I love long weekends! I love to BBQ/grill and have people over! Since this is one of those weekends I had a blast putting together my meal plan for this week! YUM!
SATURDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Grilled steak / bacon wrapped asparagus
Dinner - DINNER OUT
SUNDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal / Toast
Lunch - Mediterranean Beef Salad / Fruit
Dinner - Lasagna / Salad / Rolls
MONDAY:
Breakfast - French toast / eggs / sausage
Lunch - Quesadillas / chips / homemade salsa
Dinner - Ribs / tortellini salad / watermelon / corn / baked beans / triple berry pie
TUESDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Turkey wrap / chips / fruit cup / cookie
Dinner - Sausage, potato medley
WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Turkey bacon wrap / chips / fruit
Dinner - Springy Shells / crusty rolls
THURSDAY:
Breakfast - Cinnamon Toast
Lunch - Burrito / tortilla chips / fruit / granola bar
Dinner - Taco Salad
FRIDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Meat roll ups / cheese stick / crackers / fruit
Dinner - Cheesy potato topped meatloaf / fruit salad
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Friday Recipe - Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes
I posted this recipe before but with Memorial Day picnics and BBQ's going on this weekend I thought I would share this recipe again. These are SO good - my mouth is watering already.
Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS:
1 (18.25 oz) box lemon cake mix
2 tsp sugar free lemonade mix
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 c plus 2 Tbls water
1/2 c sour cream
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 c seedless raspberry preserves (must be seedless)
fresh raspberries for garnish (Optional)
FROSTING:
4 c powdered sugar
2 tsp sugar free lemonade mix
6 Tbls unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 20 muffin cups with paper liners. In large bowl, combine cake mix, lemonade mix and nutmeg. Add 1 c water, sour cream and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, until well blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, occasionally scraping bowl. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling halfway. Place a teaspoonful of raspberry preserves in the center of the batter. Spoon remaining batter on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool cupcakes 5 minutes in pan, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
For frosting, combine the powdered sugar, lemonade mix, melted butter and 2 T water in a medium bowl. Beat with electric mixer on medium until blended. Add more water if needed to bring to a spreadable consistency. Spread icing on top of cupcakes, leaving a slight depression in the center. Spoon remaining preserves into the depression. Garnish with fresh raspberries if desired.
Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS:
1 (18.25 oz) box lemon cake mix
2 tsp sugar free lemonade mix
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 c plus 2 Tbls water
1/2 c sour cream
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 c seedless raspberry preserves (must be seedless)
fresh raspberries for garnish (Optional)
FROSTING:
4 c powdered sugar
2 tsp sugar free lemonade mix
6 Tbls unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 20 muffin cups with paper liners. In large bowl, combine cake mix, lemonade mix and nutmeg. Add 1 c water, sour cream and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, until well blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, occasionally scraping bowl. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling halfway. Place a teaspoonful of raspberry preserves in the center of the batter. Spoon remaining batter on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool cupcakes 5 minutes in pan, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
For frosting, combine the powdered sugar, lemonade mix, melted butter and 2 T water in a medium bowl. Beat with electric mixer on medium until blended. Add more water if needed to bring to a spreadable consistency. Spread icing on top of cupcakes, leaving a slight depression in the center. Spoon remaining preserves into the depression. Garnish with fresh raspberries if desired.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Lady Bug Graduates
Lady Bug gradutated preschool yesterday! I was so sad and bawled like a baby through the whole thing! The preschool is actually closing down after 20 years! The director of the school started this daycare 20 years ago so that she could be with her children while bringing in some income. She has 3 kids, her oldest graduated high school a couple years ago! So yesterday at the graduation her middle child was there - as a senior in High School getting ready to graduate herself! Since this was the last graduation this preschool would be putting together they brought back 4 high seniors that were actually alumni of the daycare! The seniors wore their cap and gown and read the names of the preschool graduates. It was really cute! Each senior also gave a short speech to the preschool graduates, saying things like "just remember to be good to your friends and share your toys." or "Remember to eat your vegetables." It was really cute.
The kids sang some songs and answered quiz questions. It was a lot of fun, UNTIL they started singing a song with words "I know I leave my handprints on the wall, but just be good to me now because one day I will be grown and gone." -- What kind of cruel director plans a song like that? Just kidding.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
WFMW - Homemade Fruit Cups
My kids like fruit and we eat a lot of it in our house. I bought some pre-packaged fruit cups for their school lunch and the kids liked them, with one exception - they said they were hard for them to open and when they finally got them open the fruit juice splattered all over them. So I just started cutting up fresh fruit and putting it into small plastic containers, but this takes up so much time everyday. I started playing around with making a bunch of these cups at one time and thanks to the internet got some tips for saving these!
One small watermelon cut up and stored in these containers in the freezer lasted my 3 kiddos about 3 weeks.
Homemade Fruit Cups
-small plastic containers
-Fruit of your choice (Watermelon, other melons, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, etc. - I don't recommend bananas though)
Cut up your fruit and put some in the small plastic container. I put a small piece of masking tape to label what kind of fruit is in each cup. Then place these in the freezer to keep them from spoiling before you are ready to use.
You will want to pull one out the day before you are ready to use it. You can let it still on the counter to thaw. We pack one cup per child or sometimes they like to eat these on the weekends as a snack. They are really handy and not near as expensive as the pre-packaged ones.
This is what Works For Me - click here for more tips and tricks. We Are That Family hosts this great tips and tricks each week!
One small watermelon cut up and stored in these containers in the freezer lasted my 3 kiddos about 3 weeks.
Homemade Fruit Cups
-small plastic containers
-Fruit of your choice (Watermelon, other melons, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, etc. - I don't recommend bananas though)
Cut up your fruit and put some in the small plastic container. I put a small piece of masking tape to label what kind of fruit is in each cup. Then place these in the freezer to keep them from spoiling before you are ready to use.
You will want to pull one out the day before you are ready to use it. You can let it still on the counter to thaw. We pack one cup per child or sometimes they like to eat these on the weekends as a snack. They are really handy and not near as expensive as the pre-packaged ones.
This is what Works For Me - click here for more tips and tricks. We Are That Family hosts this great tips and tricks each week!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Remember this?
Remember last week I talked about my oldest (who is ONLY 9) growing up and heading on down the Independent Road?
Ya, well I think I figured out why - at least the hygiene part... are ya ready? Well let me start at the beginning:
The other night we read together, he has been reading to me every night. We are working through a new chapter book he bought at the book fair. (It's Bud, Not Buddy - good book by the way!) As I started to leave his room, he said "wait mom. I have something I want to tell you." I started to panic a tad. Then he giggled and hemmed and hawed and couldn't decide if he should tell me or not and finally he said "Ok, I'll just tell you. I have a girlfriend." I was relieved it was that and not that he had gotten in trouble at school or something. We talked for about 5 minutes or so about it and I asked if she liked him too (just making sure he didn't THINK he had a girlfriend and in reality she had no clue he even exists...!) Then he told me that he heard her talking to a group of girls on the field trip and she said she liked him.
Then he said the cutest thing.... "I knew I could tell you because you aren't one of those people who will go around telling everyone my personal business. I mean, you blog, but that isn't telling like everyone." -- hmmm, no honey just everyone with access to the internet! HA! {I asked for permission to blog and he said it was fine and he also told me it was ok to tell his dad about it.}
When I told Mr. Man about it and mentioned that this must be the reason he is showering everyday all of the sudden... Mr. Man said "OR, that is how he got a girlfriend." Either way, I am relieved about the showering and hygiene finally not being a fight anymore, but the whole girlfriend thing... well that is whole other road I wasn't ready for him to go down! :-)
Ya, well I think I figured out why - at least the hygiene part... are ya ready? Well let me start at the beginning:
The other night we read together, he has been reading to me every night. We are working through a new chapter book he bought at the book fair. (It's Bud, Not Buddy - good book by the way!) As I started to leave his room, he said "wait mom. I have something I want to tell you." I started to panic a tad. Then he giggled and hemmed and hawed and couldn't decide if he should tell me or not and finally he said "Ok, I'll just tell you. I have a girlfriend." I was relieved it was that and not that he had gotten in trouble at school or something. We talked for about 5 minutes or so about it and I asked if she liked him too (just making sure he didn't THINK he had a girlfriend and in reality she had no clue he even exists...!) Then he told me that he heard her talking to a group of girls on the field trip and she said she liked him.
Then he said the cutest thing.... "I knew I could tell you because you aren't one of those people who will go around telling everyone my personal business. I mean, you blog, but that isn't telling like everyone." -- hmmm, no honey just everyone with access to the internet! HA! {I asked for permission to blog and he said it was fine and he also told me it was ok to tell his dad about it.}
When I told Mr. Man about it and mentioned that this must be the reason he is showering everyday all of the sudden... Mr. Man said "OR, that is how he got a girlfriend." Either way, I am relieved about the showering and hygiene finally not being a fight anymore, but the whole girlfriend thing... well that is whole other road I wasn't ready for him to go down! :-)
Friday, May 21, 2010
Friday Recipe - Cheese Garlic Biscuits
I saw this on a Bisquick Box and had to try them. They are so good and SO easy. Depending on the size you make them you can get about 10 biscuits out of this recipe.
Cheese Garlic Biscuits
INGREDIENTS:
2 c Bisquick mix
2/3 c milk
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese (2 oz)
2 Tbls butter, softened
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Stir Bisquick, milk and cheese until dough forms. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Stir together butter and garlic powder. Brush over warm biscuit.
Cheese Garlic Biscuits
INGREDIENTS:
2 c Bisquick mix
2/3 c milk
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese (2 oz)
2 Tbls butter, softened
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Stir Bisquick, milk and cheese until dough forms. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Stir together butter and garlic powder. Brush over warm biscuit.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Field Day
I worked field day today for Lefty ... would love to post pictures but today was Spirit's field trip to downtown and he wanted to take the camera and being the good mom that I am I let him take it over me! I am also volunteering at field day tomorrow which will be for Spirit's age group and maybe I can get some pictures then.
It was fun today. Lady Bug went with me and helped me hand things to the kids. We worked the Peacock Feather Balance. It was a timed thing. They had to balance the peacock feather on their finger and we timed them. Lady Bug handed out the feathers to the kids, then lil' miss priss also took it upon herself to instruct the kids (who are all older than her) how to balance it on their finger and "be sure to watch the eye of the feather so it will balance better". She had me in stitiches all morning! At one point I even heard her say to one of the 2nd grade boys "Wait until the teacher says 'go' so that we can time you, ok buddy?" -- Buddy? really? hee hee
It was fun today. Lady Bug went with me and helped me hand things to the kids. We worked the Peacock Feather Balance. It was a timed thing. They had to balance the peacock feather on their finger and we timed them. Lady Bug handed out the feathers to the kids, then lil' miss priss also took it upon herself to instruct the kids (who are all older than her) how to balance it on their finger and "be sure to watch the eye of the feather so it will balance better". She had me in stitiches all morning! At one point I even heard her say to one of the 2nd grade boys "Wait until the teacher says 'go' so that we can time you, ok buddy?" -- Buddy? really? hee hee
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
I'm not ready for this
I have been dreaming of this day for quite sometime, or so I thought I was. Now that it is here, I am not ready for it.
How many times have I said "Gee, I wish these kids could make their own dinner or do their own laundry." You know when the kids were super little it is so taxing to be woken up 99 times in the night for feedings or diaper changes etc. They are so dependent on you and sometimes you just wish they could do for themselves so you could sleep in!
Spirit, who turned 9 in January, has recently taken off down the Independent Road... and momma is a tad bit saddened by this.
He has been waking up at 6:30 am and taking a shower, every morning. This is significant in a couple ways, he used to not be able to adjust the shower himself and ALWAYS needed help taking a shower. He also used to dread hygiene of any kind and fight us on it every day. He thought showering, brushing his teeth, changing his socks and underwear once per week {or sometimes 2} was perfectly fine and no one should have to do it more often! So now, here he is bathing daily and changing his socks and underwear daily too. When he gets out of the shower he puts a little of dad's cologne on and some deodorant too.
He is also picking out his clothes - this is significant because he would insist I pick out his clothes. I thought he was plenty old enough to find his own clothes, but he insisted I needed to do it.
So, in the mornings after his shower he now heads to the kitchen and prepares his own breakfast. Sometimes he even sets the table for his brother and sister.
The past couple of nights he has helped me make dinner... and I use the term "helped" loosely because we made things like spaghetti and mac-n-cheese so he pretty much made the dinner himself with a little supervision from me.
I am having a mixture of feelings about all this. All those nights when I was catering to him as a baby and waiting and wishing for him to have a little independence is coming back to haunt me. I am enjoying watching him growing up and become a sweet young man, but at the same time it is hard to accept that he doesn't need me as much anymore.
I look at this picture and realize he isn't a baby anymore, he has grown up to be a young man.
How many times have I said "Gee, I wish these kids could make their own dinner or do their own laundry." You know when the kids were super little it is so taxing to be woken up 99 times in the night for feedings or diaper changes etc. They are so dependent on you and sometimes you just wish they could do for themselves so you could sleep in!
Spirit, who turned 9 in January, has recently taken off down the Independent Road... and momma is a tad bit saddened by this.
He has been waking up at 6:30 am and taking a shower, every morning. This is significant in a couple ways, he used to not be able to adjust the shower himself and ALWAYS needed help taking a shower. He also used to dread hygiene of any kind and fight us on it every day. He thought showering, brushing his teeth, changing his socks and underwear once per week {or sometimes 2} was perfectly fine and no one should have to do it more often! So now, here he is bathing daily and changing his socks and underwear daily too. When he gets out of the shower he puts a little of dad's cologne on and some deodorant too.
He is also picking out his clothes - this is significant because he would insist I pick out his clothes. I thought he was plenty old enough to find his own clothes, but he insisted I needed to do it.
So, in the mornings after his shower he now heads to the kitchen and prepares his own breakfast. Sometimes he even sets the table for his brother and sister.
The past couple of nights he has helped me make dinner... and I use the term "helped" loosely because we made things like spaghetti and mac-n-cheese so he pretty much made the dinner himself with a little supervision from me.
I am having a mixture of feelings about all this. All those nights when I was catering to him as a baby and waiting and wishing for him to have a little independence is coming back to haunt me. I am enjoying watching him growing up and become a sweet young man, but at the same time it is hard to accept that he doesn't need me as much anymore.
I look at this picture and realize he isn't a baby anymore, he has grown up to be a young man.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Meal Plan for May 15 - 21
This is our meal plan for this week.
SATURDAY:
Breakfast - eggs/ bacon / toast
Lunch - Beenie Weenie
Dinner - Dinner out with family
SUNDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Eating out with family
Dinner - Grilled burgers / salad / fruit / chips
MONDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Bean & Cheese Burrito / apple / cookie
Dinner - Pancakes / bacon / hashbrowns
TUESDAY:
Breakfast - Breakfast Piggies
Lunch - Homemade Lunchables (sliced deli turkey, cheese stick, Ritz crackers, cookie)
Dinner - Hawaiian Meatballs / steamed rice
WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Pizza Bites / carrot sticks/ cookie / apple
Dinner - Spaghetti / salad
THURSDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Bean & Cheese Burrito / apple / cookie / peanut butter crackers
Dinner - Grilled Chicken breasts / corn / fruit salad
FRIDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - PB&J / chips / cookie / fruit snacks
Dinner - Homemade Pizzas
SATURDAY:
Breakfast - eggs/ bacon / toast
Lunch - Beenie Weenie
Dinner - Dinner out with family
SUNDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Eating out with family
Dinner - Grilled burgers / salad / fruit / chips
MONDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Bean & Cheese Burrito / apple / cookie
Dinner - Pancakes / bacon / hashbrowns
TUESDAY:
Breakfast - Breakfast Piggies
Lunch - Homemade Lunchables (sliced deli turkey, cheese stick, Ritz crackers, cookie)
Dinner - Hawaiian Meatballs / steamed rice
WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Pizza Bites / carrot sticks/ cookie / apple
Dinner - Spaghetti / salad
THURSDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Bean & Cheese Burrito / apple / cookie / peanut butter crackers
Dinner - Grilled Chicken breasts / corn / fruit salad
FRIDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - PB&J / chips / cookie / fruit snacks
Dinner - Homemade Pizzas
Friday, May 14, 2010
Friday Recipe - Chocolate Trifle
I love to take this to potlucks. It looks pretty and is SO yummy! You can make it the night before and let it refrigerate overnight. Another thing I like about this dessert is that it is so easy to make!
Chocolate Trifle
INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg (18 1/4 oz) chocolate fudge cake mix
1 pkg (6 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 c strong coffee
1 carton (12 oz) Cool Whip, thawed
6 heath bars (1.4 oz each), crushed
Bake cake according to directions on box. Cool.
Prepare pudding according to directions, set aside.
Crumble cake, reserve 1/2 cup.
Place half of the remaining cake crumbs on the bottom of a 4 1/2 or 5 qt trifle dish or decorative glass bowl. Layer with half of the coffee, half of the pudding, half of the whipped topping, and half of the crushed candy bars. Repeat. Ending with the remaining cake crumbs on top. Refrigerate 4-5 hours before serving.
Chocolate Trifle
INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg (18 1/4 oz) chocolate fudge cake mix
1 pkg (6 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 c strong coffee
1 carton (12 oz) Cool Whip, thawed
6 heath bars (1.4 oz each), crushed
Bake cake according to directions on box. Cool.
Prepare pudding according to directions, set aside.
Crumble cake, reserve 1/2 cup.
Place half of the remaining cake crumbs on the bottom of a 4 1/2 or 5 qt trifle dish or decorative glass bowl. Layer with half of the coffee, half of the pudding, half of the whipped topping, and half of the crushed candy bars. Repeat. Ending with the remaining cake crumbs on top. Refrigerate 4-5 hours before serving.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
"Mom's gonna kill me!"
Those are the words I heard as I was trying to warm up in a warm bath when I sick over the weekend.
There I was, relaxing and trying to warm up from the fever making me shiver when voices from Spirit's room came flooding in. I could hear Lefty start to cry, then Spirit said "Oh, no. Are you ok? I am SO sorry. Please tell me you're ok. Let me see."
Then Lefty kept crying and Spirit was pleading with him to be ok. Then I heard the dreadful words:
"oh. no. Mom is gonna KILL me."
I feared the worse... blood, guts maybe, who knew, but I just figured it was really bad. I got out of the tub, got myself dried off and dressed in my warmest jammies and headed down to find the boys.
Lefty was still laying on the floor and was sobbing a little. Apparently, Spirit had gotten upset with Lefty and tackled him, the injury was merely a "re-injury" so-to-speak. Lefty had fallen off a swing at school the day before and had a goose egg on the side of his head and when he got tackled he bumped that goose egg on the side of Spirit's bed.
So, mom didn't need to "kill" anyone! Lucky for Spirit!
There I was, relaxing and trying to warm up from the fever making me shiver when voices from Spirit's room came flooding in. I could hear Lefty start to cry, then Spirit said "Oh, no. Are you ok? I am SO sorry. Please tell me you're ok. Let me see."
Then Lefty kept crying and Spirit was pleading with him to be ok. Then I heard the dreadful words:
"oh. no. Mom is gonna KILL me."
I feared the worse... blood, guts maybe, who knew, but I just figured it was really bad. I got out of the tub, got myself dried off and dressed in my warmest jammies and headed down to find the boys.
Lefty was still laying on the floor and was sobbing a little. Apparently, Spirit had gotten upset with Lefty and tackled him, the injury was merely a "re-injury" so-to-speak. Lefty had fallen off a swing at school the day before and had a goose egg on the side of his head and when he got tackled he bumped that goose egg on the side of Spirit's bed.
So, mom didn't need to "kill" anyone! Lucky for Spirit!
Here they are watching a movie together shortly after the "incident".
Monday, May 10, 2010
My Mother's Day
Mr. Man knew he would be working over Mother's Day so all week last week he was "taking care of me". He did a few loads of laundry, he cooked and cleaned up the kitchen 3 nights in a row and had the kids help out more around the house... unbeknownst to him (or me) I ended up with a bad cold Thursday night. Fever, chills, runny nose and coughing. I stayed home from work Friday and then laid in bed the rest of the weekend. Poor guy ended up taking care of more laundry, dinner and dishes and kid care then he originally bargained for!
Sunday morning, he got up early and he went to Einstein Bagels to get me breakfast. Lefty made my coffee and they served it all to me in bed (my bed had really become the couch because I didn't want to disturb Mr. Man with my coughing and runny nose so I moved to the couch in the middle of the night.) They got me an mp3 player that I have been asking for too.
Other than being sick, I had a great mom's day (or maybe I should say Mom's Week!) I love my family so much!
Sunday morning, he got up early and he went to Einstein Bagels to get me breakfast. Lefty made my coffee and they served it all to me in bed (my bed had really become the couch because I didn't want to disturb Mr. Man with my coughing and runny nose so I moved to the couch in the middle of the night.) They got me an mp3 player that I have been asking for too.
Other than being sick, I had a great mom's day (or maybe I should say Mom's Week!) I love my family so much!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Meal Plan for May 8 - 14
Here we go with this week's meal plan. As I have been doing for many weeks now, I am trying a recipe or two each week from my "recipes to try" file (these are denoted here by an "*"). My goal this year was to clean out the hundreds of recipes I have in a folder to try before I can add any new ones to that folder. I am slowly plugging away at it! If I like the recipe, I will post it on my blog. If I don't like it, well you'll never hear about it!
Mr. Man has to work all weekend (including Sunday... Mother's Day) which bums me out, but the kids have informed me they are making me breakfast and Lady Bug insists she be in charge of making my coffee (yes, I am a little nervous!)
SATURDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Eating out
Dinner - Pork Chop Casserole / steamed broccoli
SUNDAY:
Breakfast - KIDS ARE IN CHARGE, SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT I GET
Lunch - Left overs
Dinner - Asian Chicken with rice* / egg rolls
MONDAY:
Breakfast - Pancakes / sausage
Lunch - PB&J / chips / cookie / fruit
Dinner - Tacos / Beans / Spanish rice
TUESDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Pizza rolls / carrot sticks / cookie / fruit
Dinner - Spaghetti / spring greens salad with beets and feta cheese / garlic toast
WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast - Eggs / toast / fruit
Lunch - Spaghetti / cucumber slices / fruit / jello
Dinner - Beenie - weenies / fruit / corn
THURSDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Burrito / jello cups / fruit / cookie
Dinner - Creamy pasta primavera with grilled chicken breasts* / crusty rolls
FRIDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Pizza rolls / carrot sticks / fruit / pudding cup
Dinner - Sloppy joes / french fries / fruit
Mr. Man has to work all weekend (including Sunday... Mother's Day) which bums me out, but the kids have informed me they are making me breakfast and Lady Bug insists she be in charge of making my coffee (yes, I am a little nervous!)
SATURDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Eating out
Dinner - Pork Chop Casserole / steamed broccoli
SUNDAY:
Breakfast - KIDS ARE IN CHARGE, SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT I GET
Lunch - Left overs
Dinner - Asian Chicken with rice* / egg rolls
MONDAY:
Breakfast - Pancakes / sausage
Lunch - PB&J / chips / cookie / fruit
Dinner - Tacos / Beans / Spanish rice
TUESDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Pizza rolls / carrot sticks / cookie / fruit
Dinner - Spaghetti / spring greens salad with beets and feta cheese / garlic toast
WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast - Eggs / toast / fruit
Lunch - Spaghetti / cucumber slices / fruit / jello
Dinner - Beenie - weenies / fruit / corn
THURSDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Burrito / jello cups / fruit / cookie
Dinner - Creamy pasta primavera with grilled chicken breasts* / crusty rolls
FRIDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Pizza rolls / carrot sticks / fruit / pudding cup
Dinner - Sloppy joes / french fries / fruit
Friday, May 7, 2010
Friday Recipe - Gooey Buttery Cookies
My friend Karyn made some of these at Christmas time last year using a dark chocolate cake mix and they were divine. Right after Christmas I made some of these using a yellow cake mix and they were equally as divine - I ate nearly the whole batch by myself, except that Mr. Man called them "sugar covered butter disguised as a cookie"... not quite, but man are they yummy!
Gooey Buttery Cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 (18.25 oz) package yellow cake mix
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Add cake mix, and stir until well blended. Roll into 1inch balls and roll the balls in the confectioners' sugar. Place 1 inch apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.
**You can also make them with a chocolate cake mix as well for simple chocolate crinkle type cookies.
Gooey Buttery Cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 (18.25 oz) package yellow cake mix
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Add cake mix, and stir until well blended. Roll into 1inch balls and roll the balls in the confectioners' sugar. Place 1 inch apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.
**You can also make them with a chocolate cake mix as well for simple chocolate crinkle type cookies.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Pink slips and undecorated folders *shutter*
We have a lot going on in our house right now. Most of it concerning Lefty and his school work. Every night the kids all sit at the table in the kitchen nook area and do homework. I make dinner and Mr. Man is available to help the kids. Neither one of us hover over the kids to be sure they are doing each item and doing it correctly, but we do glance at things and are definitely there to help. In my opinion, it is the kids responsibility to do what the teacher has assigned them, I tell them that I am not the one in class and therefore do not have any clue what the assignments are. Spirit's teacher sends home a weekly syllabus type thing so I can look at that and be sure he has completed what is expected each night. Lefty's teacher does not, so we must rely on Lefty to know what his assignments are.
Every night he sits at the table and puts a pencil to paper. Every night before bed I ask if he has any papers I need to sign (he is supposed to read 30 minutes each night and have an adult initial a reading log -- since he goes to the after-school program he usually reads there and has one of the adult helpers sign his form) and every night he tells me "No, mom."
Only the Lord knows what he has been doing at the table each night, because clearly his parents have NO idea... let me explain:
Monday he handed Mr. Man a note. A pink note labeled "NOTICE OF MISSING ASSIGNMENTS". The teacher had handwritten a lengthy note about how Lefty isn't doing his assignments and he was unable to complete a class assignment that day due to the fact that he hadn't completed something from the week before and instructed us to ask him what had happened.
We had a long talk with Lefty and he explained that the reason he couldn't complete the class assignment was because on a class assignment from the week before she didn't like the way he wrote his "e's" so she made him sit and write "e's" for 20 minutes.
Her note also told us that one homework assignment from last week was to decorate his homework folder and again, she told us to ask him why that was important. When we asked him, he said "Well, she wants us to decorate it so we know which folder is ours, but my name is written on it so I already KNOW which folder is mine."
I don't see why that was such a bad point, but I explained that it doesn't matter because it was an assignment to decorate it and he needed to decorate it.
He also told us that he doesn't know what she expects of him. He said she hands them packets and he doesn't know what he is supposed to do. My answer to that is that he needs to either get clarification from her before he leaves for the day OR ask us when he gets home to see if we can help him figure it out.
So after our long talk with him we went through the homework folder together with him and get this:
I HAD NO IDEA WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO!!!
There was a packet of about 8-10 pages plus 2 loose pages in his undecorated homework folder. Most of the pages didn't have instructions at the top and we couldn't figure out what he was supposed to do.
For example, here is what one page looked like:
NOUNS
bread, grain, ______________
goat, cow, ________________
bus, car, _________________
There were probably 5 others like this on the page. Seriously? What was he supposed to do exactly? My guess was to find another noun similar to those words listed? But we didn't know so we skipped it and I wrote a sticky note on that page explaining that we didn't understand it. No wonder my little guy is frustrated.
I sent a letter back to the teacher explaining our talk with Lefty and things he told to us. I explained that I expect him to listen to instructions during class, but it would be helpful to us to have a syllabus or something similar so we can know what is expected of him. I put my phone number and email address.
Got home last night to another note from the teacher. She responded to my note. She said things like "I'm sorry you chose to have Lefty complete that packet because that wasn't part of the homework for last night and the one thing I needed him to complete was the Spelling Preview Test which he did not complete. This has to be frustrating for us all."
Guess what people? He most certainly DID do the Spelling Preview Test but as I told her in my first note I sent in, he wasn't sure where he was supposed to write it because she is picky about which paper they use so I had him use the back of the Spelling Preview Test. I wanted to fire another letter back to her saying, "You stupid idiot, read my note and look on the back of that sheet for the assignment." I didn't write that letter (well, actually I did but Mr. Man made me tear it up. He thinks we need to go face-to-face now)
Mr. Man happened to attend a PTA meeting last night and the principal laughed and said "So, I hear Lefty did a whole packet of homework he didn't need to do. ha ha ha haha ha ha haha" Mr. Man got ticked and said "It was NOT funny in our house last night. We take this stuff seriously."
I think the teacher knows we are upset and was "covering her butt" (so-to-speak) with the principal which is why the principal knew about the homework debacle. But guess what? I am so hacked off right now, I will have her butt in a sling faster than she can spit. I am the most reasonable parent she will come in contact with and I have high expectations of my kids. I value teachers and think my kids should respect them. I also know that my kids (especially Lefty) can have a mind of his own and sometimes doesn't like being told what to do, but this is the first time I have ever had these kinds of issues with him. School is almost done for the year and this is the first issue we are having so why not pick up the phone and say to me "gee, this is unlike him, what could be going on?" but instead she sent home a "pink slip". I mean really lady! Get a grip!
Last night after the kids were in bed, Mr. Man and I were talking and he thinks we need to come down and let things settle for a couple days before we have a conference. WHAT? I am so fired up, let's go NOW!! Ok, ok, I see his point, she might lose her head if I go in there today!
Every night he sits at the table and puts a pencil to paper. Every night before bed I ask if he has any papers I need to sign (he is supposed to read 30 minutes each night and have an adult initial a reading log -- since he goes to the after-school program he usually reads there and has one of the adult helpers sign his form) and every night he tells me "No, mom."
Only the Lord knows what he has been doing at the table each night, because clearly his parents have NO idea... let me explain:
Monday he handed Mr. Man a note. A pink note labeled "NOTICE OF MISSING ASSIGNMENTS". The teacher had handwritten a lengthy note about how Lefty isn't doing his assignments and he was unable to complete a class assignment that day due to the fact that he hadn't completed something from the week before and instructed us to ask him what had happened.
We had a long talk with Lefty and he explained that the reason he couldn't complete the class assignment was because on a class assignment from the week before she didn't like the way he wrote his "e's" so she made him sit and write "e's" for 20 minutes.
Her note also told us that one homework assignment from last week was to decorate his homework folder and again, she told us to ask him why that was important. When we asked him, he said "Well, she wants us to decorate it so we know which folder is ours, but my name is written on it so I already KNOW which folder is mine."
I don't see why that was such a bad point, but I explained that it doesn't matter because it was an assignment to decorate it and he needed to decorate it.
He also told us that he doesn't know what she expects of him. He said she hands them packets and he doesn't know what he is supposed to do. My answer to that is that he needs to either get clarification from her before he leaves for the day OR ask us when he gets home to see if we can help him figure it out.
So after our long talk with him we went through the homework folder together with him and get this:
I HAD NO IDEA WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO!!!
There was a packet of about 8-10 pages plus 2 loose pages in his undecorated homework folder. Most of the pages didn't have instructions at the top and we couldn't figure out what he was supposed to do.
For example, here is what one page looked like:
NOUNS
bread, grain, ______________
goat, cow, ________________
bus, car, _________________
There were probably 5 others like this on the page. Seriously? What was he supposed to do exactly? My guess was to find another noun similar to those words listed? But we didn't know so we skipped it and I wrote a sticky note on that page explaining that we didn't understand it. No wonder my little guy is frustrated.
I sent a letter back to the teacher explaining our talk with Lefty and things he told to us. I explained that I expect him to listen to instructions during class, but it would be helpful to us to have a syllabus or something similar so we can know what is expected of him. I put my phone number and email address.
Got home last night to another note from the teacher. She responded to my note. She said things like "I'm sorry you chose to have Lefty complete that packet because that wasn't part of the homework for last night and the one thing I needed him to complete was the Spelling Preview Test which he did not complete. This has to be frustrating for us all."
Guess what people? He most certainly DID do the Spelling Preview Test but as I told her in my first note I sent in, he wasn't sure where he was supposed to write it because she is picky about which paper they use so I had him use the back of the Spelling Preview Test. I wanted to fire another letter back to her saying, "You stupid idiot, read my note and look on the back of that sheet for the assignment." I didn't write that letter (well, actually I did but Mr. Man made me tear it up. He thinks we need to go face-to-face now)
Mr. Man happened to attend a PTA meeting last night and the principal laughed and said "So, I hear Lefty did a whole packet of homework he didn't need to do. ha ha ha haha ha ha haha" Mr. Man got ticked and said "It was NOT funny in our house last night. We take this stuff seriously."
I think the teacher knows we are upset and was "covering her butt" (so-to-speak) with the principal which is why the principal knew about the homework debacle. But guess what? I am so hacked off right now, I will have her butt in a sling faster than she can spit. I am the most reasonable parent she will come in contact with and I have high expectations of my kids. I value teachers and think my kids should respect them. I also know that my kids (especially Lefty) can have a mind of his own and sometimes doesn't like being told what to do, but this is the first time I have ever had these kinds of issues with him. School is almost done for the year and this is the first issue we are having so why not pick up the phone and say to me "gee, this is unlike him, what could be going on?" but instead she sent home a "pink slip". I mean really lady! Get a grip!
Last night after the kids were in bed, Mr. Man and I were talking and he thinks we need to come down and let things settle for a couple days before we have a conference. WHAT? I am so fired up, let's go NOW!! Ok, ok, I see his point, she might lose her head if I go in there today!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Flashlights don't make the lighfixture brighter
I kept smelling this burning plastic smell in Lefty's room. I could not for the life of me figure out where it was coming from. Mr. Man checked and basically determined that it was the new Nintendo DS charger, because it was new. But then the smell lasted 2-3 more days and Mr. Man knew it couldn't be the charger. So he went on the hunt and finally found a flashlight stuck inside Lefty's overhead light in his room.
He told us he thought it would make his light brighter. Little did he know the light bulb inside the light fixture would melt the flashlight plastic and cause the melted plastic to burn itself off.
Lovely smell.
It still smells in there almost a week later.
He told us he thought it would make his light brighter. Little did he know the light bulb inside the light fixture would melt the flashlight plastic and cause the melted plastic to burn itself off.
Lovely smell.
It still smells in there almost a week later.
Monday, May 3, 2010
I need help
Seriously people! I used to be pretty good about keeping my house picked up and cleaned. Lately, the picking part is not so bad, but cleaning is ... well... let's just say my floors are grossing me out and the dust is about to kill us all!
I work outside the home full time which means I am gone for most of the day during the week. I am finding it hard to find time to clean..really clean, the kind of clean that involves a little scrubbing and elbow grease.
My basic day looks like this lately:
6:00 am - up for "Me" time
6:30 am - shower / get ready
7:00 am - go downstairs and make lunches, breakfast and get kids ready to go to school
7:45 am - usher boys out door for school
7:50 am - unload dishwasher, reload dishwasher with breakfast stuff, start a load of laundry, get Lady Bug dressed and ready to go
8:25 am - load up Lady Bug to take her to school and I head to work
5:25 pm - pick up Lady Bug from school
5:40 pm - move laundry from washer to dryer
5:45 pm - start dinner, eat and clean up
7:00 pm - kids do homework and take showers, I fold laundry and put it away
8:00 pm - kids settled down for a story
8:30 pm - kids in bed, I get myself ready to go to bed
What can I be doing or should I be doing to help clean? How do you all keep your house clean? I have tried Flylady but lately she isn't doing it for me! HELP! I need to have a spark lit under me!
I work outside the home full time which means I am gone for most of the day during the week. I am finding it hard to find time to clean..really clean, the kind of clean that involves a little scrubbing and elbow grease.
My basic day looks like this lately:
6:00 am - up for "Me" time
6:30 am - shower / get ready
7:00 am - go downstairs and make lunches, breakfast and get kids ready to go to school
7:45 am - usher boys out door for school
7:50 am - unload dishwasher, reload dishwasher with breakfast stuff, start a load of laundry, get Lady Bug dressed and ready to go
8:25 am - load up Lady Bug to take her to school and I head to work
5:25 pm - pick up Lady Bug from school
5:40 pm - move laundry from washer to dryer
5:45 pm - start dinner, eat and clean up
7:00 pm - kids do homework and take showers, I fold laundry and put it away
8:00 pm - kids settled down for a story
8:30 pm - kids in bed, I get myself ready to go to bed
What can I be doing or should I be doing to help clean? How do you all keep your house clean? I have tried Flylady but lately she isn't doing it for me! HELP! I need to have a spark lit under me!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Meal Plan May 1 - 7
This is this week's meal plan. I am still, s-l-o-w-l-y, going through my "recipes to try" file. If I try something and I like it I will post the recipe here at some point, if I don't like it I never mention it again!
Sometimes when planning my menu for the week, if there is something from last week that we didn't eat I add to this week.
SATURDAY:
Breakfast - Huevos RancherosLunch - Beenie -Weenies / fruit
Dinner - Ham and Beans / cornbreadSUNDAY:
Breakfast - CerealLunch - Quesadillas
Dinner - Sliced ham / mac - n - cheese / asparagusMONDAY:
Breakfast - CerealLunch - Burrito / carrot sticks / fruit / granola bar
Dinner - Spaghetti / garlic bread / saladTUESDAY:
Breakfast - WafflesLunch - Spaghetti / cucumber slices / fruit / brownie
Dinner - Baked chicken / salad / rollsWEDNESDAY:
Breakfast - CerealLunch - Pizza rolls / Carrot sticks / fruit / cookie
Dinner - Hawaiian meatballs / riceTHURSDAY:
Breakfast - CerealLunch - Mac - n -cheese / cucumber slices / fruit / cookie
Dinner - Beef Stroganoff / rice / steamed broccoliFRIDAY:
Breakfast - CerealLunch - Ham sandwich / chips / fruit / cookie
Dinner - Ham and scalloped potatoes
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