Years ago I was running. Then I had pain. Then I tried to get stronger. Then I just got fatter. Then I said no more. Then I lost 10 pounds.

If you listened to the episode in Season 4, Beautiful Sundays, I'm about to tell you how that's going. I also have some more thoughts on how to help kids sit in church and maybe even listen. Surely that would be helpful to someone out there. 

Let's talk about some new things I have made lately and how easy it was!!! If you are looking for easy recipes for sauces and bread or feeling a little too basic in your cooking, let me tell you what's been on my mind. You know I've been thinking outside the box if you've been checking out my monthly menu episodes, but I'm still going! I have many culinary aspirations at the moment and I want to share them with you.

Right now I have a job list for the kids that is working. It gets modified from time to time, but these are all things I really really need done and I find that they are worth the money I pay the kids to do them. I even pay the kids for things I would like to see them doing for their own personal development! My kids know how much money they have, what it took to earn it, and what it will take to get it back if they spend it all. It has been so cool to see their self-control in action when we shop. Plus, the best part is that there are no more negotiations at the store and no more begging us for things because they have the means to get what they want, if they really want it.

Here is another month of meals! This is quite a long episode all about cooking and there is quite a variety of meals this month. Listen along to grab some ideas and bring some creativity into your kichen. Listen further to catch all the details and fails. I cook Asian, Polish, Italian and a bit of Irish. Get some tips about using up leftovers and recycling previous meals. Even my kids helped in the kitchen this last month and seemed to enjoy creating new things that we all enjoyed as a family.

It's happened to me. I didn't want it to, but I'm now the mom in a minivan just driving everywhere all the time. Sometimes it's soccer practice (hello fellow volunteer coaches!), sometimes it's softball practice, and sometimes it is piano and flute lessons. Chauffeuring is not what I envisioned for myself. It's not what I ever thought would be the best thing for my kids, and yet here we are, crazy busy, doing uncomfortable things, and looking for the positive. Life's unpredictability is scary and also exciting. I'm trying to focus on that second part. I'm giving my kids opportunities and doing my best to help them make the most of it. Do you know that I kinda wish I was involved in more than two sports as a kid? I love sports, but I feel most confident on the field when I've had coaching. That is something I keep in mind when my kids start randomly talking about something else they want to try. 

If you are dragging today but have to make some kind of progress, listen in for a few minutes. I will keep this short and give you a quick list of ways you can keep yourself going, even if you are slow. I am always trying to self-motivate and I have a few strategies to share today.

In this really fun episode I interview my 3 youngest to find out what jobs they enjoy doing (from our list of chores) and what they plan to spend their money on. Kids say funny and surprising things! Sometimes you just have to ask the right questions. Getting kids to do regular work is a constant struggle but right now things are clicking along and we have been following this job list/plan for about three months now! It has made life a lot easier, rooms generally cleaner (even though I do not pay them to keep their own rooms clean) and shopping trips less painless because they have their own money and they know what it takes to earn it all back once they spend it. There are already new things we are adding to our current plan for getting chores done, and you can be sure those ideas will get their own episode shortly!

I am battling seasonal allergies but there is one thing that is helping me so much! It is the very comforting and satisfying bone broth I have been perfecting lately. There are several containers of this nourishing liquid in my fridge and freezer, packed with protein, nutrients and warm spices. I will tell you everything I have been adding to it lately! You may be surprised at what I'm throwing in the pot and even more pleasantly surprised if you try making some bone broth for yourself. 

It really is raining as I sit in my van recording. I hope you find the rain soothing and not just annoying background noise! This calming, relaxed episode is hopefully one you can listen to over and over again while you are - maybe on a rainy day - trying to clear out your pantry that you thought you just organized last week! I have a short list of ideas to share about how to use up those almost-gone pantry items or even those forlorn-looking veggies that no one ate at dinner the other night. I will admit that some of these ideas I have not even tried out myself, but I intend to, and you can be sure you will hear about it in a future episode. Anyway, take it or leave it. I find that it's nice to have something to listen to while I'm cleaning in my kitchen, anyway. I think this is my "clean with me" episode.