I am not going to post my menu today, well, because I don't have one planned out yet! Both Lefty and Lady Bug have been sick for two days so I am behind schedule a tad. I have sat and watched so many movies, my butt hurts. It has been kind of nice to have the kids all snuggly though!
I'll be back on Monday, or at least I hope to be!!!
Enjoy your weekend!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Super Bowl Party
As every one in my house is gearing up for the Super Bowl I will be making them some special "game day" foods! I figure if my husband and sons will be glued to the TV watching the game I might as well enjoy me some yummy food! Last year we did a similar thing too -- we had a bunch of finger foods, we had our own little football pool going on and then a couple of our friends stopped over to eat with us - nothing fancy, but was a lot of fun! This year Mr. Man has to work on game day so he won't get home until after kick-off. I am not sure if anyone will come over this time or not, but here is the list of foods I will be making:
- 7-layer dip
- Caramel Corn
- Tortellini Salad
- Hot wings and some BBQ wings for the kiddos
The recipes are as follows:
7-Layer Dip
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
4 cups shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese blend
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup guacamole (For this dip I just take a couple avocados mashed up and mix in garlic salt and a little salsa)
1 cup salsa
1 (6 ounce) can black olives, chopped (I use a little less because no one in my house but me likes these!)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green onions (I omit the onions because no one in my house likes them)
Brown ground beef, drain and set aside. Spread the beans into the bottom of a 9x13 inch serving tray that is about 1 1/2 inches deep. Sprinkle 2 cups of shredded cheese on top of beans. Sprinkle beef on top of cheese. Spread sour cream very slowly on top of beef. Spread guacamole on top of sour cream. Pour salsa over guacamole and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese. Sprinkle black olives, tomatoes, and green onions on top.
Caramel Corn
INGREDIENTS:
½ Cup butter (1 stick)
1 Cup brown sugar
¼ Cup light corn syrup
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon baking soda
3 quarts (12 cups) popped corn
In heavy saucepan on medium to medium-high heat melt butter then add brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring mixture to a boil stirring constantly. Once mixture boils stop stirring and boil for 5 minutes (Do not stir). Remove from heat and carefully stir in vanilla and baking soda. Pour mixture over popped corn. Gently stir to coat popcorn. Place popcorn into a large roaster or rimmed baking sheet and bake at 225° F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool and enjoy!
Tortellini Salad
INGREDIENTS:
1 (9 0z) package uncooked cheese tortellini
2 c shredded red cabbage
6 c baby spinach leaves
1 (8 oz) bottle ranch dressing
8 slices, cooked and crumbled bacon
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c sliced green onion (I don't add this because no one in my family likes them)
Cook tortellini according to package. Drain and rinse in cold water. In a large glass bowl layer cabbage, spinach, tortellini, tomatoes, bacon and green onions. Pour dressing evenly over the top. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss before serving.
Hot Wings
INGREDIENTS:
24 chicken wings
1/2 c Red Hot Sauce
2 Tbls red wine vinegar
white pepper
black pepper
4 Tbls butter
Combine above ingredients in a saucepan. Season wings with cayenne, black and white pepper, seasoning salt, garlic powder and onion powder.
FRYING: Heat a quart of oil in a large pan or a deep fryer. Fry wings about 10 minutes, or until done. Drain on paper towels.
BROILING: Place wings in a single layer on a foil lined cookie sheet (spray with cooking spray so they don't stick to the foil) Broil until done, about 10 minutes.
In the meantime, heat butter, hot sauce, vinegar, white and black pepper in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Dip wings in sauce. Place chicken on a cookie sheet under broiler for 2-3 minutes.
BBQ Wings
INGREDIENTS:
10 chicken wings
BBQ sauce (from a bottle)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken wings in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Warm up BBQ sauce in a small saucepan. Pour sauce over chicken wings. Bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes or until chicken is done.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Phone call from the school principal
It is always a scary thing to answer your phone and hear "Hi. This is the principal at the Elementary school."
This happened to Mr. Man the other day. He answered his phone and it was the principal. She let him freak a little bit before explaining she was calling to invite him and I to a meeting with the Superintendents of the school district.
See, here is the thing. The boys' elementary school has a PTO (Parent Teacher Organization), then they also have what is called the "Black Parent Organization" and another group called the "Latino Parent Organization". When we first started attending this school and I saw the groups listed in a newsletter I called the principal to find out more about it. I wondered why we were segregating groups. I was told that they are trying to reach all groups in our community and this way every group has a "voice". The principal told me that the Latinos feel comfortable to say whatever they are feeling if they are amongst other Latinos and that applies to the African Americans and whites too. Each group is open to anyone and everyone, she told me that in fact they encourage it. However, the PTO is not a white parent group, it is the group open to everyone and anyone.
As I have mentioned here before Mr. Man is Co-President of the PTO. So at one of the PTO meetings that I attended, I mentioned to the whole group that I was concerned we are teaching our kids segregation. The principal explained it to me again, why they have the groups and she explained that it really is working to bring a lot of parent involvement to the school. She again told me how Latinos don't feel comfortable expressing their feelings around the African American and white parents and how African American parents aren't as comfortable expressing their feelings around the white and Latino parents, etc.
After that particular meeting a 5th grade teacher approached me, she happens to be African American. She told me she 100% agreed with me. She said she attends the Black Parent meetings and also the PTO meetings. She said she does see that more and more parents are getting involved but she said she agrees we should not have the separate groups. I also expressed to her that in "real life" there won't be these separate groups and our kids need to learn to work together no matter what race or background. We had a really nice talk and she told me to feel free to talk to her anytime.
So, now back to the phone call. Apparently, the Supers of the school district want more information about these separate groups. I am not clear at this point whether they are in agreement of the separate groups, disagree about it or are in the middle on it. Apparently, several parents have been invited, each of the presidents of the groups are invited and then some of the teachers. We will meet with the Supers individually and be asked some questions and allowed to voice our opinions. I am nervous because I want everyone to feel like they have a voice I just wish there was a way to make it so that we all come together. Maybe if each group could still have their meetings but then the president of each group is required to attend PTO meetings as sort of liaison between all the groups, I don't know if that is a good solution or not. I just don't like to see us being separate.
I am in no way racist and do not want my kids to be, I am worried that if kids see their African American parents going to a separate meeting from the whites and Latinos, and the Latinos going to separate groups from the whites and African American, and the white parents going to separate meetings then we are sending them the wrong message. I just want my kids to grow up with proper respect for all groups, no matter what!
I hope that during the meeting I say the right things to help build up our school and our community!
This happened to Mr. Man the other day. He answered his phone and it was the principal. She let him freak a little bit before explaining she was calling to invite him and I to a meeting with the Superintendents of the school district.
See, here is the thing. The boys' elementary school has a PTO (Parent Teacher Organization), then they also have what is called the "Black Parent Organization" and another group called the "Latino Parent Organization". When we first started attending this school and I saw the groups listed in a newsletter I called the principal to find out more about it. I wondered why we were segregating groups. I was told that they are trying to reach all groups in our community and this way every group has a "voice". The principal told me that the Latinos feel comfortable to say whatever they are feeling if they are amongst other Latinos and that applies to the African Americans and whites too. Each group is open to anyone and everyone, she told me that in fact they encourage it. However, the PTO is not a white parent group, it is the group open to everyone and anyone.
As I have mentioned here before Mr. Man is Co-President of the PTO. So at one of the PTO meetings that I attended, I mentioned to the whole group that I was concerned we are teaching our kids segregation. The principal explained it to me again, why they have the groups and she explained that it really is working to bring a lot of parent involvement to the school. She again told me how Latinos don't feel comfortable expressing their feelings around the African American and white parents and how African American parents aren't as comfortable expressing their feelings around the white and Latino parents, etc.
After that particular meeting a 5th grade teacher approached me, she happens to be African American. She told me she 100% agreed with me. She said she attends the Black Parent meetings and also the PTO meetings. She said she does see that more and more parents are getting involved but she said she agrees we should not have the separate groups. I also expressed to her that in "real life" there won't be these separate groups and our kids need to learn to work together no matter what race or background. We had a really nice talk and she told me to feel free to talk to her anytime.
So, now back to the phone call. Apparently, the Supers of the school district want more information about these separate groups. I am not clear at this point whether they are in agreement of the separate groups, disagree about it or are in the middle on it. Apparently, several parents have been invited, each of the presidents of the groups are invited and then some of the teachers. We will meet with the Supers individually and be asked some questions and allowed to voice our opinions. I am nervous because I want everyone to feel like they have a voice I just wish there was a way to make it so that we all come together. Maybe if each group could still have their meetings but then the president of each group is required to attend PTO meetings as sort of liaison between all the groups, I don't know if that is a good solution or not. I just don't like to see us being separate.
I am in no way racist and do not want my kids to be, I am worried that if kids see their African American parents going to a separate meeting from the whites and Latinos, and the Latinos going to separate groups from the whites and African American, and the white parents going to separate meetings then we are sending them the wrong message. I just want my kids to grow up with proper respect for all groups, no matter what!
I hope that during the meeting I say the right things to help build up our school and our community!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
School papers
When I got in the door last night Lefty couldn't wait to show me his journal pages from school. He was told to write a paragraph but he said he "just couldn't help but write more and more!"
This is what he wrote [typed out just as he wrote it, misspellings and all]:
I like to spend time with everyone in my family cause they are nice to me. They are so nice that they me have happy hour every other Friday. Once my mom bought me marshmallows and Icecream for something I wanted to make. What I wanted to make was a Polar Bear. the Polar bear was made of raisons, vanila Ice Cream. we made two of them. I Made it with my mom. my family all ate with us. they looked like real polar bears. They were real good. Like real delloushous. I think my family like it to. I also think they thout it looked like a real polar bear to.
It is so touching. I think he did a pretty good job!
Then, Spirit had a paper that he wrote a couple weeks ago in honor of Martin Luther King day. His assignment was to write his own "I have a dream" speech. His paper was so touching, I cried. His dream is for more people to get along and be friends. Also for people not to say bad things about God or other people. For his conclusion of his paper it said "This would make the world a better place."
This is what he wrote [typed out just as he wrote it, misspellings and all]:
I like to spend time with everyone in my family cause they are nice to me. They are so nice that they me have happy hour every other Friday. Once my mom bought me marshmallows and Icecream for something I wanted to make. What I wanted to make was a Polar Bear. the Polar bear was made of raisons, vanila Ice Cream. we made two of them. I Made it with my mom. my family all ate with us. they looked like real polar bears. They were real good. Like real delloushous. I think my family like it to. I also think they thout it looked like a real polar bear to.
It is so touching. I think he did a pretty good job!
Then, Spirit had a paper that he wrote a couple weeks ago in honor of Martin Luther King day. His assignment was to write his own "I have a dream" speech. His paper was so touching, I cried. His dream is for more people to get along and be friends. Also for people not to say bad things about God or other people. For his conclusion of his paper it said "This would make the world a better place."
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
A conversation overheard in my house this morning
Spirit: "There is a show about people who crash weddings that's gonna be on TV tonight."
Lefty: "Really? Seeeeeee. That is why I never want to get married."
Spirit: "Why?"
Lefty: "Because I don't want any one crashing into to my wedding."
Spirit: "And you don't like girls." *wicked laugh*
Lefty: "I LIKE girls, I just don't like to KISS them."
Spirit: *laughing hysterically* "You don't like to kiss them. That is a good one because you kiss them all the time!"
Lefty: *visably upset* "I don't kiss them, they kiss me!"
Spirit: "Yea. Whatever. Same thing."
Lefty: "Really? Seeeeeee. That is why I never want to get married."
Spirit: "Why?"
Lefty: "Because I don't want any one crashing into to my wedding."
Spirit: "And you don't like girls." *wicked laugh*
Lefty: "I LIKE girls, I just don't like to KISS them."
Spirit: *laughing hysterically* "You don't like to kiss them. That is a good one because you kiss them all the time!"
Lefty: *visably upset* "I don't kiss them, they kiss me!"
Spirit: "Yea. Whatever. Same thing."
Monday, January 26, 2009
Happy Monday
The weekend wasn't supposed to be busy, but it turned out to be a little busier than I had hoped for.
First off, with Mr. Man's new position at work he isn't on-call as much. He used to be on-call every other weekend, now he is only on-call once a month.
(I think most of you know, but for those of you who don't know, he is a funeral director. People always ask me why he is on-call, but since deaths can happen in the middle of the night the arrangements need to be made to go pick up the body and get it to the morgue. If the family has not chosen a mortuary yet, he might get a call from a family member looking for prices. So that is why he is on-call.)
Now back to the story...
So, since Mr. Man was home this weekend, we cleaned and we re-arranged our bedroom furniture... well, then we put it all right back where it came from! After it was moved around we decided we didn't like it! Thankfully, it was his idea to move it or I think he would have flipped out on me when I said "I hate it. Let's put it all back!"
I am working on several birthday gifts and the kids started working on Valentine cards (I know it is a ways off, but if I don't start now we end up rushing to get it all done!
I decided to do this idea from Family Fun for the boys' classes
and this is what we are doing for Lady Bug's class
and then we are doing these for the teachers.
Yesterday, after church I met up with two friends (they are sisters and I have known them since I was 4) for lunch. It was one of my friend's 37th birthday. Her dad sent her a gift card for all of us to eat out and then we went to Dave & Busters to play games. I ended up spending my "winnings' on items for the kids. It was a fun day!
First off, with Mr. Man's new position at work he isn't on-call as much. He used to be on-call every other weekend, now he is only on-call once a month.
(I think most of you know, but for those of you who don't know, he is a funeral director. People always ask me why he is on-call, but since deaths can happen in the middle of the night the arrangements need to be made to go pick up the body and get it to the morgue. If the family has not chosen a mortuary yet, he might get a call from a family member looking for prices. So that is why he is on-call.)
Now back to the story...
So, since Mr. Man was home this weekend, we cleaned and we re-arranged our bedroom furniture... well, then we put it all right back where it came from! After it was moved around we decided we didn't like it! Thankfully, it was his idea to move it or I think he would have flipped out on me when I said "I hate it. Let's put it all back!"
I am working on several birthday gifts and the kids started working on Valentine cards (I know it is a ways off, but if I don't start now we end up rushing to get it all done!
I decided to do this idea from Family Fun for the boys' classes
and this is what we are doing for Lady Bug's class
and then we are doing these for the teachers.
Yesterday, after church I met up with two friends (they are sisters and I have known them since I was 4) for lunch. It was one of my friend's 37th birthday. Her dad sent her a gift card for all of us to eat out and then we went to Dave & Busters to play games. I ended up spending my "winnings' on items for the kids. It was a fun day!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Meal Plan for January 24-30
Meal plan for the week of January 24 through the 30th:
Saturday:
Breakfast - Cereal / toast
Lunch - Mac-n-cheese / peas / pears
Dinner - Ranch chicken (I was unable to make this meal last week since I was sick so I still have stuff for this) / candied carrots / applesauce
Sunday:
Breakfast - Biscuits / bacon / fried eggs
Lunch - Tuna noodle casserole / peas
Dinner - Sausage, pepper and potato medley / fruit
Monday:
Breakfast -Cereal / juice
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - Beef Stroganoff / Broccoli and cheese / peaches
Tuesday:
Breakfast -Cereal / toast / juice
Lunch - Sandwiches / chips / fruit
Dinner - BFD - Raisin bread french toast / bacon
Wednesday:
Breakfast -Cereal / juice
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - Quesadillas / fruit cups
Thursday:
Breakfast -Toast / eggs
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - It is our 9th wedding anniversary so we are eating out and kids get pizza!
Friday:
Breakfast -Cereal / juice
Lunch - Sandwiches / chips / salad / apple slices
Dinner - Famous Butter Chicken / Peas / Roasted Red Potatoes
Saturday:
Breakfast - Cereal / toast
Lunch - Mac-n-cheese / peas / pears
Dinner - Ranch chicken (I was unable to make this meal last week since I was sick so I still have stuff for this) / candied carrots / applesauce
Sunday:
Breakfast - Biscuits / bacon / fried eggs
Lunch - Tuna noodle casserole / peas
Dinner - Sausage, pepper and potato medley / fruit
Monday:
Breakfast -Cereal / juice
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - Beef Stroganoff / Broccoli and cheese / peaches
Tuesday:
Breakfast -Cereal / toast / juice
Lunch - Sandwiches / chips / fruit
Dinner - BFD - Raisin bread french toast / bacon
Wednesday:
Breakfast -Cereal / juice
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - Quesadillas / fruit cups
Thursday:
Breakfast -Toast / eggs
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - It is our 9th wedding anniversary so we are eating out and kids get pizza!
Friday:
Breakfast -Cereal / juice
Lunch - Sandwiches / chips / salad / apple slices
Dinner - Famous Butter Chicken / Peas / Roasted Red Potatoes
Friday, January 23, 2009
Meatloaf Cups
I saw this (well something similar, I have since modified it a little) on a Rachel Ray show about 5 years ago. I think Rach (I can call her that because we are pretty tight!) calls them Meatloaf Muffins, but that sort of makes me gag. Muffins and meatloaf do NOT go together! Ick! The boys in my house call them Pint-sized Meatloaf, but whatever you call them I know they are good!
The nice thing about it is, with the basic meat, bread crumbs, egg and seasoning you can really add whatever you want or nothing at all, but they are small and pack well for left overs.
Meatloaf Cups (or Pint-Sized Meatloaf)
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 lb hamburger
1 medium onion
2 ribs of celery (sometimes I don't do this)
1 green bell pepper (sometimes I don't do this)
1 large egg, beaten with a splash of milk
1 c bread crumbs
2 Tbls grill seasoning (I use McCormick fajita seasoning)
1 c bbq sauce
1/2 c to 1 c cheddar cheese (I just dump til it looks right!)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Dice onion, celery and bell pepper. Put ground beef into a big bowl. Add diced veggies. Add egg mixture, bread crumbs, cheese and grill seasoning to the bowl.
In a small bowl, stir together HALF of the bbq sauce and the meatloaf mixture. Mix until well blended.
Spray a large 12 muffin tin with nonstick spray. Using an ice cream scooper, fill each muffin cup with about a half of a cup of the meatloaf mixture. Top each with a spoonful of the reserved bbq sauce. Bake for 20 minutes or until done.
**You can also add shredded cheese to meatloaf mixture if desired.
The nice thing about it is, with the basic meat, bread crumbs, egg and seasoning you can really add whatever you want or nothing at all, but they are small and pack well for left overs.
Meatloaf Cups (or Pint-Sized Meatloaf)
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 lb hamburger
1 medium onion
2 ribs of celery (sometimes I don't do this)
1 green bell pepper (sometimes I don't do this)
1 large egg, beaten with a splash of milk
1 c bread crumbs
2 Tbls grill seasoning (I use McCormick fajita seasoning)
1 c bbq sauce
1/2 c to 1 c cheddar cheese (I just dump til it looks right!)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Dice onion, celery and bell pepper. Put ground beef into a big bowl. Add diced veggies. Add egg mixture, bread crumbs, cheese and grill seasoning to the bowl.
In a small bowl, stir together HALF of the bbq sauce and the meatloaf mixture. Mix until well blended.
Spray a large 12 muffin tin with nonstick spray. Using an ice cream scooper, fill each muffin cup with about a half of a cup of the meatloaf mixture. Top each with a spoonful of the reserved bbq sauce. Bake for 20 minutes or until done.
**You can also add shredded cheese to meatloaf mixture if desired.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Morning time
The other morning Spirit woke up early...very early...5:00 AM to be exact. Since he is typically our early riser we have told him he can not get out of bed before 6:30 so I heard him get up and use the restroom, I was already up for my "me time" and I waited to see what he would do. I heard him go back to his room. I decided to go lay with him, but I could tell after I was there that he was not going to be able to go back to sleep. So I asked him if he wanted to come downstairs with me and he could read quietly or something. He grabbed his journal and started writing odds and ends of things in there, nothing really flowed or made sense...but that's what journals are for right?
Pretty soon I see him making a list and I asked him what it was for. He said it was for people who needed prayer. Like our friend Tom, he listed me since I was sick on Monday, he listed his dad because he started a new position at work and lastly he listed his teacher. I asked what his teacher needed prayers for and he said "Because she is so stressed out and when she is stressed she gets mad at us." {awww, poor kids. awww, poor teacher.}
Then just before I told him we needed to start getting ready for school, he added one more thing to the prayer list... he wrote down that he hoped I would wake him up early everyday so we could just be together by ourselves.
{awwwwww, how sweet?}
Pretty soon I see him making a list and I asked him what it was for. He said it was for people who needed prayer. Like our friend Tom, he listed me since I was sick on Monday, he listed his dad because he started a new position at work and lastly he listed his teacher. I asked what his teacher needed prayers for and he said "Because she is so stressed out and when she is stressed she gets mad at us." {awww, poor kids. awww, poor teacher.}
Then just before I told him we needed to start getting ready for school, he added one more thing to the prayer list... he wrote down that he hoped I would wake him up early everyday so we could just be together by ourselves.
{awwwwww, how sweet?}
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Teaching Kids To Save Money
In 2007 we got each of our kids these handy little banks for Christmas. That following January we started working on saving money. We also set them up with their own savings account at our bank.
For them to earn money:
I have tried several different methods to allow the kids to earn money, the chore chart, a chore tree, a job jar, you name it we probably tried it. But, what we settled in on last year was this: We had a family meeting and explained to the kids that there are certain things that need to get done around the house and as a family we need to work together to get these things accomplished. We also explained that they would no longer be getting paid by the job (for example: making their bed each morning, making sure their rooms are picked up, emptying the trash, etc.) and instead would be paid one set amount per week.
The amount we give as allowance is probably pretty small and lame, but it works for us - we decided to give them half of their age as an allowance (Spirit is 8 so he gets $4.00 each week, Lefty is 6 right now so he gets $3.00 and Lady Bug at 3 years old gets $1.50 each week).
The saving:
We have them put 10% in the slot marked "Store" and 10% goes in the slot marked "Bank" and another 10% goes into the slot marked "Church" then the remainder of their money goes into their wallet for spending.
The "Church" section is often taken to church and placed in the basket, but other times if we see a charity they are interested in we let them donate their money to the cause if they desire to.
We decided to use the part of the bank marked "Store" as a way for the kids to save up for Christmas shopping. When we did this in 2008 the kids ended up with a nice little "pad" for spending on Christmas gifts for each other. It worked so nicely that the kids are even more excited to do this in 2009. They were so excited to be able to spend their own money on each other, it meant so much to them. They got so excited about it and couldn't wait for everyone to open the present "they bought"! [This could work for birthdays too, but our kid' birthdays are in January, February and April so we would have to plan for this so we don't spend it all on Christmas!]
For the part of the bank marked "Bank" we empty that out once every few months or so and deposit it into their savings account (at $0.30 a week it takes a little bit to build it up to be something that is worth depositing!) . It works really nicely though and they look forward to the times we get to make the deposit.
Lefty, my little money manager, actually will sometimes deposit more in his piggy bank than we ask him to and because of this, he had quite a bit more than Spirit did for spending on Christmas presents!
This is what works for me! For other helpful tips go here.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
It's Tuesday
It's Tuesday, but feels like a Monday!
I had food poisoning yesterday and spent all day in bed (well in between bed and the toilet!) I am somewhat better today. My stomach feels ok, until I try to put something in it, even a cracker or a sip of juice. My energy levels are next to nothing since I have no food in my body! But, I am here to check in today!
Maybe tomorrow I will have some brain food and have a great post for ya'll, but today this is all I got!
I had food poisoning yesterday and spent all day in bed (well in between bed and the toilet!) I am somewhat better today. My stomach feels ok, until I try to put something in it, even a cracker or a sip of juice. My energy levels are next to nothing since I have no food in my body! But, I am here to check in today!
Maybe tomorrow I will have some brain food and have a great post for ya'll, but today this is all I got!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
My Meal Plan for this coming week
Lots of people participate in the Menu Plan Monday, since my meal planning begins on Saturday I thought I would just post my meal plan on Saturdays.
Plus, I was talking to a friend of mine who is really struggling with meal planning and grocery shopping (struggling to the point of tears with me one day, asking me how I do it) so I thought maybe this would help her get started!
Every Thursday I sit down and plan my meals for the following week. I make a table with 4 columns and 7 rows. One column is labeled DATE, one column is labeled BREAKFAST, one for LUNCH and one for DINNER (You could also add a column for snacks if you have little ones at home during the day). Then in the date column I write the day and date (Sat. 1/10) this helps me figure out what days we will be home for a relaxing evening or what days we need to eat in a hurry, etc.
Now I start figuring what meals I am going to make and on what days. I use "LO" for days we are eating left over meals and if there is a day I know we are eating out I just write OUT. I will sometimes ask the kids or Mr. Man to help decide what to have, but not always. Once I have my meals plugged in I go through the pantry, cupboards, freezer and fridge to see what I will need to buy for these meals. Then I go grocery shopping on Friday.
January 17-23 meal plan:
Saturday:
Breakfast - Cereal / juice
Lunch - Homemade macaroni and cheese / Peas / canned pears
Dinner - OUT
Sunday:
Breakfast - Biscuits / Eggs / Bacon
Lunch - Make-your-own pizza (I buy Boboli pizza crusts and all the fixins for personal pizzas.)
Dinner - Crock-pot Green Chile Stuffed Chicken breasts (New recipe - I'll let you know how it comes out!) / corn / tortillas
Monday:
Breakfast - Cereal / juice
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - Ranch Broiled Chicken / corn / applesauce / bread
Tuesday:
Breakfast - Cereal / juice
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - Crock-pot Broccoli Beef and Rice (New recipe - I'll let you know how it comes out!)
Wednesday:
Breakfast - Cereal / juice
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - Taco Build-up / Cheese Dip and chips
Thursday:
Breakfast - Cereal / juice
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - Spaghetti / corn / Garlic bread
Friday:
Breakfast - Cereal / juice
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - Hawaiian meatballs and rice
Plus, I was talking to a friend of mine who is really struggling with meal planning and grocery shopping (struggling to the point of tears with me one day, asking me how I do it) so I thought maybe this would help her get started!
Every Thursday I sit down and plan my meals for the following week. I make a table with 4 columns and 7 rows. One column is labeled DATE, one column is labeled BREAKFAST, one for LUNCH and one for DINNER (You could also add a column for snacks if you have little ones at home during the day). Then in the date column I write the day and date (Sat. 1/10) this helps me figure out what days we will be home for a relaxing evening or what days we need to eat in a hurry, etc.
Now I start figuring what meals I am going to make and on what days. I use "LO" for days we are eating left over meals and if there is a day I know we are eating out I just write OUT. I will sometimes ask the kids or Mr. Man to help decide what to have, but not always. Once I have my meals plugged in I go through the pantry, cupboards, freezer and fridge to see what I will need to buy for these meals. Then I go grocery shopping on Friday.
January 17-23 meal plan:
Saturday:
Breakfast - Cereal / juice
Lunch - Homemade macaroni and cheese / Peas / canned pears
Dinner - OUT
Sunday:
Breakfast - Biscuits / Eggs / Bacon
Lunch - Make-your-own pizza (I buy Boboli pizza crusts and all the fixins for personal pizzas.)
Dinner - Crock-pot Green Chile Stuffed Chicken breasts (New recipe - I'll let you know how it comes out!) / corn / tortillas
Monday:
Breakfast - Cereal / juice
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - Ranch Broiled Chicken / corn / applesauce / bread
Tuesday:
Breakfast - Cereal / juice
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - Crock-pot Broccoli Beef and Rice (New recipe - I'll let you know how it comes out!)
Wednesday:
Breakfast - Cereal / juice
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - Taco Build-up / Cheese Dip and chips
Thursday:
Breakfast - Cereal / juice
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - Spaghetti / corn / Garlic bread
Friday:
Breakfast - Cereal / juice
Lunch - Left Overs
Dinner - Hawaiian meatballs and rice
Friday, January 16, 2009
Question for all of you...
I have signed up to take a meal every other Sunday to the family I told you about last week. I emailed Katie this week and asked if there was anything special she wanted this Sunday or if she just had a downright craving for something.
She emailed me back saying that she really wants enchiladas but her kids don't like them so she said "don't worry about it." She then said her kids have been wanting oatmeal cookies.
QUESTION:
Would it be weird to go ahead and get her some enchiladas (I was thinking of just getting some from our favorite restaurant) just for her? Then I would make her kids a meal (with Oatmeal cookies for dessert) so they wouldn't have to eat enchiladas.
Please give me your feedback. I don't want her to feel like I went out of my way or to feel weird that she is eating something different from her kids.
She emailed me back saying that she really wants enchiladas but her kids don't like them so she said "don't worry about it." She then said her kids have been wanting oatmeal cookies.
QUESTION:
Would it be weird to go ahead and get her some enchiladas (I was thinking of just getting some from our favorite restaurant) just for her? Then I would make her kids a meal (with Oatmeal cookies for dessert) so they wouldn't have to eat enchiladas.
Please give me your feedback. I don't want her to feel like I went out of my way or to feel weird that she is eating something different from her kids.
Taco Build-up
This is a quick meal to prepare and then everyone makes their own tacos from items you have set up (I have also heard this called a taco bar).
Taco Build-up
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb ground beef
fajita seasoning or taco seasoning mix (either one will work)
shredded lettuce
diced tomato
fajita-sized flour tortillas or taco shells (or both!)
shredded colby-jack cheese
salsa
sour cream
guacamole
Brown ground beef, drain off grease. Add seasoning packet. Place all the various toppings in bowls with spoons and set out. Heat up your shells. Have everyone "build" their own taco with whatever toppings they like!
I also like to serve cheese dip and tortilla chips with our tacos:
Cheese Dip
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb Velveeta cheese
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
salsa (to taste)
Tortilla chips
Cut Velveeta into chunks into a microwavable-safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 2-3 minutes. Stir. Continue heating at 2-3 minute intervals until completely melted. Add remaining ingredients and warm on low in a Crock-pot. Enjoy with the chips --OR my personal favorite - add it to your taco!
Taco Build-up
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb ground beef
fajita seasoning or taco seasoning mix (either one will work)
shredded lettuce
diced tomato
fajita-sized flour tortillas or taco shells (or both!)
shredded colby-jack cheese
salsa
sour cream
guacamole
Brown ground beef, drain off grease. Add seasoning packet. Place all the various toppings in bowls with spoons and set out. Heat up your shells. Have everyone "build" their own taco with whatever toppings they like!
I also like to serve cheese dip and tortilla chips with our tacos:
Cheese Dip
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb Velveeta cheese
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
salsa (to taste)
Tortilla chips
Cut Velveeta into chunks into a microwavable-safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 2-3 minutes. Stir. Continue heating at 2-3 minute intervals until completely melted. Add remaining ingredients and warm on low in a Crock-pot. Enjoy with the chips --OR my personal favorite - add it to your taco!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
The ex-husband
The other night Lefty starts hollering for his dad after he had been in bed for about 10 minutes - it was a very upset tone of voice too. So Mr. Man rushed in there to see what the matter was. I overheard the conversation and here is what I heard:
Lefty: "Dad. Spirit says that mom didn't have an ex-husband and she did."
Mr. Man: "Mom was never married before me. She doesn't have an ex-husband."
Lefty: "Yesssss, she did and he died of a heart attack."
Mr. Man: "What are you talking about? Mom does not have an ex-husband or a husband that died."
Lefty: "Ugh. Dad. She did. Remember he had a heart attack while driving and there was a funeral you went to."
Mr. Man: "That was your grandpa. That was your grandma's husband, not your mom's husband."
Lefty: "ohh. well that is what I meant."
When Mr. Man came back to where I was he said with a grin on his face "Is there something we need to talk about?"
Lefty: "Dad. Spirit says that mom didn't have an ex-husband and she did."
Mr. Man: "Mom was never married before me. She doesn't have an ex-husband."
Lefty: "Yesssss, she did and he died of a heart attack."
Mr. Man: "What are you talking about? Mom does not have an ex-husband or a husband that died."
Lefty: "Ugh. Dad. She did. Remember he had a heart attack while driving and there was a funeral you went to."
Mr. Man: "That was your grandpa. That was your grandma's husband, not your mom's husband."
Lefty: "ohh. well that is what I meant."
When Mr. Man came back to where I was he said with a grin on his face "Is there something we need to talk about?"
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
A birthday suit
This one had me cracking up so hard I almost wet my pants!
On Monday, Spirit's birthday, as I am tucking him into bed, he says to me:
Spirit: "I know what a birthday suit is."
Me: "You do?"
Spirit: "Yes. It is when you don't have any clothes on."
Mr. Man: "Do you know why they call it that?"
Spirit: "No."
Mr. Man: "Because when you are born you don't have any clothes on, so it is your BIRTH day suit."
Spirit: "Oh. I get it." *laugh* "That is what I should have worn today. All day. Since it is my birthday. I should have worn my birthday suit!"
Me: *laughing with tears running down my face* "I don't think that would have been a good idea."
Mr. Man: "Yea, have you ever heard of 'No Shirts, No Service'? Well, I am pretty sure we would not have been able to go to as many places as we did today!"
Spirit: "yea, and I would have been cold too!"
Well, yes there would have been that too!
On Monday, Spirit's birthday, as I am tucking him into bed, he says to me:
Spirit: "I know what a birthday suit is."
Me: "You do?"
Spirit: "Yes. It is when you don't have any clothes on."
Mr. Man: "Do you know why they call it that?"
Spirit: "No."
Mr. Man: "Because when you are born you don't have any clothes on, so it is your BIRTH day suit."
Spirit: "Oh. I get it." *laugh* "That is what I should have worn today. All day. Since it is my birthday. I should have worn my birthday suit!"
Me: *laughing with tears running down my face* "I don't think that would have been a good idea."
Mr. Man: "Yea, have you ever heard of 'No Shirts, No Service'? Well, I am pretty sure we would not have been able to go to as many places as we did today!"
Spirit: "yea, and I would have been cold too!"
Well, yes there would have been that too!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Just fire the lunch lady!
Lefty and Lady Bug were playing school together. Lefty was the principal and Lady Bug was a teacher. They had walkie-talkies to communicate with each other. I was in the kitchen making dinner and I over heard Lefty on the "radio" talking to Lady Bug and here is how the conversation went:
Lefty: "Well, what is the lunch lady serving for lunch then?"
Lady Bug: "She doesn't have nothing for lunch."
Lefty: "Well, then I am going to fire her! She always serves gross food and runs out of it anyway. I am going to tell her that it isn't fair to the kids to have to eat nasty burritos and old fruit."
Lady bug: "Good! Do it now!"
I sense that there is a tad bit of truth behind those words about the lunch lady serving nasty burritos and old fruit.
Then I heard this too:
Lefty: "Ok. So teacher. You will have to be the cooker and server today. Cook some good food for the kids, like pizza rolls and cookies."
Lady Bug: "Ok!" then she came running to me very excited and said "mom! I am the cooker now at school!"
It was so cute to hear them playing and getting along, but that poor lunch lady! :o)
Lefty: "Well, what is the lunch lady serving for lunch then?"
Lady Bug: "She doesn't have nothing for lunch."
Lefty: "Well, then I am going to fire her! She always serves gross food and runs out of it anyway. I am going to tell her that it isn't fair to the kids to have to eat nasty burritos and old fruit."
Lady bug: "Good! Do it now!"
I sense that there is a tad bit of truth behind those words about the lunch lady serving nasty burritos and old fruit.
Then I heard this too:
Lefty: "Ok. So teacher. You will have to be the cooker and server today. Cook some good food for the kids, like pizza rolls and cookies."
Lady Bug: "Ok!" then she came running to me very excited and said "mom! I am the cooker now at school!"
It was so cute to hear them playing and getting along, but that poor lunch lady! :o)
Monday, January 12, 2009
Happy Birthday Spirit!
Today Spirit turns 8. I can't believe that 8 years ago I was becoming a mom for the first time. I remember when my water broke at 2:00 in the morning and we rushed to the hospital only to hear "Since this is your first baby we are looking at 24 hours or so. Get comfy and we'll keep an eye on you."
Get comfy? Really? Have you ever had a baby you idiot male on-call doctor!!
So anyway, my contractions were making me vomit so bad (and I HATE to throw up) so I asked for the drugs as soon as possible! I wasn't really in that much pain, but it was the throwing up I couldn't stand! LOL! So I got the drugs and was able to settle down and get somewhat comfy. Mr. Man was in a chair in the corner taking a cap-nap. At 8:30 or so in the morning I called for the nurse. When she came in I said "What are we waiting for?" (I'm sure she thought you stupid girl what do you think we are waiting for?) She told me that I would feel like I needed to have a bowel movement - I said "well, then IT'S TIME!"
Nurse didn't believe me. She said I hadn't been in labor that long and there is no way I dilated that soon. So she had me bend my knees and guess what -- -yep she could see top of Spirit's head. Mr. Man said he never saw anyone move so fast and only thought it was in the movies that they said "I need a doctor in here STAT!"
I remember the doctor casually walking in -- still not believing we were about to deliver this baby with or without him. There was a female intern doctor with him who was going to be the one to actually do the delivery. I remember him looking at me, he smiled and said "WOW! I guess we really are going to have a baby right now!"
Dah!
So the intern starts telling me to push, then the male doctor says "Whoa. You need to stop pushing for a minute."
I looked up to see everyone (the nurses, the intern, the doctor and Mr. Man) looking at the baby heart monitor. I couldn't tell what it said, but their faces told me something wasn't exactly right.
The doctor said that the baby's heart rate had dropped significantly so he was going to push the baby back in... Yes ladies he said back IN. Being in the state of mind I was, I said "Don't push him back in, I just got him out!" The doctor assured me he wasn't all the way out yet and this would help his heart rate.
Fine. (Not that I had a choice in the matter)
So doc pushes little Spirit's head back in and told me he just rubbed the top of his head and at that moment, Spirit's heart rate went back up to where it should be.
So off we were again to some pushing and at 9:10 little baby boy was born!
Then I say something that got me mother of the year award (wait til I get to the part that got Mr. Man father of the year award)...After they plopped wet, bloody, sticky baby boy on my stomach I said "Can you take him please? I'll hold him when he is clean." Isn't that just classic? But before that, Mr, Man refused to cut the umbilical cord. He was all grossed out by it! LOL!
I'm surprised they let us take the baby home! We didn't start off too great!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Meal for a struggling family
There is a family in our church, Tom & Katie, that I am taking a meal to tonight. Over the summer he started dropping weight - he lost 25 pounds or something like that. He didn't have 25 pounds to lose, heck he probably had less than 5 pounds he could afford to lose (jerk!! -- I'm kidding, I am just jealous!) The doctors started running a bunch of tests, changed his diet, all sorts of things. Then in November they found out he has stomach cancer. He has not been able to eat "real food" since just before Thanksgiving. He had surgery just before Christmas and started his chemo this week.
His wife is just a doll, and they have 5 kids ranging from 8 years old to 3 months. The whole thing makes me very sad. Every time I have talked to him or seen him he has the best attitude and always wears a smile.
The church arranged for people to bring meals to them. I am scheduled to bring my meal tonight. I called Katie yesterday and she said when they first started getting meals they got six meals in a row of spaghetti. So she asked that they not get spaghetti for a while and she asked for beef or chicken meals. This week she told me she got 2 rotisserie chickens and had tacos twice! Poor things! I asked her what she wanted and I would make whatever. She is too nice to be that specific so she told me whatever. I had already bought stuff to make marinated chicken breasts and she said that would be fine. I feel bad because of all the chicken this week, but she said marinated is different than rotisserie so to go ahead and bring it.
So I am taking them the following meal but I must say it must be hard for Tom to have to smell all the food, but not be able to eat it.
Main dish: Ranch Broiled Chicken
Veggies: Fresh carrot sticks and broccoli (Katie says the kids really like fresh veggie)
Dessert: Creamy Topped Raspberry Salad
I am also taking bread, cookies, and some juice.
His wife is just a doll, and they have 5 kids ranging from 8 years old to 3 months. The whole thing makes me very sad. Every time I have talked to him or seen him he has the best attitude and always wears a smile.
The church arranged for people to bring meals to them. I am scheduled to bring my meal tonight. I called Katie yesterday and she said when they first started getting meals they got six meals in a row of spaghetti. So she asked that they not get spaghetti for a while and she asked for beef or chicken meals. This week she told me she got 2 rotisserie chickens and had tacos twice! Poor things! I asked her what she wanted and I would make whatever. She is too nice to be that specific so she told me whatever. I had already bought stuff to make marinated chicken breasts and she said that would be fine. I feel bad because of all the chicken this week, but she said marinated is different than rotisserie so to go ahead and bring it.
So I am taking them the following meal but I must say it must be hard for Tom to have to smell all the food, but not be able to eat it.
Main dish: Ranch Broiled Chicken
Veggies: Fresh carrot sticks and broccoli (Katie says the kids really like fresh veggie)
Dessert: Creamy Topped Raspberry Salad
I am also taking bread, cookies, and some juice.
Sausage Dip
My friend Aubrey gave me this recipe years ago when we worked together. She would always bring this to the office potlucks and I would gorge myself on it. I recently took this to a BBQ at a friend's house and she called me a few weeks later asking for the recipe! It is so delicious and great for potlucks, BBQ's or any ol' little party you may hosting or attending! Heck, it is good for football game watching with just the family too!
Sausage Dip
INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg Jimmy Dean Sausage
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz) sour cream
2 pkg ( 8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 can diced jalapenos
Brown sausage until 1/2 cooked and then add onion. Finish cooking sausage. Add sour cream and cream cheese. Mix thoroughly. Drain diced tomatoes and jalapenos. Stir into sausage mixture. Heat in crock-pot until warm. Serve with tortilla chips.
Sausage Dip
INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg Jimmy Dean Sausage
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz) sour cream
2 pkg ( 8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 can diced jalapenos
Brown sausage until 1/2 cooked and then add onion. Finish cooking sausage. Add sour cream and cream cheese. Mix thoroughly. Drain diced tomatoes and jalapenos. Stir into sausage mixture. Heat in crock-pot until warm. Serve with tortilla chips.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Sleep Deprived
Let's see Sunday night was the last good night of sleep I had. Then got up early Monday for the "me time" so I was pretty tired come 9:30 Monday night... Now enter a very windy night and one scared 3 year old.
Said 3 year old comes into our room crying at 2:00 am because she is scared. Mr. Man lets her stay in our bed which would have been fine except she tossed and turned and flipped and flopped the rest of the night. I got up early (which was 5:30) again Tuesday morning for some more "me time". Tuesday night I had to work late and didn't get home until a little after 9:00 pm. I grabbed a bagel for dinner and went to bed. Now enter another windy night and a scared 3 year old.
Here comes Lady Bug again about 2:00 am scared of the wind. Mr. Man lets her get in bed with us again. She tossed and turned and flipped and flopped so at 3:45 am Mr. Man got up to go to her bed. In his tiredness he stumbled into a door knocked something over and the door went banging up against the wall.
Now, enter scared 7 1/2 year old. Mr. Man took Spirit to his room and laid with him in his twin bed (ya, I bet that was comfy!) and also enter a small dog that was aroused by the commotion - yep that was fun too! The banging of Mr. Man, Spirit waking up and the dog waking up also ended up waking up Lady Bug so she talked and talked to me about the wind and about Santa Clause for an hour. Finally at 5:00 she fell back to sleep. So did I. Mr. Man came to wake me up at 6:30 -- too late for me to have "me time" so I get up and get busy making lunches etc.
Last night we got to bed about 9:30 and at 2:00 am here comes Lefty. Poor kid had peed his bed, changed his clothes (into his school clothes!) and tried to sleep on the couch. He got cold and scared so came to our room. Then at 4:00 am dog wakes up and wants to play -- umm NO!
Need less to say I am exhausted today! Hopefully I can get to bed at a decent hour tonight and sleep all.night.long.
Wish me luck!
Said 3 year old comes into our room crying at 2:00 am because she is scared. Mr. Man lets her stay in our bed which would have been fine except she tossed and turned and flipped and flopped the rest of the night. I got up early (which was 5:30) again Tuesday morning for some more "me time". Tuesday night I had to work late and didn't get home until a little after 9:00 pm. I grabbed a bagel for dinner and went to bed. Now enter another windy night and a scared 3 year old.
Here comes Lady Bug again about 2:00 am scared of the wind. Mr. Man lets her get in bed with us again. She tossed and turned and flipped and flopped so at 3:45 am Mr. Man got up to go to her bed. In his tiredness he stumbled into a door knocked something over and the door went banging up against the wall.
Now, enter scared 7 1/2 year old. Mr. Man took Spirit to his room and laid with him in his twin bed (ya, I bet that was comfy!) and also enter a small dog that was aroused by the commotion - yep that was fun too! The banging of Mr. Man, Spirit waking up and the dog waking up also ended up waking up Lady Bug so she talked and talked to me about the wind and about Santa Clause for an hour. Finally at 5:00 she fell back to sleep. So did I. Mr. Man came to wake me up at 6:30 -- too late for me to have "me time" so I get up and get busy making lunches etc.
Last night we got to bed about 9:30 and at 2:00 am here comes Lefty. Poor kid had peed his bed, changed his clothes (into his school clothes!) and tried to sleep on the couch. He got cold and scared so came to our room. Then at 4:00 am dog wakes up and wants to play -- umm NO!
Need less to say I am exhausted today! Hopefully I can get to bed at a decent hour tonight and sleep all.night.long.
Wish me luck!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Note from Principal
As the weather started getting colder we pulled out the winter coats. It turned out that with hand-me-downs Spirit had 3 coats that fit him. Good news ya think, right? Wrong. Within 2 weeks he had lost one coat. It wasn't in the lost and found at school, it wasn't at home. No.where.to.be.found. Pretty soon he lost another coat and then he lost the third. I went to the school looking for them (or at least hoping to find ONE!) with no luck. We searched the cars, the house, the crawl space, the garage. Everywhere! Couldn't find them. So Spirit was left to layer up with sweatshirts. Then the most embarrassing thing happened! Just before the holiday break we received a note home from the Principal saying Spirit needed to wear a warm coat to school. Here is a small part of the letter:
"A hoody is not warm enough for the frigid temperatures
we are experiencing. Please send a warmer coat to school with your child."
The letter was short, but it went on and on about the weather and how the kids need to be warm and how they still go outside even though it is cold. Blah blah blah (I am kidding!)
Mr. Man and I searched for a coat to give Spirit for Christmas. I knew that wouldn't be the most impressive gift, but in this economy I was thinking practical! Well, we couldn't really find one we liked in his size. We decided to hit the after Christmas sales and get him one then. Still nothing.
But, the other day Mr. Man was out running errands with the boys and he found a nice warm coat for a reasonable price and it was in Spirit's size. Rock on! Right? Nope. As they are driving home Spirit tells his dad "Now I have four coats!"
Yep, turns out that he found the other 3 coats!! Really? Really. Apparently 2 were at school and 1 was at a friend's house. Yep. They are all back home thrown in the closet like usual.
Ugh.
So we returned the coat - which highly disappointed Spirit but oh well!
THEN this morning as he is leaving the house, it is very cold and very windy today he puts on a
hoody. All I had to say was "A hoody is not warm enough for the frigid temperatures
we are experiencing." and he smiled and grabbed ONE of his winter coats to wear.
we are experiencing." and he smiled and grabbed ONE of his winter coats to wear.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Happy Monday!
Normally I would have to say Monday's are not my favorite day of the week, but I am so ready to get back to routine that I am happy for today and don't really mind calling the day Monday!
I was able to get back to my early morning "mom time" which I haven't had in a while. It was good to sit and sip my coffee and read. I also folded some laundry and unloaded the dishwasher - all alone! I started a Crock-pot dinner - without help! I even started my breakfast - alone!!!
I know that sounds terrible, but it was nice to have ME time! I missed my ME time.
Although the boys grumbled about having to go back to school, I know deep down they were ready!
Lady Bug didn't grumble at me once and was very excited to see her teacher and friends when I dropped her off at preschool!
Life is good in our house!
I was able to get back to my early morning "mom time" which I haven't had in a while. It was good to sit and sip my coffee and read. I also folded some laundry and unloaded the dishwasher - all alone! I started a Crock-pot dinner - without help! I even started my breakfast - alone!!!
I know that sounds terrible, but it was nice to have ME time! I missed my ME time.
Although the boys grumbled about having to go back to school, I know deep down they were ready!
Lady Bug didn't grumble at me once and was very excited to see her teacher and friends when I dropped her off at preschool!
Life is good in our house!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Crock-Pot Beef Stew
This is a recipe my mom used to make a lot when we were growing up. For veggies, she just threw in whatever was left over from the week so it could be peas, carrots, corn, whatever. We tend to not have to many left overs in the fridge to clean out so I use the following recipe, but you can add any vegetables you would like.
Crock-Pot Beef Stew:
INGREDIENTS:
3 carrots, cut up into round disks
3 potatoes, cut into cubes
2 lbs stew meat, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
1 beef bouillon cube (or 1 c beef bouillon)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 Tbls salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 large onion, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes
Place all ingredients in slow cooker in order listed (carrots on bottom and tomatoes on top).
Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours or high 5-6 hours.
**If adding any left over vegetables place them on top of the tomatoes.
***I have also added some hot sauce to make it spicy, but the kids don't really like it that way so I don't do it often.
Crock-Pot Beef Stew:
INGREDIENTS:
3 carrots, cut up into round disks
3 potatoes, cut into cubes
2 lbs stew meat, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
1 beef bouillon cube (or 1 c beef bouillon)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 Tbls salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 large onion, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes
Place all ingredients in slow cooker in order listed (carrots on bottom and tomatoes on top).
Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours or high 5-6 hours.
**If adding any left over vegetables place them on top of the tomatoes.
***I have also added some hot sauce to make it spicy, but the kids don't really like it that way so I don't do it often.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy Twenty O Nine
I can hardly believe that it is 2009. Seems like yesterday that I was hunkering down for Y2k, expecting the world to come to an end. And here we are in 2009. Wow.
Although '08 was hectic for us with house hunting, school changes, daycare changes, a car wreck, etc. it still was a good year. We grew as a family and accomplished big things! Below are some wonderful things that happened to us in 2008:
* Although the house hunting was long, stressful and felt like a horrible experience, we found a wonderful house that I just LOVE!
* Spirit started guitar lessons and is loving it. He even got a nicer guitar for Christmas.
* Both boys received an honor award at school!
* We got a dog and love her! She is so good and sweet. She even lets Lady Bug dress her up like a doll (I soooo need to get pictures of that one of these days!)
* We took a road trip to Oregon where the kids got to see the ocean for the first time AND we got to meet an amazing family along the way.
* Lady Bug started preschool and is really growing up!
* I got a raise at work and Mr. Man changed positions within the company and also got a small raise!
I hope that 2009 will bring more fun things to do as a family, better work environments and less stress (the house hunting almost killed me!)
Can't wait to see what this coming year has in store for all of you too!
Although '08 was hectic for us with house hunting, school changes, daycare changes, a car wreck, etc. it still was a good year. We grew as a family and accomplished big things! Below are some wonderful things that happened to us in 2008:
* Although the house hunting was long, stressful and felt like a horrible experience, we found a wonderful house that I just LOVE!
* Spirit started guitar lessons and is loving it. He even got a nicer guitar for Christmas.
* Both boys received an honor award at school!
* We got a dog and love her! She is so good and sweet. She even lets Lady Bug dress her up like a doll (I soooo need to get pictures of that one of these days!)
* We took a road trip to Oregon where the kids got to see the ocean for the first time AND we got to meet an amazing family along the way.
* Lady Bug started preschool and is really growing up!
* I got a raise at work and Mr. Man changed positions within the company and also got a small raise!
I hope that 2009 will bring more fun things to do as a family, better work environments and less stress (the house hunting almost killed me!)
Can't wait to see what this coming year has in store for all of you too!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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