whoa...that was a long break

I haven't blogged in... forever.  My computer was taken out by a lightning storm two years ago.  We never replaced it and I never looked back!  All mobile all the time.  I guess I need to learn to blog from my iPad or phone. I am going to pick it up again soon... maybe I'll try it once a week.

Eating Healthy...who has the time and money for that?

Well as some of you know, I have been on a quest to lose weight this year.  It hasn’t been easy but I have lost a total of 49 lbs.  It seemed easier when I was working; however, summer has taken its toll on my dieting.  There is just something about munching by the pool and enjoy cocktails that I cannot stop indulging in.  That would be ok every now and again but that “munching “continues when I don’t have a good plan set up for dinner etc.  I easily fall back into the habits of my fat girl past! 

With that being said, I finally decided to take the leap and purchase a meal planning subscription. Now I have talked about it for a while.  I even brought it up to my friend and she suggested the “One Bag Five Meals” program (it was free too). I looked into it and it looked great but it is set up by Kraft.  When I think Kraft, I think Mac n Cheese…as I suspected…it included a lot of carb based meals. Now don’t get me wrong, they sound delicious but I don’t have the will power to stop myself from devouring an entire pan of pasta.

I researched good ole Pinterest and found many that seemed suitable and stumble upon the Fresh 20.  It is a program that costs only $5 a month.  They give you a shopping list, prep list, recipes, suggested serving sizes, and nutritional information.  Basically I buy 20 ingredients and can make 5 HEALTHY meals.  Best of all, it is centered around food in season…that means I can go to local farmers markets and score the best fruits and veggies for my meals. Also, did I mention the meals are HEALTHY and there is a ton of different recipes…not the same old boring thing!!!  I am beyond excited.  We only have to venture to Wal-Mart when we need to restock some essential pantry ingredients.  I will be shopping this weekend for my ingredients and making my first meal on Monday.  I’ll let you know how it goes.  (Fingers crossed it is as easy as it sounds)

xoxo,

Kristin

Parent...Tax Payer...Educator...I wear many hats!

                It is a hard line to walk, being a parent of a child and a taxpayer to the same school system were you receive your paycheck. I have grown up in Knightstown most of my life and have a tremendous amount of pride in not only my community, but the communities that feed into our system. Some of my best friends came from Carthage and Kennard.

                 Our recent issues with funding WILL affect every student and community member in some shape or form. Difficult decisions have to be made and that is never easy. My advice to parents, in every CAB school is to get informed and involved. Instead of speaking with ONLY your emotions, do the research. What is the most educationally sound and financially effective choice? 

                If parents knew the inner workings of the education system (regulations, funding, the “ever so popular” school grading system), many would find that their points of argument do not have the best interest for children at heart. I have no feelings one way or another on which schools close based on community. Instead, my mind is reeling about what opportunities my children may or may not miss out on.  Are we going to be able to compete academically with surrounding schools?  Will my child’s education not be as well rounded because he or she cannot participate in clubs, sports or the arts due to program cutting?  When is cutting educators, which is cutting student to teacher ratio, educationally responsible?

                Merging schools has many benefits.  Pooling resources together is going to make ALL CAB students better able to compete academically with other quality schools. Do you want that for your child? I do!  You love your quality teachers and administrators… so do we.  What could be better than bringing all that knowledge and power together to educate the next generation of CAB students?  If any one building has the ability to contain all those resources, let’s use it.

                This is not a community against community battle… but rather, parents fighting for the best possible education for their children.  If we could offer that, how many that we educate, would grow up, and start a family of their own, then… make a conscious choice to bring that family to a community (Carthage, Kennard or Knightstown) that feeds into CAB schools?  How is that for community growth?

How it came to be...

Have you ever heard or seen your kids do the most random, hysterical things?  To yourself, you think…I should write this down…no one will believe this is my life!  Then you think…who the heck has time for that? Not this momma!  However, I am on the time sucking Facebook a lot…maybe I could do a blog…quick little snippets into the life as a mommy to my little {J} birds.  So this is why I decided to become a “blogger.”

 

If you expect me to update frequently, get in line behind my husband who expects me to do things like laundry, dishes etc. on a regular basis. Not gonna happen... just when I get the urge or free time to do it. Hahaha…just kidding.  I will try.

 

So why the name:  The blog title Three Little {J} Birds is very important to me and has a special meaning behind its name.  My first little {J} Bird was my nephew Jett whom I miss very much.  Then came {J} Bird #2- Jameson who is now a whopping 5 years old.  And last but not least, {J} Bird #3-the little princess herself, Mrs. Carmen J who is almost 2.

 

                        *NOTE*-The {J} in Carmen J is just a J to many.  To all that know us, know the significance.  It stands for Jett (her middle name is not Jett but J)…our constant reminder that he is still a part of our daily lives.

 

Back to the blog title: One of my favorite songs is Three Little Birds by Bob Marley.  I sing it to my kiddos all the time.  I even decorated Carmen J’s room with the lyrics. So, along with my love of the song and the combination of all the important “Birds” in my life having a {J} in their name, Three Little {J} Birds was born.

 

Love,

Kristin