Pollywogs Place Homeschool – Page 149

Lawry’s Garlic Salt

Published on November 7, 2017October 23, 2017 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

I know this is something silly to post about but I really love this stuff!

I love garlic and garlic salt is a must have in my pantry. I recently had to buy some more and found this brand, Lawry’s, which I hadn’t used before. I liked the fact that it also had parsley with it too.

I’ve used it on so many different things and it’s always delicious. I especially like to use it in mashed potatoes. The little bit of parsley in it provides a small pop of color too.

Tonight I sprinkled it on some fish when I was making Broiled Parmesan Tilapia and it provided just enough flavor to take it to another level.

If you haven’t tried this brand I highly recommend that you give it a try. I’m going to grab another bottle when I go grocery shopping again because I don’t want to run out.

One Year Anniversary

Published on November 7, 2017 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog5 Comments

Time has flown by so fast. It’s hard to believe that it’s been a whole year since I started this blog!

I just want to thank each and every one of my family, friends, and followers. Without your support I probably would have just given up on this. I hope that each of you may find a little bit of useful information or inspiration from my posts.

I hope to be a bit more dedicated as time goes on. Thank you all for sharing in our wonderful adventure that we call life!

Surrender Those Burdens

Published on November 5, 2017 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

Hey there Momma (or maybe Daddy)! I see you… you right there who is so tired you can barely keep your eyes open. The Momma who was up all night with a sick baby or maybe your the one who had a couple of sick babies.

Maybe the Momma who is working two or three jobs to make ends meet. The money doesn’t seem to stretch quite far enough and then the babysitter wants a raise or is thinking about moving away.

The Momma worried about whether or not the car will start in the morning. Not to mention the sound it just started making.

The Momma who has been saving here and there to buy a new outfit because all of her good clothes now have holes in them. But then little Jimmy’s jacket is a tad too small or Haley has suddenly grown an inch since school started and her shoes are too tight.

The Momma whose plate is so full she needs help to carry it. Then when she feels she is just about to snap from all the pressure something else happens. It feels like fate is not on your side at all.

Maybe you are the Momma who feels like she just isn’t enough. You feel like you just can’t seem to get anything right lately. Nothing seems to be going your way. No matter how much you do there always seems to be more that needs done at the end of the day.

You’re tired, more than tired, you’re exhausted. You feel like you could sleep a week or two and still not be caught up on your rest. There is no amount of caffeine that can revive you at this moment.

You feel overwhelmed because even though you are tired you can’t seem to get any rest. Even when you manage to get in bed or lay down for a nap there is no peaceful slumber to come. It seems the minute your head hits the pillow the kids start to cry or whine, the phone rings, or someone comes to the door. Then once your eyes close it seems like only a minute before the alarm is going off at the crack of dawn and it’s time to start again.

There are so many worries and so many people depending on you. There are bills to be paid, meals to fix, clothes to wash, and a house to clean. There just seems to be so much to do. Most days you fly through it with little thought. You do what needs done and don’t think twice.

But today is different. You are just so tired that you feel like you can’t. You can’t find the energy to write those checks or even log in to the bill pay site. Thinking about what needs cooked makes you want to order pizza but you don’t feel like getting dressed to go pick it up.

Not to mention that other 100 things on your To Do list. Then you have that project due at school or work. Which reminds you that the kids didn’t finish their homework yet either. Sigh… for a fleeting moment the idea of running away seems like a perfectly sensible thing to do.

But Momma those things can wait just a bit. Right now I just want you to STOP everything and take a deep breath. Clear your mind and think of something peaceful.

These crazy moments won’t last forever. I promise. They will pass and you will get through this. You are not alone and there is always someone there for you.

In your craziest most overwhelming moments God is there. He is ready and waiting to listen to you. He wants to share your burdens and take away those worries. He will listen without judgement and if you let Him, He will guide you to where you need to be.

He will bring the peace in the storm. He will make those impossible mountains of tasks seem like small hills. You can do anything when He is by your side. All you need to do is just ask.

God loves you!

Ask Him for strength, healing, peace, calm, guidance, and wisdom.

Trust in Him that He is using this moment to mold you and shape you into the person He needs you to be.

Surrender those burdens over to Him. Give Him all of your worries and cares.

He is waiting Momma. He is there to comfort you just as you comfort your children and those around you. He is there to give you the rest you so desperately need.

All you need to do is to go to Him, right now. Let it all go. Open your heart out to Him. He will listen and He will help you.

Remember too that tomorrow is a new day. A fresh start to everything. Don’t stress over what you can’t do or change and just concentrate on what you can do or change. One foot in front of the other. Don’t be afraid to stop and talk to God as often as you need to. He will help you through you today, tomorrow, and everyday to come.

God Bless!

Making Memories With Family

Published on November 3, 2017October 30, 2017 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

My oldest daughter and her husband came to visit this weekend. We decided to have an impromptu cookout with hamburgers, hot dogs, deviled eggs, baked beans, and pasta salad… yum!

The best part of the whole time was not the food but the time we spent together. I wasn’t feeling really well and tried to ‘keep away’ but watching the kids all spend time together was really amazing. The little kids enjoyed having big sister around and they loved playing with their dog.

The older kids decided to get down some games… I normally have them in a big coffee table, however that coffee table is out on the porch because we have no room right now, so they had to get them down from the storage loft. (We have a big collection of board games as we would request these for Christmas gifts as the whole family can enjoy them. Board games do make great Christmas gifts!)

First came Battleship, we have the older version somewhere but couldn’t find it so they got down the Electronic version, however we couldn’t find all the pieces so I guess that will need to go on the Christmas list. I am thinking about getting this Star Wars version.

Next came the classic Monopoly. We would spend hours playing this game when they were younger. We also have the set with a speed die. DD18 is planning on getting this out later to play again with the kids. I am thinking about checking out the Junior edition too as this is a great game to teach money skills.

Last they pulled down the old Scrabble. (We have a couple version of this game too.) I love that you can buy replacement tiles for this game fairly cheap and these tiles also work great for crafts. I think my oldest daughter took the electronic version home with her to play with her husband. This is also a great game to help with reading, spelling, vocabulary, and math as you count up the scores. You could start younger kids out with this junior edition.

After they played for a while we ate dinner together and talked a bit. Big sister also passed out some bags of Halloween candy for everyone. We cleaned up and they went home as it was starting to get dark and they had to work the next morning.

DD18 wasn’t ready to put up the games though. She asked Mr. Awesome and me if we would play and we did. We played Scrabble first and she went to grab the dictionary so she could make sure my words were ‘legal’… lol. Like I would really cheat. I do pull words out of my head that I don’t even know that I knew sometimes though.

Once that game was over they decided to play Monopoly again. We had a blast playing even though they lost… again. This was definitely one of those days that we will keep in our hearts forever. It has also encouraged us to start some new traditions with the younger kids. I am hoping to start having a game night at least once week like I did when my oldest kids were younger.

All in all today was a great day. I am so thankful for these days and feel so very blessed to have such a wonderful family! I definitely feel like a winner!

Freezer Board

Published on November 2, 2017October 29, 2017 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog2 Comments

I think I mentioned here that I was planning to hang a dry erase board to keep track of where I had stored all of our refrigerated/frozen foods as we have 2 freezers and 2 refrigerators that we are currently using.

Well, I did manage to get the board hung up on Saturday but the sticky hooks weren’t strong enough and it soon fell down. Today I went to Walmart and picked up a couple of command hooks:

And a pack of small sawtooth hangers:

The plan was to attach the hangers to the back of the dry erase board and then use the hooks to hang it on the wall. First problem was getting those hangers attached because the nails were so darn tiny!

Then I remembered a trick I had seen somewhere before:

The picture is a little blurry but I used a comb to hold the nail in place so I could hammer it in without smashing my fingers.

Voila! A few minutes later I had them both attached.

Next was to place the hooks on the wall. I just eyeballed this… sometimes my OCD kicks in and I will spend a few hours measuring and checking the level but not this time.

I then used some alcohol to prep the area.

While I was in the bathroom grabbing the alcohol and cotton balls Mr. Coffee Connoisseur decided he would ‘fix’ himself a hot chocolate but luckily he can’t reach the power button. He insisted he was ‘just getting it ready’ so Momma could finish it.

We talked about how the new coffee maker was not a toy and then I told him we would all enjoy a nice hot chocolate after we finished this project.

Then I got the hooks ready:

The hooks came with three sticky pieces. Each side is labeled so it makes it pretty easy. (They also remove very easily, if needed.) Once the hooks were ready I put them on the wall:

Once the second one was attached I hung up the dry erase board:

I attached some sticky back velcro to the board and to my dry erase marker. (I thought about attaching the eraser too but I would probably use my finger anyway.)

And the board was complete. Well almost….

Mr. Coffee, who loves to practice writing his name, had added his own little touches to the board while I was attaching the hooks… never a dull moment here. Then I let my OCD have its way, just a little, when I rewrote the bottom half of the board.

I wrote the items in order as you can find them in the porch freezer. The other freezer is a chest freezer and it is fairly organized as well as the outside fridge.

Now the board is finished… I am still thinking of a catchy name for it other than ‘Freezer Board’ though. I am hoping this will be a handy addition to help with managing our grocery shopping and meal planning. This allows not only me but my oldest daughter to be able see what we have on hand, where to find it, and what we may need to get or add to the grocery list.

Mr. Coffee was happy to see it finished and he asked if he could write his name on it again but I explained to him that this was Momma’s board and reminded him that he has his own. Then we made some hot cocoa, (Momma had some Twinings Earl Grey tea) and had some powdered donuts for a snack. (A special little treat, Just Because.)