Families and a recipe

We have been attending church on Sunday nights as a commitment with our small group and I have really been enjoying them!  I feel they are a hidden gem that many many people in our congregation are missing out on.  This week the message from Pastor Tom was called "Families: Toxic or Tranquil" He talked about how there are many types of toxic family groups and what you can do to help change the way things are going.  He gave 5 things we can do every day to make our families better.  I typed them up on the computer and put them in a few places in our house as reminders of things we should be doing everyday to make our family the best it can be.  I thought I would share them with you too!
1)Emphasize the uniqueness of every member of your family and encourage individuality.
2)Maintain consistency of the messages we convey.
3)Give immediate and appropriate discipline (kids can't call the shots).
4)Allow a generous margin for mistakes.
5)Require responsibility for actions.
These five things are so simple and yet so easily get forgotten.  I hope and pray that by seeing these reminders everyday Brian and I can continue to raise Joey and Aaron up to be amazing men of Christ!

Also I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes with you.  We have it about every other week here!  It's from Weight Watchers and is simply amazing and so easy.  I'm a big fan of using my slow cooker since I have daycare kids at my house until 5:30-6 everyday so this one has become a staple here.

Slow Cooker Lasagna
 1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)     
 1 small onion(s), chopped  
 1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced   
 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes     
 15 oz canned tomato sauce   
 1 tsp table salt   
 1 tsp dried oregano   
 1/2 tsp dried basil   
 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste   
 1 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese   
 1 1/2 cup(s) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheeses, divided   
 6 item(s) dry lasagna noodles, no-cook   
 1/2 cup(s) shredded parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
  
  
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
  
  
• Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.
  
  
• Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.
  
  
• In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes. Yields 1/6th of dish per serving.

http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/index.aspx?recipeid=135321# 

Enjoy it tonight!