It is Friday and we have had a pretty busy week. I started off the week in a car accident on Monday. Thankfully, nothing too serious. I was reared ended, thus being pushed into the car in front of me. Oddly enough, the car in front of me drove off! So weird. The kid who hit me was 17 and scared. I tried to remember that he was some one's child the whole time. There was no need to be mad at him. Thankfully, Nurse Boy was home with the kids and no one got hurt. The poor van will be in the shop all next week, but I will be sporting a rental car in the mean time. Truth be told, I am sure it will be much nicer than my 11 year old van. Odds are it will smell better, too.
I have also used this week to get organized and work on our summer routine. We have tackled all of the kids closets. Sadly, that was quite the project. They are all organized now, but I had my doubts that it would ever get done. I am a pretty organized person, but I tend to let closets and drawers get the best of me. I like everything to be visually pleasing, so I tend to not care what something looks like when it is covered by a door. This summer I am going to try to tackle those hidden places. Today I am tackling 3 "hot spots" in my kitchen, including the dreaded "junk drawer." Everyone has a "junk drawer," right? Mine is currently vomiting into the cabinet underneath it.
I am also working on a schedule for the kids. I am expecting them to do chores, read, complete some math activities, and exercise daily. I am going to require them to read for 30 minutes a day. That will also earn them 30 minutes of TV time. Do any of you have some great ideas to keep kids motivated this summer? My goal every year is for them to, at the very least, maintain where they are at academically.
Today I am going to share one of our favorite homemade snacks:
Granola Bars
(Makes 16 bars)
You will need:1/3 cup Canola oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 T honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups oats
2 cups rice cereal
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup chocolate chips or dried fruit of your choice
1/3 cup flax seed (optional)
1. Throw all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Spray treat a 13x9 pan. Press the mixture evenly into the pan.
3. For chewy bars, bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. For crunchy bars, bake at 300 degrees for about 40-50 minutes.
I actually keep these in my freezer in a freezer bag. They are great right out of the freezer, or when placed in a lunch box for later. As a matter of a fact, this was my breakfast this morning. We love these things. They are simple to make and I feel better about the ingredients, since I can actually pronounce each one. Ha!
But, I would be lying if I said I never bought granola bars. 'Cuz some days I have to tackle "junk drawers" and closets instead of making wholesome snacks for my family!
Have a fabulous weekend!
7 comments:
Hmm, I've seen this recipe a few times now and I still think I need to try it! It looks so delicious!
I'm glad you're back! I can't wait to see how your summer unfolds.
I've been cleaning out some of those "hidden" areas, too. I still have alot more to accomplish! But my clothes closet it done...finally....thankfully.
We homeschooled and once summer arrived, we let the schedule fly right out the door.
But we always looked at every day activites as learning experiences and also playing games and such, so I felt like we were always learning and growing. I am sure that you do the same thing, Mrs. NB, so don't stress to much about it,k?
The granola bars look delicious and I'm savin' the recipe right now!! :-)
Yummy, yummy, yummy! I want some right now.
Junk drawerSSS. Multiple. I've got junk hidden away in every room in the house. Sounds like a good Summer project to tackle.
Glad you're okay btw. I actually had a teenager rear end my minivan a couple of years back around Christmas time. He was driving his grandmother around and not paying attention to the fact that I had not moved forward, he was too focused on making a left and catching a break in traffic. All I got was a dinged rear bumper, thankfully. I didn't even bother calling the police or notifying the insurance, since the deductible and repairs would be more trouble than they were worth. The poor kid was in TEARS, when we told him it was okay, not to worry about it, he hugged both me and my husband. It was really hard to be mad. Oh well.
I have been tackling a room at a time. Getting rid of stuff and cleaning. Good for your getting organized. I am trying.
Those bars look delish.
I think I made these once. Delish! I have to 50X the recipe though.
Look at you go cleaning the closets and the junk drawer. It feels so great when you know that things are clean. I've heard that decluttering and organizing can help you lose weight.
I still need to get my boys each a summer workbook. We have been reading in partners, big boys with little ones. Love to hear that going on. If you find a motivational trick that works for Mom's let me know.
Hug!
Jacob (#1) leaves for Independence on the 9th I will let you know where he is assigned to serve. He is under strictest instructions to make me look like an amazing MOM and leave y'all as amazing as he finds you.
That sounds like a great recipe...better than the ones from the store! Can't wait to try.
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