Simple Mom

Ok, ladies, I have found the best site and I think you will agree. The funny thing is I have no idea how I stumbled upon it. Maybe everyone else knows about it except me! It is the best resource for homemakers I have ever found. I really like this girl, totally my personality. Her priorities are very similar to mine and has the same beliefs as most of us who read this blog. Go to her site and check it out for yourself or see my highlighted links below.

Here are some highlights to check out:

1. Home Management Notebook, I just started mine and am already loving it!

2. Chores (we are changing the name) for preschoolers

3. Monthly Menu planning
see also regular menu planning

4. Dave Ramsey's Money Management Methods (more to come on this!!)

What's for Dinner?

This was a meal I made a couple of weeks ago and it was very good! Sorry, no picture! It is from Cooks Country magazine.

Baked Pork Chops with Parmesan-Sage Crust

1 (5oz) box Melba toast, broken into rough pieces, (i used Peppridge farm bread crumbs b/c that's what I had and it was good)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mayo
2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp grated zest and 1 tsp juice from 1 lemon
4 bone-in, rib-cut pork chops, 3/4 to 1 in thick

1. Oven to 425 and adjust rack to middle of oven. Pulse Melba toast prices, parmesan, 2 tbsp mayo, sage, 1/4 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp pepper in food processor until coursely ground. (can use blender) Transfer to shallow dish. Whisk remaining mayo, mustard, lemon zest, and lemon juice in another shallow dish.
2. Cover pork chops with mayo and mustard mixture. One at a time, dredge chops in Melba crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer chops to wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden brown and meant registers 145 degrees, 16 to 22 minutes.

Our New Tricks

We have some new tricks around the Martin household. Micah and Caleb are growing so fast! I have two little boys who are just adorable, (I know I'm a little biased!), and they keep Ed and I entertained. Micah is really turning out to be the goofy one. His Sunday School teacher told us, he really likes to make the other laugh. I think we have a class clown on our hands. There are times I just laugh because I can't believe how much he has taken on Ed's humor. I basically have a little Ed running around!

Micah's new love is to be in his underwear. He has decided he doesn't like clothes too much and often times asks me to take his shirt or pants off. When we get ready for bath, he does a victory lap before he hops in the tub! He even has a naked boy dance! I don't know where he got it from! Here is a picture of him flexing his muscles. What you can't see is all he is wearing is underwear!

His other new trick is SOCCER! Micah is playing soccer this spring for the Y and so we went to Play it Again Sports and got him some cleats (or FWEATS, as he says it). They were used, so they were nice and cheap, but what surprised me was how they looked brand new. Anyway, he wants to wear them all the time. Yesterday, he put them and his shin pads on and just ran laps in the house. But it was great because he still isn't used to the cleats, so he kept tripping on the floor and falling. Ed took him out to "practice" and got some traditional soccer portraits!

My sweet Caleb is growing up so much. He is such a content baby. The doctors are concerned that he is not crawling or really even rolling over at this point. So we are going in for an early intervention evaluation. I assured them that I just have a fat happy baby who just likes to sit and watch his brother. He really loves his arms and raises them up often. A tradition in our family is "How big is Caleb?" "So Big!" He has adapted right in and has picked up the "So Big!" We caught him in action showing us how big he is. (Jen, makes me think of "How big is your baby? I just laugh thinking of Matt's voice!)

Caleb's newest trick is waving bye to people or even things, which is just precious. It cracks us up because he just lifts his hand with all seriousness. He waves bye now all the time. When he goes to bed, when we leave the house, when Ed leaves, while he is eating, etc. It is awesome! Who says my baby is delayed! His hair certainly isn't! I keep trying to trim it but it is just out of control. I think I need to take him in to get a "real" haircut soon! He's only 9 months and getting a real haircut! What's that about?

The Trinity Redefined

A couple night ago as we were putting Micah to bed, he asked if he could pray. We did not realize that he had apparently been reading my Systematic Theology book during his quiet times. He closed his eyes, folded his hands, and pontificated a reinterpretation of the Holy Trinity by saying, "thank you Jesus for...Jesus, Ray, and George".
Ray and George and I used to pretend that we were the A-Team back in the 80's. Ray was B.A. Barracas, George was Captain Hannibal Smith, by best friend Dave was Face, and I was Murdock. That is entirely different than Ray playing the part of the Father and George being the Holy Spirit.
Yes, it was a cute mistake by a 3 year old, but Micah has since been excommunicated from family devotions. -Ed

Captain Chime In

Well, I might as well chime in here before V-Day is over.
Things I love about Katie:

• her cooking
• she doesn't snore either
• but for real, it is cute when she snores
  
• Jumbo Jet
  
• I love to listen to her talk to her 9 month old boy when she doesn't know I'm listening
• her emotion and passion when she speaks to an audience
  
• her resolve
• her deep and unique relationship with Christ
• two words: green eyes
• the way she studies and learns our boys
• she loves my family
  
• wise with the budget
• the amount of sugar she dumps in her flavored creamer...I mean, coffee.
  
• she really wants and respects my opinion on even trivial things
• yankee spice - don't play her in card games...you may cry
  
• she stays awake with me while we are driving on trips late at night
• she knows when I need to get outside
  
• she allows me to grow and thrive in my role as a father of boys and a husband of a girly wife

I love you Kate.

I Love...Edward

My husband is an amazing man and there is no way to list all of the ways I love him, so here are just a few!

• The look he gives me when I know he is still as in love with me and he was in college

• How he would honestly be with our family more than anyone else

• The way he makes Micah's day by wrestling with him, playing outside with him, taking him on a bike ride

• How he knows when I need some time to myself

• How our boys have captured his heart

• His godly example for our children

• How everyone is his friend and no one his enemy

• How he loves the Lord more than anything

• How he is tenderhearted and yet such a strong man at the same time

• He can cook, clean the kitchen, do laundry, vacuum, and is very willing to help do those things!

• From day one he loves to surprise me and knows how to make dates special

• The way he looks in a baseball hat!

• He doesn't snore!!!

I Love...Micah

Here are the things I love about My Sweet Boy:

• The way he is so particular about his clothes

• His love for music and singing along to it in the car, and how it really bothers him when he doesn't know the words!

• How he loves his brother - they held hands in the car yesterday!

• His crazy ability to play every sport and he is really good at it

• How he is more excited about his soccer uniform than actually getting to play soccer!

• The way he likes to be silly

• "Mom, I'm not cool, I'm AWESOME!"

• How he thrives on people and loves his friends

• The fact that he wants to be just like his Daddy

• His love for tools

• How he has no clue about anything having to do with girls

• One of my favorites...at bedtime, when we lay Caleb on his tummy, he smashes Caleb's cheeks, and loves on him. Then yells "Ew! He's drooling on me!"

• His love for hats

• Particular, Particular, Particular (remind you of anybody...me!)

• The fact that he wants to be a rockstar when he grows up and sing about Jesus!
  

I Love...Caleb

Here are the things I love about Baby C:

• The way he watches his brother's every move

• His adorable laugh when he is tickled

• His very chubby thighs...they look like a can of biscuits!

• How he gets so excited when Ed walks in the room and how he yells at him to come see him!

• The pure joy when he takes a bath

• His "emo" hair

• The way he waves his arms and breathes heavy when you come to pick him up

• How he is so content just playing with toys or watching anybody

• Probably one of my favorites...when we lay him on Micah's tummy in bed and he happily yells at Micah and grabs his face...(see Micah's post for the rest!)

• How he loves his mommy to hug and kiss on him

I Love...

I saw this post on a friends site and thought it was a great idea! I'm not one for Valentine's Day, I never have been. It just seems silly to get all wrapped up in this one day that Hallmark or somebody created just make a buck or two. Why should this day be any different from any other day we have? Anyway, I'm not going to go there and if you love Valentine's Day, I'm sorry!

So rather than telling you about all the people I love, I'm going to tell you what I love:

• Curling up with a good book or magazine with NO interruptions

• Getting wrapped up in a good basketball game on tv

• Salt and pepper popcorn...yum! (thanks Erica!)

• Target, enough said!

• Having an opportunity to let my creative juices flow and then actually having something to show for it

• Receiving an unsolicited hug or kiss from any of my boys

• House Hunters

• Going shopping, especially when I have money to spend!
  

• Having a cup of coffee ready for me in the morning

• A clean kitchen

• Chocolate pie

• Mexican food

• Country music. It's the perfect music to turn up loud and sing your little heart out!

Boring!

Our blog has been pretty lame recently. My wife goes through phases of blog-fest, then blog-fast. Currently, we are in a blog-fast.
Katie! I wanna know what's going on with my family! Give me an update!
-Ed