Recent Reads: The Hours that Matters Most

The Hour that Matters Most: The Surprising Power of the Family Meal is a realistic book about family meals and how to make the family dinner hour a priority in your home.  I was excited to read this book, because with our crazy schedules, we rarely sit down all at once to eat as a family, even though I do cook most nights.

This book is packed with practical tips, from motivating everyone to get to the table on time, to how to get your kids to really engage in the dinner conversation.   There's also a section devoted to how to speed up the cooking process by prepping meals with a group of friends.  And, of course, there are plenty of recipes... none of which call for extravagant ingredients. "Super Simple Sloppy Joes" and "Spanish Eggs" are among the kid-pleasing recipes. 

And after all of these great ideas and suggestions, my favorite chapter: The Good Enough Family Meal.  The authors make a great point: a family dinner doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be good enough.  The bonding, the routine, the memories... those will come, no matter what form your family meals takes.

For more information visit, www.thehourthatmattersmost.com or check out the book on Amazon in paperbackor in Kindle format.    

Disclaimer:My copy of this book was furnished free by the publisher in return for my honest review.

.....................................  Have you heard? I've started a new blog, The Sugar Sharks, all about our life with Type I Diabetes. ..................................... This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.

Invisible Illness Week as a D-Mom

There's a meme floating around this week about Invisible Illness Week and how these silent battles impact our daily lives.  You can check out my answers regarding my daughter's Type I Diabetes over on my other blog!

..................................... Have you heard? I've started a new blog, The Sugar Sharks, all about our life with Type I Diabetes. .....................................

5 Question Friday 9/9

1. What ringtone do you have on your cell phone?   I have several.  My main ringtone is a snippet of the song Blessed Be Your Name by Tree63.  I love that song.    I also have some silly tones, like one that sounds like an alarm and says "Alert... Alert.... Your Husband is Calling". 

2. What is your favorite memory from this summer?  My sister's wedding.  No one particular moment, but the whole thing... the fun we had making her bouquets with my mom and sisters, decorating the hall, the perfect wedding ceremony, the fun reception.... and just knowing that my sister was marrying a wonderful guy.  Ever looked at two people and just known that they were perfect for each other?  Yeah, that's how I feel about my sister and her husband.  I like to remind her that I pointed this out even before they ever started dating, back when she swore they were "just friends".  LOL!  :)    (Go say hello to the newlywed on her new blog HERE!)

3. Paper books or ebooks?   Well, as of my birthday yesterday, both!  I read a lot.  A LOT.  There are quite literally stacks of books in every room of my house.  (Well, ok, not the bathrooms, that's just gross.)  Part of those books come from writing book reviews, some from the library, some from thrift stores, some passed on from friends... you get the idea.  I have a lot of  "real" books.   Some I swap out after reading through PaperBackSwap.com, some I share with friends, and some I just keep.
     I've mentioned on and off my interest in a Kindle in passing conversations with my husband, but never, ever thought I'd own one... it's just not in our budget. Well, my wondeful husband surprised me with one yesterday.  I was totally shocked and very happy.  As soon as I get done playing with blogs I'm headed over to the Amazon site to snag some FREE Kindle ebooks! I have a feeling that I'll still enjoy my "real" books, as well, but I am really excited to try out my new Kindle. 

4. If you could have one home upgrade what would it be and why?    I'd have someone "do" our yard. I would have a deck with a cover and a fence built out back so that our family could make use of our empty lot of a yard.  The yard has nothing... no landscaping, no trees, no fence.  I'd LOVE to be able to use that space!

5. When was your first serious boyfriend/girlfriend?   Ha ha ha. Oh, the stories I could tell.  I was 15 and in high school, so I'm not sure the term "serious" should apply, but back then I sure thought it did.  We had lots of drama and long, whispered phone calls full of Pink Floyd music in our moments of deep, serious thinking.... AKA: teenaged drama.   That drama is exactly why I don't understand people who say they'd like to go back to high school again.... no thank you!  

Share your own 5QF answers HERE!

.....................................  Have you heard? I've started a new blog, The Sugar Sharks, all about our life with Type I Diabetes. ..................................... This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.

Menu Plan Monday 9/5

It's another busy week here, so this week's menu is full of quick and easy dishes!

• MONDAY: eating at my sister's house :)
  
• TUESDAY:  grilled brats, macaroni and cheese, fresh tomatoes
• WEDNESDAY: a new crockpot recipe: chuck roast, an envelope of gravy mix, Italian dressing mix, water.   I'll actually be substituting real Italian dressing and skipping the water- I think that will be fine.   I think we'll shred that and make wraps out of it (lettuce, cheese, etc.) and then have my Tomato Salad (diced tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, Italian dressing) on the side.
• THURSDAY: My birthday!  Chinese food... either homemade or out to the local buffet.  :)
• FRIDAY: another new crockpot recipe-- layer: potatoes, smoked sausage, green beans, onions.  It sounds a lot like my favorite way to do ham & green beans in the crockpot, so I'm sure it will be good.  I might add a little chicken broth and some seasonings... we'll see. 
• SATURDAY:  It's Pizza Night here every Saturday- we pretty much always have some variety of homemade pizza and tossed salad.  I'm actually leaning towards making stromboli this week, but we'll see what everyone is in the mood for by Saturday.

The kids and I have been going to the library every Saturday, and this week I checked out  Fix and Forget It: 5 Ingredient Favorites.    That's where both of the above new recipes came from.   I've been a long-time fan of the original, Fix and Forget It and I own a copy of that one.   I've gone through about half of this 5-ingredient one, and I love it!  I found several recipes that I want to try, and most I already have the ingredients for-- they're nothing fancy.  I'd definitely recommend this book if you're a fan of crockpot cooking like I am!  (And no, nobody asked me to say anything about this book... I just am really enjoying it and wanted to share!)

You can share your own menu and get great ideas from others over at Menu Plan Monday!

Recent Reads: When She Woke

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan was a suprisingly captivating read... as in, I read the entire thing within 24 hours.  Hannah is a young Christian woman who, through a series of bad decisions, wound up having an affair, and consequently, an abortion.  In her society, this is a serious crime, punished by having one's skin turned a bright red hue for a period of many years.  Coming out of the prison and into the real world as a "Red" is a brutal life... Reds are hunted down and beaten or murdered on the streets.   Hannah's new life is filled with danger, having to trust strangers, questioning the faith she was raised in, and coming to terms with the decisions that led her to this point.  

A word of caution- When She Woke is outside of my normal genre of review books.  While Hannah's faith is a part of the story, this is not a book that I would consider to be in the  Christian Fiction category.  It did include some sexual content and some very un-Christian story lines.  I'm fine with that in a fiction book, but, I know some might be offended.   

Disclaimer: I received my advance reader copy of this book for free in return for my honest review via the Amazon Vine Program.

..................................... Have you heard? I've started a new blog, The Sugar Sharks, all about our life with Type I Diabetes. ..................................... This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. I always provide my honest opinions.

5QF 9/2/11

1. Shoes in the house - yay or nay?   I hate going to someone's house where they insist that I remove my shoes- what if my socks are ratty?  What if I'm not wearing socks and I need a pedicure?  Argh.   Around home, I sometimes wear shoes if I'm cleaning, but most of the time I go barefoot... in the winter I wear thick socks.  When you visit me, you do whatever makes you feel comfy.

2. What do you call them- flip flops, slippers, thongs, etc?   Flip-flops.  I hate when people call them thongs- makes me think of the underwear.

        And while we're on the subject, what's up with everyone wearing the cheap, plain, plastic ones with dress clothes?  I've noticed that a lot this summer-- all dressed up for church or a wedding, and you wear cheap plastic flip-flops? At least get some fancy ones!

3. What song are you almost embarrassed to admit you know all the lyrics to?   Britney Spears' Piece of Me.   I have no idea why, as I am generally not a pop music kind of gal, but I like that particular song enough that I have it on my walking playlist.  I'm not even sure how I ever heard it to begin with, as I generally listen to Christian music on KLOVE or a local station that plays music from back when I was in high school (stuff like  GNR, Pink Floyd, Metallica... all my old favorites).  So, I really have no idea where I first heard it, but yeah... I can sing along.  Don't tell anyone.  ;)

4. What is the best quality to have in a friend?   A true friend will not disown you when she finds out about your secret knowledge of Britney music.  LOL.  Ok, seriously?  One of the most important things a friend should be is trustworthy.  If you're going to talk behind my back or tweet my private business, I don't need you.  

5. Do you know what you want for Christmas?   No idea.  Let's go with a winning lottery ticket.  

Share your own Five Question Friday answers HERE!

..................................... Have you heard? I've started a new blog, The Sugar Sharks, all about our life with Type I Diabetes. ..................................... This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links.  You can read my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinions.