Sidetracked Moms

I’ve starting taking baby steps in my journey towards Minimalism and while it’s a small one, at least it’s forward progress. I hope you’ll be back to join me on my quest. Christmas is roughly three months away. This year I plan to be more proactive with my planning, purchasing, and purging of junk around here instead of letting it sneak up and overwhelm me like most years. Every year I try to get rid of old, broken, and just generally ignored toys that have accumulated before more toys show...

If you’re like me, you love a great cup of hot chocolate now and then. This recipe is one our family has enjoyed for years, especially at Christmas time. I can’t remember where I found it, but I remember it was a beautiful Christmas book with stories and recipes. It’s a treat I love to do for my family, and when I make it, it speaks l-o-v-e to them. Try this hot drink at your house sometime. However, I must warn you. After enjoying this one, they may never want to go back to that instant...

Architectural Designs offers many floor plans for multigenerational families, as well as different families living together. You will find they offer 325 different house plans for multi-family construction while making them economical. They offer numerous search options to help you find exactly what you are looking for. You can save your searches under “My Plans,” reverse the images to see what a different perspective would look like, share plans with other family members for their approval...

Apparently, there has been an “explosion” in 3G travel–that is, families traveling with three generations. For the fourth consecutive year, Austin-Lehman Adventures (ALA) which is a travel company, “reports mid-double digit growth in 3G trips both in pre-set, small-group and custom departures. Seventy-five percent of its custom exclusives are 3G bookings, mostly requesting national park trips–an ALA specialty.” Traveling with young children certainly has its challenges, but couple that with...

Yesterday, I had a ton of things to do while I was trying to get things ready for a special romantic dinner party at my house in a few days. While I was busy cleaning and preparing for the event, I realized I needed to make something for dinner. Oh, great! After surveying the pantry and looking through my cookbook binder of recipes, I came across an old favorite recipe I had not made in a very long time. It’s originally called “turkey chowder,” but chicken works just fine for me and it is a...

Artform Home Plans offers floor plans for multigenerational households, as well as for those who are looking for house plans for aging parents and aging in place options. Multigenerational Households : Their website features house plans for multigenerational households desiring space for a small apartment, space for a home business, as well as room for boomerang kids. Aging-in-Place : Artform Home Plans also offers ground floor bedroom and office plans. These types of designs will adapt...

I love books! Just ask anybody who knows me. I love the way they change the feel and look of a room when you enter into one lined with books. While rather expensive, they make a very special kind of wallpaper! I also love visiting bookstores of all kinds—new, used, big, little, near and far away. I love accumulating books and wish I had enough time to read all the ones I buy. You know what I mean. I’m talking about the ones we’ve all bought with “good intentions.” My husband and I have a...

As a mom, have you ever looked at your role as one who is trying to work herself out of a job? Well, I do. As soon as I feel my children are ready and able to handle a job, I teach them how. Laundry falls into this category beautifully! When I first heard about homeschooling at Christmas time in 1988 from a friend I had known for several years, I remember my first thought was, “How does Debbie ever find time to do the laundry?” The following school year, we started homeschooling. We were a...

Check This Out…. I am so excited about E-mealz that I’ve told every mommy friend I have about it! It is such a great time saver! I have seen my fair share of online menu planners, recipe sites, and shopping guides. But there were TWO main things that got me really excited about E-Mealz: The recipes and menus are already put together for you on ONE page for the ENTIRE week! Only one page to keep track of and really good but simple recipes that don’t take forever to prepare. The weekly menu and...

From the time I started dating Jim (several years ago ), until many years into our marriage, I remember enjoying times with his mom in the kitchen. For a long time I was the only girl around (Jim only has one younger brother) and the two of us would visit and talk as we made many different recipes together. Jim’s mom always loved to try new recipes. Whether it was one printed in the local newspaper or one she found in a magazine somewhere, she was never afraid to use the family to test he…

Monster House Plans offers floor plans with in-law quarters which include private areas for living independently. For example, they offer small kitchenettes, private baths, and small living areas while remaining connected to the main house, providing economy and security. Many of the floor plans in the multigenerational household category utilize the lower level of the home or a studio over the garage. This is an option that will suit many families because stairs are not always an issue wit…

If you homeschool your children, you’ve probably heard comments from others like, “I really admire you,” or “I could never do that!” For those of you who don’t homeschool, I believe I speak for many homeschoolers when I say we’re not looking to be admired. As homeschoolers, we often feel insignificant and overwhelmed in this task, yet here we are, finding ourselves “doing it.” Back in February, 1989, I was a mom, waiting for my third child to start 1st grade so I could have my days to myself

Have you ever wanted to write your husband a little love note on the bathroom mirror, but knew you would have to spend a lot of time getting the lipstick to come off? Or maybe you’ve wanted to scribble something funny and cute on your children’s bedroom mirrors, but knew the cleanup wasn’t worth the trouble? Well, here’s a helpful tip to bring back some fun into your life. The next time you want to leave behind a special love note and words of encouragement for your family, use dry erase...

Here is an idea for a post I got from Facebook. Below are some random things you may or may not know about me. I am married to a wonderful computer genius husband. I met my wonderful computer genius husband on the internet. (Long before such things as eHarmony and online dating were popular.) I was in a chat room and saw that he was majoring in psychology, and at the time so was I. We started talking and the rest is history. I am the oldest of five kids. I am 16 and 18 years older than my...

I don’t know how things are at your house, but in the Sloderbeck and Janes’ family household, there are some dishes we ONLY make during the holidays. What is interesting to me is that they are often recipes that could be enjoyed and made any time during the year, but we actually don’t seem to even think about them until it is holiday time. I guess that is why they are special! One of our favorite holiday dishes is one Jim’s mom used to always make. She called it Coca Cola Salad. Now that she...