk it up Thursday  Let's Get Real and Think Tank Thursday. A special thanks to Moms are Frugal Blog for featuring my last post Back to School Essentials for the ADHD Student!

#WorthRevisit: I Copy Cat

With the start of a new school year, I often find myself attempting to organize a ton of stuff! This is Little Man's 4th Grade year and Goalie's Kindergarten year. I came across this really neat way to organize my children's school and liturgical work on another blog and I fell in love! For this week of #WorthRevisit with Theology is a Verb and Reconciled to You, I am sharing I Copy Cat. If you choose to try this out, I would LOVE to see what you come up with. I also suggest highly that you take a look at the original post because Sarah is truly an inspiration. I am actually revamping the portfolios I have to make sure everything inside is looking good and put into protective sheets. Hopefully after this school year I will be able to share more of my portfolio.

Friday, June 8, 2012

I Copy Cat

I am completely a copy cat!

I saw the beautiful end of school year portfolios that Sarah made from her blog Amongst Lovely Things. I thought they were so cute and a great way to get organized after our first year at school. I had to jump on the bandwagon. I don't home school but I supplement a lot of learning with my boys after school during our Liturgical Celebrations and Family Trips. I thought these portfolios would be a great way to start a scrapbook for my boys and see their progress through the year. Thank you Sarah for the amazing idea!

Here is the cover I made for Little Man.

I had never known about the Picmonkey website but now that I do... I am in love! There are so many unique ways to add personality to your pictures and you can even create Facebook covers! :o) It truly is the little things in life that make it so amazing.  I had so much fun playing around with the website I made one for Squishy (now named Goalie) too!

I think that I will do something similar for our family's New Year Resolutions. We usually display our Resolutions in the Kitchen or Dining Room so we can see how well we are doing at accomplishing each one. I think having a picture of our family and the resolutions blended into the picture would look so much more appealing to the eye. I love how much the creative world blooms in the blogger universe! Excited to see what everyone else does with this very useful and creative idea!

The Assumption: The Falling Asleep of the Virgin Mary

The Assumption is also known as the Dormition of Mary and the "Falling Asleep of Mary". The Assumption of Mary is the 4th Glorious Mystery of the Rosary. It is the feast of the day that our Blessed Virgin Mother was taken into heaven body and soul. This year the Feast of the Assumption falls on a Monday so it is not an obligation to attend mass this year but it is normally a Holy day of Obligation. It is traditional on this day to bless flowers and herbs. You can find the Blessing of the Fruits and Herbs at Catholic Culture. I really wanted to be able to plant a small herb garden or do another crowning of Mary today but we ran out of time. In addition to the celebration of the Assumption of Mary, it was the boys school orientation and we had football practice. It was a very busy yet productive day!

The boys orientation went very well and they are excited to start the new school year. Both boys have several friends in their classes and they both loved their new teachers.

We will be enjoying some Herb seasoned Steak with Assumpta Salad for dinner. You can check out Catholic Cuisine for another recipe as well. I modified the recipe and served the tomatoes and herbs on a bed of spring mix. The salad is tossed with oil and fresh herbs. It was amazing. I added some french fried onions and some avocado to add some texture. I am happy to say we all finished every bite on our plates.

Being such a beautiful and important day, I had to grab a special bottle of wine. The Monterey Vineyards Pinot Noir was on sale for $10 (normally a $17 bottle) and it was amazing!

Fruit Salad or Fruit topped Angel Food Cake, or cupcakes, would be some appropriate desserts to end your celebration! We had no time to prepare one of the previous named desserts so we opted for some ice cream cones. Before bedtime we will all enjoy a nice cup of Sleepytime Tea (also an herbal tea) to help us as we all fall asleep tonight and be ready for our first day back to school! Prayers are much appreciated as we make the full transition.

How did your celebration go today? I would love to hear all about it!

Prayer for the Feast of the Assumption:

Almighty and everlasting God,

You have taken up body and soul

into the heavenly glory the Immaculate Virgin Mary,

Mother of Your Son: Grant, we beseech You,

that, ever intent upon heavenly things,

we may be worthy to be partakers of her glory.

Through Jesus Christ Your Son, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

One God, forever and ever. 

Amen.

Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us!

Menu Plan Monday: August 15- August 21

I have a confession to make, I really did not follow my menu plan last week. I did not handle all the extra to-dos I knew were coming all that well so we did not eat the healthiest foods last week. Man Oh Man! Let me tell you, all of us have had not so happy tummies so it is important we get back on track this week. I am admitting this because we have things that I planned on making last week that will be here on this menu since it was never actually made last week or a variation of something I was going to make last week. My poor husband has been waiting a long time for that meatloaf he's been requesting. We have another 4 day week of football practice, school starts, soccer should be starting and it will be my first full week at work. This is linked to the Menu Plan Monday linkup. Here is our menu plan for the week:

Monday: The Assumption

Steak and Assumpta Salad

Tuesday: First Day of School

Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes and Salad

Wednesday:

Ground Turkey Stir Fry

Thursday:

Leftover Dinner Buffet

Friday:

Spinach and Mushroom Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Saturday: Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

Crockpot Dijion Chicken with Rice and Vegetables

Sunday:
Chicken Noodle Soup

I am a huge fan of Catholic Cuisine and the amazing recipes that are shared on this blog. If you are looking for some great Liturgical feast recipes they can be found there. Check out these recipes suggested for the Feast of the Assumption, it is where I found the Assumpta Salad recipe and the suggestion for Dijion Chicken in honor of Saint Bernard! I used my own recipe so I could utilize my crockpot but this website gave me the idea. I didn't include any recipes yet, I will be sharing them throughout the week so please come back and check out my latest posts!

My Sunday Best: I Want to be the Boss!

Today is the Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary time and we started our day bright and early! Little Man was Altar Serving at the 8am mass and it was a bit of a struggle to get going this morning. We normally attend the 10:30am mass so as you could imagine everyone was a little grumpy. My poor husband had to close at his job last night and did not get home until after 3am so I didn't wake him for church this morning but I am sure he heard all of us rummaging through the house.

My boys were looking so handsome this morning! They got fresh new hair styles yesterday and they are rocking them! My Little Man is growing up way to fast... while we were school shopping and getting ready for Back-to-School he requested I buy him some deodorant, a comb and gel for his hair. I thought I was going to burst into tears.. how can my Little Man be growing so fast?! Well as you can imagine he fixed his hair with gel this morning and has that fresh scent of a young man's deodorant. Goalie requested some gel for his hair too. He wants to be just like his big brother!

I was very proud of the boys behavior today. Little Man was more confident in his Altar Serving Duties and dressed up nicely. Goalie wore a similar outfit but decided to wear his ninja turtle belt and a tie (not pictured above) and sat relatively quiet too. Today was a win!

To make things even better Goalie expressed a desire to be a priest today. It made me giggle because I asked him what makes him feel that way and he said, "I want to be the Boss!" Apparently he thinks the priest is the "Boss" of the congregation and tells his brother what to do while Altar Serving. When I explained that the priest is not a "boss" that does not tell people what to do but is a person God has given a special job to help guide people in their faith and teach them what is right. I also explained that Little Man is not "bossed" around by the priest but he is the priest's helper. Goalie said, "that sounds too hard, I'll just do what brother does and help." Oh Goalie how you keep me on my toes! So who knows if Goalie will be a priest but apparently God is speaking to him.

Included in the bulletin there was this great insert about the Keys to Keeping Kid's Catholic. I thought I would add it here because it has some great suggestions.

Now that I am home and still attempting to wake up. I am going to enjoy another cup of coffee and relax before I have to go to work tonight. Since it is the last Sunday before school begins I have included a prayer to say to begin a school year. I hope that everyone enjoys this beautiful Sunday and ready to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption tomorrow. 

Linking up with A Blog for my Mom at My Sunday Best,  Good Morning Mondays at Darling Downs Diaries, The Mommy Monday Blog Hop and Modest Monday at The Modest Mom Blog

Prayer to Begin a School Year:

God of wisdom and might,

we praise you for the wonder of our being,

for mind, body and spirit.

Be with our children as they begin

a new school year.

Bless them and their teachers and staff.

Give the strength and grace as their bodies grow;

wisdom and knowledge to their minds

as they search for understanding;

and peace and zeal to their hearts.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

{SQT}: Fall Sports & Back-to-School Edition

It has been a crazy week as predicted and things will only get crazier as we move into the school year. Trust me when I say, I will have tons of picture and videos to share so follow me on Instagram and Facebook if you want more frequent updates or just a laugh or two from social media. For the SQT linkup at This Ain't the Lyceum here are my seven quick takes for this week:

{ONE}

Back-to-work for me! I had to take some time off from working a couple months ago due to some problems with my back but I am feeling better and taking it easy as I transition back into the work force. Until I am 100% sure my back is better I will only be working part-time but it is a start. It's also a relief to be getting more adult time. With the start of school next week, I won't have to be at home alone.

{TWO}

Fall Football 2016 is underway for Little Man and the family! I am sorry to admit that I am one of those crazy football mommies that loves to get loud during football season. I have always been a competitive person and I am vocal. I am glad that I have instilled the desire to work hard and reach for the stars into my children and they love sports so that is where it really shows. This equation of love, sports, hard work and desire is the equation for a crazy football mom. My husband quite enjoys watching me wear eye blackout and my homemade team shirt while I am jumping up and down as our team plays. I still have to make my shirt for this season. Don't worry, I'll make sure to post plenty of embarrassing pictures of myself and my family as the season progresses.

We also just completed our first 4 day week of practice and learned that Little Man will be the back-up quarterback and will be learning some new positions this season. I have to admit that I am so proud that Little Man is stepping up to the challenge and grasping this opportunity with both hands. He has been practicing so hard this week and when we are at home he has really been focused on increasing his protein intake, to gain mass and weight. He has a lot of experience but very tall and skinny. He weighs only 65 lbs right now (He's dropped 3 lbs since last season) and he is playing with boys that have upwards of 20 lbs more weight on them. He is continuously asking to practice outside by himself, with his brother and his friends. If you don't mind, please say a little prayer for Little Man to keep him healthy and uninjured throughout this season.

{THREE}

Soccer season is on hold for Goalie. I was contacted just yesterday that the Sports and Recreation Center is having a hard time finding coaches to fill the need in the soccer leagues. They were calling to ask parents individually to coach teams. I felt so bad that I was unable to assist them and volunteer. I'll be honest, I have NO EXPERIENCE with soccer except what I've learned watching the boys and those rules are modified each season depending on the league and age group. In addition to my lack of knowledge, having one child playing football and the other soccer at the same time makes it just a little too much for me to juggle. I will already be running back and forth between practices and it wouldn't be fair to the kids on the soccer team. I am saying an extra prayer that they find someone able to take on the responsibility of coaching this soccer team. 

{FOUR}

We had a blast celebrating lots of Liturgical Celebrations this week! Saint Dominic, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Saint Lawrence and Saint Clare. I am still finishing up my post on Saint Lawrence and Saint Clare so I'll link back to those when I finish them up. Saint Dominic is Little Man's Nameday Saint and he always watches the calendar once August hits. 

{FIVE}

*This contains affiliate links. I receive a small commission if you click the link and purchase something. This does not increase the amount of the product*

I finished my book The Blessings by Elise Juska and I so enjoyed it! In the upcoming week(s) I am hoping to finish The Happiness Project and Just Breathe: Weston Sisters Book 1 (ONLY 99 cents or FREE with Kindle Unlimited). 

I will be sharing my review of The Blessings later this week and I'll link back to this post so stay tuned. 

{SIX}

I have shared my love of autumn many times lately. In the spirit of my excitement for fall I decided to make some Pumpkin Pie Latte Overnight Oats! They were delicious... too much all spice but still delicious. For my first time creating these, I was impressed and I will be making more very soon! Heres the recipe if you are feeling adventurous to try it:

Pumpkin Pie Latte Overnight Oats

1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats

1/4 Cup Coffee (Double strength and chilled)

1/4 Cup Almond Milk

1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree

2 Tbsp Sweetner (I used honey but I might try out brown sugar next time)

1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tsp Nutmeg

A pinch of All Spice (I added more than a pinch of Allspice the first time I prepared these overnight oats and it was a little too spiced for my taste so add at your discretion)

I think I might top this with some sliced almonds too!

Combine all the ingredients in a mason jar or container with a lid. Shake and place in the refrigerator at least overnight. Oats should be good for 3-4 days as long as you keep the lid or top on the container tight.

{SEVEN}

If you read my last {SQT}: The Anticipation of Autumn you read my little rant about the issue I am having getting Goalie registered for school. Since last week I have been able to get copies of Goalie's paperwork from the Preschool office (THANK YOU GOD!) and I submitted it to the School District office Tuesday. It only took 4 trips back and forth between the two offices in addition to the several previous trips discussed in the last post to get this done. I am waiting to get confirmation the forms have been accepted so I can register him at his school location this Monday. I am not happy that this process has been difficult but I am so grateful to know it's almost done.

That was my families crazy fun week. I hope everyone is enjoying their last few moments of summer or having a great time finishing back-to-school prep like us. If you are a special needs parent check out my post Back-to-School Essentials for the ADHD Student. The products discussed in the post are miracle workers and are great for children without special needs as well. Until next week.

God Bless!