I'm back -- I really hope

While this last year has had a lot of adjustments to our family, I really do miss writing on my blogs.  First and foremost we had a great year at school.  I taught 4K, which if I could teach anything -- this would be it.  I love the age and the children's curiosity to learn.  Our daughter attended preschool and we have seen such growth in her.  She has learned how to play with others and overall seems to have less anxiety about trying new things, even though she isn't shy at all.

Hopefully, I still have some readers out there.  I have lots to share.  Just a recap of my blogging schedule:

Organizing Mondays
About the Kids Tuesday
What's Cookin' Wednesdays
Thrifty Thursdays
Anything Goes Fridays

Trying hard

Okay, I know it's been a long time since I posted and I sure hope many of my readers are still with me.  The reason I've been behind in blogging is because I have had yet another change in our lives.  The job that I took in August just didn't seem to fit me as well as I had hoped.  I luckily found a teaching position (in the city we live in) to teach Pre-Kindergarten (4K).  It's exactly what I want to be doing and I started last week.  It's only part-time but our goal was to have me teach again and allow our daughter some social time with children.   My job is in a child care center so my daughter is just down the hall in another classroom while I'm teaching.  So I'm at a new job and she's at a new preschool but we are together more.  I struggled with making the change since we just started in August.  But the level of stress that both of us had was more than I had anticipated.  Although at no point was it bad or disappointing.  I reflected on the new position and knew that if I had found the job in July I wouldn't have hesitated.  So, long story, short -- I should be back to blogging regularly again soon.  Hopefully, I can share ideas from my teaching experiences, too.

Update

So sorry this blog has taken a backseat as of late.  I am now working full time and just slowly getting into the routine.  Our 3-year-old daughter is starting preschool as well and that's been an adjustment for all as well.  My hope is to get back into the blogging swing of things soon.  In the meantime, here's a couple things to share.

• See the adorable doll cake I made for our daughter's birthday -- note it's dairy-free, egg-free and peanut-free.

• In my quest for freezer cooking ahead for easy weeknight meals (it's working, too), I tried something new.  You gotta keep trying new things or you just get bored.  I was at our Farmer's Market last week stocking up on all sorts of goodies.  I saw the going rate for eggplant was 75 cents.  That's about half what it is in the stores around here.  So, I breaded the eggplant per my eggplant parmesan recipe and froze it.  Results of that next week when I unthaw and bake.  I'm hopeful for good results.  Then I can bread a bunch of eggplant and freeze for easy, yummy meals.  

• As far as organizing our life, I'll post a little on that next week.  It's interesting how some things just aren't as important.

A little Diversion this month

I'm going to forgo my blog a day this month.  There are lots of sites hosting holiday recipe swaps and we will be making lots of holiday crafts, too.  I'll be posting as regular, but I'm not going to limit my posts.  Hope you enjoy!

I'll be back soon!

We moved this weekend and I have been up to my eyeballs in cleaning and unpacking.  I feel like I've barely gotten a start.  I will post something for Thrifty Thursday tonight or tomorrow and will be back next week for a blog a day!!  Thanks for being patient!!

Splash Award

Candice over at Wolf's on Safari gave me a Splash award. Thanks Candice! This is the first award I've ever gotten.

The Splash Award is given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive and inspiring blogs.

When you get this award you must:

• Put the logo on your blog
• Nominate & link up to 9 blogs that allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.
• Let them know they have been splashed by commenting on their blog
• Remember to link to the person from whom you received your Splash Award.

The following blogs impress and inspire me every day:

• Jennifer @ Ramblings of a Crazy Woman (for her wonderful crafts)
• Gayle @ The Grocery Cart Challenge (for her thrifty ideas)
• Kate @ Cooking During Stolen Moments (for her tasty recipes)
• Tara @ Deal Seeking Mom (for giving ideas for coupon matchups and freebies)
• Libby @ The Allergic Kid (for sharing her challenges and offering practical suggestions)

New Sidebar

I thought it would be fun to add some of the meals and other things I've been doing in my kitchen each week. Sometimes I don't know what I'm making until the day of (even though I menu plan) because events of the day change. So I decided I would link the recipes that I'm making in the sidebar each week. Check back every day to see what's been added!!

Dairy Free Blog

I started a new blog sharing the experiences of life with my toddler who can't have milk and eggs due to an allergy.

Check it out HERE! Pass it along to anyone you know who might enjoy! Thanks!

Coming up this week!

Organizational Monday -- reorganizing a routine after moving
About the Kids Tuesday -- one of my favorite matching games for toddlers (hint: it uses fabric)
What's Cookin' Wednesday -- recipe for hamburgers
Thrifty Thursday -- my new grocery store
Anything Goes Friday -- anything goes

Reading blogs and then what

I'm reading several blogs a day that are so interesting. There are so many great ideas out there. But in order for their tips and ideas to be useful to me I have to do something with them. I don't have time to make every craft or recipe. About once a month I go through some of my favorite blogs and copy down the ideas. I then file them. I have files for several categories -- one for every month, one for each subject (math, reading, sensory, etc), one for projects to make, one for art activities and several more.

Many are for future use with either my daughter or for teaching. It will be so nice to go to the file and have ideas to sift through. Thanks to many of you for sharing your great ideas!

New Layout

I'm tweaking the layout a little so it may change a little in the next few days. So far I'm really liking how it looks.

I also have a new sidebar that will feature products that I love to use.

I'll get caught up soon

We've been sick around here, so I've been pretty slow. I will get caught up on my blog either today or tomorrow. Here's what's planned!

Tues: Fish Sensory project
Wed: Garlic Bread recipe
Thurs: Target deals after holidays

Check back soon!

To my loyal readers

To those of you who are dedicated readers, I thank you very much for reading. I know some of you and others of you I'm guessing we've never met. I appreciate having an audience to tell my thoughts. If you wish, comment or e-mail and let me know what you like about my blog. Another great big THANKS!

Question: If you are regular reader, I am interested to know if you have tried any of my recipes. If so, which ones? And did you or your family like them?

Followers: I just added a followers gadget to my sidebar. Interested in following my reflections, feel free to follow.

Why blogging is good for me

I am really enjoying posting on my blog. It tends to give me another purpose other than cleaning and taking care of my daughter. I never quite understood how stay-at-home-moms had difficulty being home all day, but now I get it. It's not that I don't enjoy the time I get with my daughter. I am grateful I can take care of her rather than a stranger. But being cooped up all day with no adult interaction and no adult thoughts can be a little challenging to get used to. This blog has given me something to look forward to each day. I can think of interesting things to share with my few readers. I like knowing that I might impact someone else's day just a little bit with what I write. It feels good to share my thoughts and feelings. I hope to continue with blog for a long time. I know that it helps me and gives me another purpose. And it's a great way to keep track of life.

Thanks for reading!!

New blog title

I thought long and hard about a new blog title. I really created the other just so I could get rolling with my blog. I finally came up with something I like -- Reflections from a Mother's Soul. I hope it epitomizes what I'm doing here - reflecting on my life and sharing part of my soul. Seems a little more deep than "Mommy's Timeout." I'm keeping the address the same, so you don't need to go looking for that to change at all.

Happy reading!

My Blog Plan

Can't imagine starting a blog without a plan. I like to stay organized and enjoy having something to look forward to. I imagine my readers would appreciate the same.

Monday: Organizational Monday (how to keep on top of the housework, etc.)
Tuesday: About the Kids Tuesday (parenting techniques, activities and anecdotal stories)
Wednesday: What's Cookin' Wednesday (some of my favorite recipes will be shared)
Thursday: Thrifty Thursday (money saving ideas)
Friday: Anything Goes Friday

I hope you enjoy the blog. Feel free to comment.