I made these for the first time last night, and they were a big hit with the family and were super easy. The recipe is originally from the Saving Dinner Summer Frugal e-book, but I made some changes.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, pressed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (the recipe called for 1/2 teaspoon)
6 whole wheat hamburger buns
12 slices Mozzarella cheese
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, brown ground beef, onion and garlic. Drain off any excess
fat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add tomato paste, tomato sauce, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir, then simmer for about 6 or 7 minutes. While meat is simmering split burger buns in half and place open side up on large cooking sheet or baking tray. Place under hot broiler for just a moment, just until the buns are barely toasted. Spoon some of the pizza filling onto buns-bottoms and tops. Put a slice of Mozzarella cheese immediately on each bun half. We had some extra sliced olives from our salad that we put on top of the cheese for a few of the halves at this step. Don't sandwich bun tops and bottoms back together. Briefly broil sandwiches, just until cheese is thoroughly melted (and slightly browned, if you like that).
A serving is two halves. Not many veggies here, so we served it with a big salad and some carrot sticks. Everyone actually ate dinner! That's a success in my book.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
A Good Friend
One of my good friends from high school, Jill Caputo, was killed in a motor vehicle accident earlier this week. That hurts even just to type it out. I want to post a proper memorial, and see if I can find some pictures from high school to scan and post, but I wanted to post some thoughts now since I don't want to forget them. I spoke to my therapist this morning, and he asked me about Jill, and these are some of the things that I remembered.
She was one of the strongest people I have ever known. She had to work hard for everything -- things that we simply take for granted could be an ordeal for her. Her disability, which resulted in partial paralysis and decreased mobility, affected much of her life, but she worked through everything. Those who went to high school with her might consider how much effort she had to put into simply going up the stairs at the school! She was not willing to let her disability hold her back from anything. She found a way to make things work.
She gave me so much. I tend to be shy, and left to myself I just spent time at home. Jill was the driving force behind most of my social activities my junior and senior year of high school, and I think that was a very good thing. She pulled our little group - which also included Ray, Laura and Shawn - together and was the one who made plans and made things happened. She helped to pull me out of the shell that I tended to retreat into. I really needed that at that time, sometimes I still need it.
There is so much more I could post, but I'm getting scatter brained. Jill, thank you. Thank you for your friendship, and for introducing me to so many other friends. Thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone, and sometimes getting me to push back. Thank you for keeping me going, caring about me, and giving me a great example of strength, courage and indomitable spirit.
She was one of the strongest people I have ever known. She had to work hard for everything -- things that we simply take for granted could be an ordeal for her. Her disability, which resulted in partial paralysis and decreased mobility, affected much of her life, but she worked through everything. Those who went to high school with her might consider how much effort she had to put into simply going up the stairs at the school! She was not willing to let her disability hold her back from anything. She found a way to make things work.
She gave me so much. I tend to be shy, and left to myself I just spent time at home. Jill was the driving force behind most of my social activities my junior and senior year of high school, and I think that was a very good thing. She pulled our little group - which also included Ray, Laura and Shawn - together and was the one who made plans and made things happened. She helped to pull me out of the shell that I tended to retreat into. I really needed that at that time, sometimes I still need it.
There is so much more I could post, but I'm getting scatter brained. Jill, thank you. Thank you for your friendship, and for introducing me to so many other friends. Thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone, and sometimes getting me to push back. Thank you for keeping me going, caring about me, and giving me a great example of strength, courage and indomitable spirit.
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them (as their God). He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, (for) the old order has passed away." The one who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."
-Revelation 21:3-5
Monday, August 09, 2010
What I Did on my Summer Vacation
We actually did something this year! We just got back from a two week vacation. I had been dreading the trip, actually, as I thought that traveling with four kids would be torturous, and that we'd all be dying to be back home long before we were. As a matter of fact, we really enjoyed the trip even with a few traffic jams along the way, we had some good visits with family and friends and we saw a lot of the country that we'd never seen before. We visited/drove through/walked into fifteen states besides Kansas. PLUS when we got back home, our house was still standing and our pets were alive! (Thanks Mom, Dad and Stephen!)
The family standing on the New York/Massachusetts border
Bash Bish Falls
On the Way Home
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Diagnosis
After years of on again, off again depression, problems with anger management and lots of frustration, I underwent a thorough psychological evaluation this spring and was diagnosed with ADHD, inattentive type, and apparently I have a fairly severe case. This actually came as a surprise to me; I knew that I had issues with forgetfulness and organization but tended to think that these were simply because I was busy, or were character flaws. If I tried harder to organize my home and get cleaning done, then I could do it, right? The evidence from the evaluation was pretty clear, though, so I began taking ADHD medication. I was at a point where I knew that I needed to do *something* in order to continue functioning as a stay-at-home homeschooling mom. I couldn't keep doing what we'd been doing.
I have been on a starter dose of Vyvanse for a little over two weeks, and I've been surprised at the difference that it has made. It is far from perfect and my dose isn't quite right, the medication is wearing off in the early afternoon instead of working through the evening, but it has made some significant differences in my day to day functioning at home with my kids. I am spending far, far less time feeling flustered and overwhelmed. I am better able to respond to my kids in a positive manner, even when they interrupt me when I'm in the middle of doing something. When I do get interrupted, it is much easier for me to get back on task. I haven't been spending as much time getting sucked into the computer, mostly because it is now easier for me to think "I need to stop this and get something done" and then actually stop and do that thing. My house is cleaner than it has been, ever. Let's see if I can keep it up.
In the past I've tended to think something along the lines of "ADHD is just a brain difference, and most people with ADHD would be able to function just fine if schools and workplaces could better accommodate those differences. Medicating isn't usually the answer." I don't think that any longer. I wasn't obviously impaired by the ADHD problems, but after taking the medication and finding out what "normal" is, I definitely feel impaired when the medication wears off. I wondered why everything seemed more difficult for me then it looked like it was for other people, and the reason was because it WAS more difficult. There are still many bad habits that I need to be rid of and healthy habits that I need to practice in order to be functioning really well, but I think the medication will allow me to work on those and make real progress.
I have been on a starter dose of Vyvanse for a little over two weeks, and I've been surprised at the difference that it has made. It is far from perfect and my dose isn't quite right, the medication is wearing off in the early afternoon instead of working through the evening, but it has made some significant differences in my day to day functioning at home with my kids. I am spending far, far less time feeling flustered and overwhelmed. I am better able to respond to my kids in a positive manner, even when they interrupt me when I'm in the middle of doing something. When I do get interrupted, it is much easier for me to get back on task. I haven't been spending as much time getting sucked into the computer, mostly because it is now easier for me to think "I need to stop this and get something done" and then actually stop and do that thing. My house is cleaner than it has been, ever. Let's see if I can keep it up.
In the past I've tended to think something along the lines of "ADHD is just a brain difference, and most people with ADHD would be able to function just fine if schools and workplaces could better accommodate those differences. Medicating isn't usually the answer." I don't think that any longer. I wasn't obviously impaired by the ADHD problems, but after taking the medication and finding out what "normal" is, I definitely feel impaired when the medication wears off. I wondered why everything seemed more difficult for me then it looked like it was for other people, and the reason was because it WAS more difficult. There are still many bad habits that I need to be rid of and healthy habits that I need to practice in order to be functioning really well, but I think the medication will allow me to work on those and make real progress.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Sound and Fury
but I think it signifies something.
Verity is in the midst of an explosion in her speech and language development, and I am thoroughly enjoying watching it occur. The language development of each of the kids has been unique, but still Verity has managed to impress me multiple times.
Pauly was a delayed talker, then at around age 3 it seemed like a switch flipped and he began talking, not only catching up to the "average" but surpassing it. Roger was pretty much an average talker, right on track with all the milestones. Rosie said her first words absurdly early, at around five months. I know most of you won't believe me, as I didn't believe my own ears, either, until my husband, my mother, my mother-in-law and a sister-in-law all insisted she was in fact using words with meaning. Still, she only said a handful of words until she was over one, then her speech development was normal -- she added a ton of single words to her vocabulary, once she had a certain number she started combining them into phrases, then sentences, then she talked constantly. Wait, they all do that. . .
Verity's speech development isn't abnormal but it is different from the others. She has been adding lots of single words to her vocabulary, but she is also using a lot more "jargon" than the other kids did. "Jargon" here means babbling with the tone, cadence and inflection of actual speech. She's constantly telling me things using jargon and gestures, and seems to be very good at getting her meaning across. What's really interesting to me that there are whole sentences starting to spring up in the midst of this jargon, and not always short sentences, either. Things like, "Can I please have it?" when she wanted her sister's popsicle. So instead of combining already established vocabulary into phrases, then sentences, she's coming up with whole sentences that use words that she may or may not have used on their own before. It makes me wonder what else she is saying that I'm just not understanding but am mistaking for jargon.
Added to this is the fact that she seems to be able to repeat just about anything she hears. "Knock, knock!" she said the other day, after hearing multiples jokes in the car. Or when Roger tried to trick someone with, "I bet I can make you say 'how,'" she was the only one in the family who responded with "how?" She is definitely reminding me of how fun watching a child develop can be.
Verity is in the midst of an explosion in her speech and language development, and I am thoroughly enjoying watching it occur. The language development of each of the kids has been unique, but still Verity has managed to impress me multiple times.
Pauly was a delayed talker, then at around age 3 it seemed like a switch flipped and he began talking, not only catching up to the "average" but surpassing it. Roger was pretty much an average talker, right on track with all the milestones. Rosie said her first words absurdly early, at around five months. I know most of you won't believe me, as I didn't believe my own ears, either, until my husband, my mother, my mother-in-law and a sister-in-law all insisted she was in fact using words with meaning. Still, she only said a handful of words until she was over one, then her speech development was normal -- she added a ton of single words to her vocabulary, once she had a certain number she started combining them into phrases, then sentences, then she talked constantly. Wait, they all do that. . .
Verity's speech development isn't abnormal but it is different from the others. She has been adding lots of single words to her vocabulary, but she is also using a lot more "jargon" than the other kids did. "Jargon" here means babbling with the tone, cadence and inflection of actual speech. She's constantly telling me things using jargon and gestures, and seems to be very good at getting her meaning across. What's really interesting to me that there are whole sentences starting to spring up in the midst of this jargon, and not always short sentences, either. Things like, "Can I please have it?" when she wanted her sister's popsicle. So instead of combining already established vocabulary into phrases, then sentences, she's coming up with whole sentences that use words that she may or may not have used on their own before. It makes me wonder what else she is saying that I'm just not understanding but am mistaking for jargon.
Added to this is the fact that she seems to be able to repeat just about anything she hears. "Knock, knock!" she said the other day, after hearing multiples jokes in the car. Or when Roger tried to trick someone with, "I bet I can make you say 'how,'" she was the only one in the family who responded with "how?" She is definitely reminding me of how fun watching a child develop can be.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
About the dog. . .
Bob and I are both getting to the point where we just don't think that taking in Louie is working out. Yes, he's learning. He now sits for his supper, and is starting to listen better in general, although it is obvious when we slack off on working with him as he doesn't obey as well. The problem is finding time for the training among all the other things I have to think about. Housebreaking had been coming along well, until he got into the habit of eating the fallen mulberries and this messed up his digestion. : / I think that as long as we can keep him away from the berries he'll be fine.
The pup has caused some problems – most notably digging up all the gardens that Bob had prepared and planted this spring. More than that, he is just one more thing for me to worry about. He chews stuff, he grabs the kids' toys, he steals food off the table (Fenja has NEVER stolen food off the table). We could take care of all these problems, they are definitely fixable with training and supervision, but finding time for the training and managing the constant supervision seems to be more than I can handle when I'm also trying to train and supervise four kids. ;) This is really too bad, as I really like Louie. A lot. He's an adorable terrier mix and I think he's got a great personality hidden under the puppiness. He's just so much work. Of course, so are the kids. . .
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
It's been awhile!
Well, I certainly didn't keep it going very long that time. I had planned to start my blog again to give me an intellectual outlet and a somewhat practical hobby, and look, I haven't posted in a month and a half! I'll go ahead and blame Facebook. If I have a picture, or a link that I want to share, then I share it there. It doesn't really require brain power, though. Maybe I'll try again to get this off the ground?
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