The way we work our budget, every two weeks, we fill our envelopes once I have my grocery cash in hand, Im off to the store. So I picked out 10 meals for the next two weeks. Once I figured out what we are having on which day, I listed the things that I didn't already have in stock at home that we still need go out and shop for. I made sure that I am making the easiest stuff (And stuff that could be eaten in the car if necessary) on nights that my biggy boy has Karate. Here is what I came up with:
Week 1
Mon-
BBQ Chicken and Sweet Potato Fries
http://forkinit.blogspot.com/2010/09/crockpot-barbecue-chicken.html
Tues-
Waffles
Eggs
Weds-
Fajitas
Hot Sauce
Tomatoes
Thurs-
Spaghetti And Garlic Toast
Noodles
Butter
Fri-
Burgers and Roasted Potatoes
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Week 2
Mon-
Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken
http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/10/slow-cooker-cashew-chicken.html
GInger
Cashews
Tues-
Eggs, Hash Browns and Toast
Eggs
Weds-
Artichoke and Red Pepper Pasta
Noodles
Thursday-
Pizza and Apple Sauce
http://makefoodnotwar.blogspot.com/2008/11/pizza.html
(sub coconut flour)
Apple Sauce
Friday-
Free day!!! sooo...
Sat-
Sloppy Joes, Fries and (box) Mac and Cheese (for the kids)
Fries
Box Mac and Cheese
Im going to make my grocery list according to the things that I still need to buy and Im going to do everything that I can to stick to it. I have a marker board that I may write it all out on or I might find something a little more crafty and cute (Any ideas???) so that each week, it is staring me in the face and if I deviate, hubby and the kids will know!!
I used to do meal planning once upon a time...but I was never great at it. I really tried to start simple but I would LOVE to hear what you do, how you make it work, your process, and how you stick to it. Excited for the week of yummy dinners!!!
Monday, January 14, 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
The Dinner Dilemma (Part 2)
Weekends are SO busy for me. Hubby works the first half of the day, then Biggy Boy has drum lessons and then I race off to work for a few ours. Sunday, we basically spend the whole day from morning to night, with a little break in between, at church. It is an awesome thing to be apart of. We love it, but weekends are busy.
I wanted to make sure I at least did a little bit of prep for this whole dinner dilemma that I am in. I made a VERY simple list of weeknight meals. I want to make sure that I start off simple while I am still getting the hang of this. I wont be doing anything fancy at all just yet. Remember, the purpose of this is to ease some of the stress that causes "Killer Hour" to be, well, a killer. I have five categories Chicken, Beef, Vegetarian Breakfast For Dinner, and Pasta. I just listed 4 meals under each category and put where I can find the recipe next to it. I still have a LOT to do but I don't want to be at a complete loss when I start my shopping on Monday. So here is what I have so far.
Chicken Meals
Fried Chicken
BBQ Chicken- Pinterest
Chicken- Friend
Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken - 6 sisters (pinterest)
Beef Meals
Hamburgers
Sloppy Joes
Tacos
Meatloaf
Pasta
Spaghetti
Artichoke/red pepper pasta
Mac and Cheese- Friend
Lasagna
Easy Vegitarian
Fajitas
Pizza
Chili
Soup- Corn Potato
Breakfast For Dinner
Pancakes
Waffles
Eggs, Turkey Bacon
Eggs, Hash Browns, Toast
What I plan to do is create some sort of calendar so that each weeknight is filled up with meals and then make my grocery lists from there. I will keep you updates on my process. Feel free to share what you do for meals and any tips....cause, boy, could I use them!
I wanted to make sure I at least did a little bit of prep for this whole dinner dilemma that I am in. I made a VERY simple list of weeknight meals. I want to make sure that I start off simple while I am still getting the hang of this. I wont be doing anything fancy at all just yet. Remember, the purpose of this is to ease some of the stress that causes "Killer Hour" to be, well, a killer. I have five categories Chicken, Beef, Vegetarian Breakfast For Dinner, and Pasta. I just listed 4 meals under each category and put where I can find the recipe next to it. I still have a LOT to do but I don't want to be at a complete loss when I start my shopping on Monday. So here is what I have so far.
Chicken Meals
Fried Chicken
BBQ Chicken- Pinterest
Chicken- Friend
Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken - 6 sisters (pinterest)
Beef Meals
Hamburgers
Sloppy Joes
Tacos
Meatloaf
Pasta
Spaghetti
Artichoke/red pepper pasta
Mac and Cheese- Friend
Lasagna
Easy Vegitarian
Fajitas
Pizza
Chili
Soup- Corn Potato
Breakfast For Dinner
Pancakes
Waffles
Eggs, Turkey Bacon
Eggs, Hash Browns, Toast
What I plan to do is create some sort of calendar so that each weeknight is filled up with meals and then make my grocery lists from there. I will keep you updates on my process. Feel free to share what you do for meals and any tips....cause, boy, could I use them!
Friday, January 11, 2013
The Dinner Dilemma (Part 1)
We all have that "What the heck do I feed my kids???" dilemma. I have been struggling lately. Everyone is so picky and Im just SO not a fan of making 209348995 variations for each person every meal. Im trying out some new things so see what I can do to create more a more peaceful dinner time at out house. Im going to report back with my final plan once I perfect it. But for now, I will leave you with an amazing video by www.DrWillCole.com on a few easy changes you can make to keep your family healthy.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Answers
Being a mom of two and the wife of a hard working husband who is gone about 60 hours a week can be, at the very least, exhausting. I have been having a slight pity party for myself because I don't have the freedom or money to get out of the house with my girlfriends or go on date nights with Will like I used to. Part of me feels really sad about that but on the flip side, if I am able to go out, I find guilt creeping up because I don't get to see hubby or big boy as much as I would like because of work and school. Its an interesting predicament that left me searching for an answer to finding the right balance in my head and heart.
My last post posed the question, "How do you tame the beast at the roughest hour of your day?" or something of that sort. No matter how hard we, as moms try, there are still those moments that you handle wrongly, because we are, after all, imperfect people. I started examining what triggers all of us at the time and making a mental note of the things that I thought I could do differently to maintain patience and also handle frustration in a way that I want my children to be able to model.
The morning after I wrote my previous blog, I started de-cluttering my life...and by my life, I mean my kids playroom! I would like to state that I got rid of 6 garbage bags full of stuff, and Im pretty impressed with the way it looks. We could stand to get rid of another 6 bags, Im sure. I think Im going to have "Give Away Saturdays" where we, as a family, get rid of a bag of stuff together, once a week. Anyway...Im getting distracted. While cleaning out the playroom, I picked up a book that my mom gave me that I had never even opened up. It is 2 books in 1. The Power Of A Positive Mom and The Power Of A Positive Woman. I opened it up and started reading the first chapter....and wow. I can't even tell you how much it spoke to me.
Instantly this book starts to address the tendency of moms to feel as if being a mom, or home maker, or whatever you choose to call it, is such a low-on-the-totem-pole job. "What do you do?" "Oh, Im just a mom"...I know I feel foolish when a professional asks me what I do. Like, Im a loser who doesnt have a job and has no skills. The author then talks about how we, as a society have kind of shifted to believe some very damaging myths that can penetrate to the core of a mothers heart.
The first myth is mothers don't really influence a child as much as peers or genetics, etc. Moms DO have a powerful impact on the development of their children. As a mom, it is my job to instill values and scripture and character qualities that will be imprinted on their hearts for all of time. The second myth is that motherhood causes women to miss out on the exciting things in life. This is the one that resonated with me the most because I totally feel like this sometimes. We are bombarded with messages that tell us that we should look out for ourselves, improve ourselves above all else, take care of #1 first, at any cost. Thinking like that can really make the selflessness of motherhood seem like its not a worthy investment of our time and effort and that can make us feel inadequate, basically saying that if we are attentive mothers who give up a lot, we are missing out on life. But that is such a lie. The author put it beautifully, "Life begins with motherhood. What could be more invigorating, more life-giving, than a house full of teenagers wanting to be fed or a handful of toddlers playing hide and seek or a new born baby waiting to be held?" These are all things that not just anyone can be apart of and being someone who can mold, shape and nurture her children, is not someone that is missing out.
Debunking these myths really made me realize a couple of things. First of all, it is (obviously) ok to miss my kids when we are apart. Second, it is ok to miss being able to go out with friends. But the most important thing that I realized was, this season in my life is very different from the last one. It doesn't offer me what I used to have....but it offers me something else. It offers me the invaluable experience of being home with my children everyday, doing their homework with the,, running them to and from karate and dance, making dinner for them, reading to them every night and being there as they fall asleep. And THAT, my friends, is NOT missing out on anything. (but Im also very thankful for friends that still make me a priority and love me even though we don't get to spend as much time together as we used to. xoxo)
Now...I'll give you one guess what chapter 2 of the book was about. Its kinda crazy! haha. But it was about surviving "Killer Hour" -the time of day where everyone, including mom, is tired, hungry, and needy. Her suggestions were pretty simple. remember that no perfect mom exists- don't be discourage by your weaknesses, instead be determined to build on your strengths. Take one day at a time- don't pile your plate too full, prioritize, dump things that repeatedly cause unnecessary stress in your life. Write a personal mission statement- prayerfully consider the purpose God has given us, declaring what we believe our lives should be about can be a helpful guide when we are trying to tame the beast. Plug Into The Power Source- When we do not plug into our power source (our amazing God) we will, no doubt, have dead batteries. When we are plugged into our God, He can pour His strength, love and holy attributes into us, which will then flow out of us onto our family.
Id say those were some pretty great answers to some questions that were weighing very heavy on my heart. God is so faithful to give abundantly more than we could ever ask for. Wow...so thankful for His unending love and the his faithfulness in answering when we ask of Him.
My last post posed the question, "How do you tame the beast at the roughest hour of your day?" or something of that sort. No matter how hard we, as moms try, there are still those moments that you handle wrongly, because we are, after all, imperfect people. I started examining what triggers all of us at the time and making a mental note of the things that I thought I could do differently to maintain patience and also handle frustration in a way that I want my children to be able to model.
The morning after I wrote my previous blog, I started de-cluttering my life...and by my life, I mean my kids playroom! I would like to state that I got rid of 6 garbage bags full of stuff, and Im pretty impressed with the way it looks. We could stand to get rid of another 6 bags, Im sure. I think Im going to have "Give Away Saturdays" where we, as a family, get rid of a bag of stuff together, once a week. Anyway...Im getting distracted. While cleaning out the playroom, I picked up a book that my mom gave me that I had never even opened up. It is 2 books in 1. The Power Of A Positive Mom and The Power Of A Positive Woman. I opened it up and started reading the first chapter....and wow. I can't even tell you how much it spoke to me.
Instantly this book starts to address the tendency of moms to feel as if being a mom, or home maker, or whatever you choose to call it, is such a low-on-the-totem-pole job. "What do you do?" "Oh, Im just a mom"...I know I feel foolish when a professional asks me what I do. Like, Im a loser who doesnt have a job and has no skills. The author then talks about how we, as a society have kind of shifted to believe some very damaging myths that can penetrate to the core of a mothers heart.
The first myth is mothers don't really influence a child as much as peers or genetics, etc. Moms DO have a powerful impact on the development of their children. As a mom, it is my job to instill values and scripture and character qualities that will be imprinted on their hearts for all of time. The second myth is that motherhood causes women to miss out on the exciting things in life. This is the one that resonated with me the most because I totally feel like this sometimes. We are bombarded with messages that tell us that we should look out for ourselves, improve ourselves above all else, take care of #1 first, at any cost. Thinking like that can really make the selflessness of motherhood seem like its not a worthy investment of our time and effort and that can make us feel inadequate, basically saying that if we are attentive mothers who give up a lot, we are missing out on life. But that is such a lie. The author put it beautifully, "Life begins with motherhood. What could be more invigorating, more life-giving, than a house full of teenagers wanting to be fed or a handful of toddlers playing hide and seek or a new born baby waiting to be held?" These are all things that not just anyone can be apart of and being someone who can mold, shape and nurture her children, is not someone that is missing out.
Debunking these myths really made me realize a couple of things. First of all, it is (obviously) ok to miss my kids when we are apart. Second, it is ok to miss being able to go out with friends. But the most important thing that I realized was, this season in my life is very different from the last one. It doesn't offer me what I used to have....but it offers me something else. It offers me the invaluable experience of being home with my children everyday, doing their homework with the,, running them to and from karate and dance, making dinner for them, reading to them every night and being there as they fall asleep. And THAT, my friends, is NOT missing out on anything. (but Im also very thankful for friends that still make me a priority and love me even though we don't get to spend as much time together as we used to. xoxo)
Now...I'll give you one guess what chapter 2 of the book was about. Its kinda crazy! haha. But it was about surviving "Killer Hour" -the time of day where everyone, including mom, is tired, hungry, and needy. Her suggestions were pretty simple. remember that no perfect mom exists- don't be discourage by your weaknesses, instead be determined to build on your strengths. Take one day at a time- don't pile your plate too full, prioritize, dump things that repeatedly cause unnecessary stress in your life. Write a personal mission statement- prayerfully consider the purpose God has given us, declaring what we believe our lives should be about can be a helpful guide when we are trying to tame the beast. Plug Into The Power Source- When we do not plug into our power source (our amazing God) we will, no doubt, have dead batteries. When we are plugged into our God, He can pour His strength, love and holy attributes into us, which will then flow out of us onto our family.
Id say those were some pretty great answers to some questions that were weighing very heavy on my heart. God is so faithful to give abundantly more than we could ever ask for. Wow...so thankful for His unending love and the his faithfulness in answering when we ask of Him.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Today, Online Church Fought The Beast ;)
Im not sure about you, but when 4 o'clock rolls around, I feel the inner beast within start to growl a little. It doesn't take much for me to let out an audible roar every now and then. Today, I am still very much under the California jet lag spell. I had to get Solomon off to school by 7:40 today. That alarm went off at 6:15 and I am pretty sure I threw an inner tantrum. It was painful to get out of bed. I got coffee brewing, washed my face with ice cold water and started packing a lunch, making breakfast and ditching some of the zombie remnants that was whispering to me, "get back in bed" haha. We made it. He was off to school on time. I came home, worked on the volunteer schedule for children's ministry and sent out some emails. Then I started nursing cup of coffee numero dos, got dressed, cleaned the kitchen and caught up with a friend I hadn't seen in 50 billion years (yeah, that's a LONG time). Then I was off to Trader Joes for some organic grass fed beef and organic free range chicken. Its a 45 minute drive. It was a quick trip (and in country girl language that means it only took me 3 hours). I came home, unloaded and put away groceries, looked at the enormous pile of luggage that is still fully unpacked, and turned the other way. I played with Shiloh for a few minutes, then had to go get Solomon from school. We got back in the house, and then started the after school routine. Who's with me? I empty the backpack, sort through a PILE of papers, figure out homework for the night, sign all the things I need to sign etc. Today was cray cray. Because he missed 3 days last week, he has about 25 worksheets and papers of make up work. Oh my, how will we ever finish. He had some defrag time with his current favorite TV show- old school Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He asked me to sit with him for a few minutes and no joke, I fell asleep in about 3 minutes. I woke up about 10 minutes later to some sort of war between the two loving siblings...one was chasing the other with scissors...mommy of the year, yeah. We worked out the kerfuffle which was over who got to open the bag of cashews. The inner beast may or may not have made its daily debut to handle that situation. ;)
I sat beside them for a little longer wondering how I was going to muster up the strength and patience to make it until after bedtime. I still had dinner to make, baths to give, a ton of homework to do with the boy, and bedtime. Hubby dearest wont be home til 8. It seemed like a slightly impossible task. I took a deep breath and just prayed that God would allow me to access the strength that I know He has already given me in order to be a mother who isn't, well, a beast :)
I logged on to my amazing church's website, Pittsburgh East Community Church, and listened to the live worship from this past weekend. While broccoli was steaming, noodles were boiling, one child dilly dallied in the bath forever, the other threw a massive fit in the playroom, i kept my cool.
Currently, little is in the bath and big boy is finishing up homework. Dinner is over. We are half way there.
But....I don't always keep my cool. How do you stay patient at the end of these long mommy days? I'm alone a lot because hubs works super long hours. Just tonight, I was supposed to go get some girl time in but had to back out because of his work load. He is such a hard worker. Its amazing...and an honor to be his wife, lemme tell yah! But, still, I do start to run a little, uh, rough, at the end of the day. So I'd love to hear what you do to keep yourself calm and patient, gentle and quiet...all while rearing those precious little ones of yours.
I sat beside them for a little longer wondering how I was going to muster up the strength and patience to make it until after bedtime. I still had dinner to make, baths to give, a ton of homework to do with the boy, and bedtime. Hubby dearest wont be home til 8. It seemed like a slightly impossible task. I took a deep breath and just prayed that God would allow me to access the strength that I know He has already given me in order to be a mother who isn't, well, a beast :)
I logged on to my amazing church's website, Pittsburgh East Community Church, and listened to the live worship from this past weekend. While broccoli was steaming, noodles were boiling, one child dilly dallied in the bath forever, the other threw a massive fit in the playroom, i kept my cool.
Currently, little is in the bath and big boy is finishing up homework. Dinner is over. We are half way there.
But....I don't always keep my cool. How do you stay patient at the end of these long mommy days? I'm alone a lot because hubs works super long hours. Just tonight, I was supposed to go get some girl time in but had to back out because of his work load. He is such a hard worker. Its amazing...and an honor to be his wife, lemme tell yah! But, still, I do start to run a little, uh, rough, at the end of the day. So I'd love to hear what you do to keep yourself calm and patient, gentle and quiet...all while rearing those precious little ones of yours.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Little In A Big World
We spent a lot of time watching home videos while we were home for Christmas these pass two weeks. I grew up in SUCH a simple life. My parents were the epitome of sacrifice. My dad drove an old beater for most of my life just so that we could go to Christian school. My mom made homemade Easter baskets out of brown grocery bags for us. We got 1-2 Christmas presents each, which we usually shared. One of the home videos we watched was over Easter. I was 12. Inside my Easter basket was a hand puppet. Thats it. I was overjoyed to receive it. Really? A 12 year old loving a hand puppet? I can almost guarantee that if I bought that for my 6 year old today, he would complain, or not even want it.
Will and I can look back now and see that we had great intentions, but we WAY overdid it. They have SO MUCH stuff. They always get so much stuff. And its at the point now, where they just don't even care about receiving because its never enough. I actually nearly fell over because one of them uttered "Thats all we get? Three presents??? Ugh" as we opened gifts at the grandparents house. Are you kidding me? We obviously had a BIG talk about it but I want it to sink in. I'm not sure I know how to accurately get this lesson across. I think I have given them the wrong message in their life so far. I want to reverse this. I want them to be passionate lovers of Jesus, first and foremost, and then because of that intense love overflow, I want them to be fiercely giving and generous.
We got SO little as kids (compared to now-a-days -oldie alert, who says nowadays???? haha) and we still were so thankful. We always looked forward to Christmas but we never felt entitled to receive certain gifts or have certain lists fulfilled. I mean, I definitely remember going over to friends houses who had so much more than us and wishing for what they had. But it didn't shape my whole world. I want that for my kids. I want to drown out the noise.
So Im looking for ideas and input. How do you teach these things to your children? What are some ideas for teaching them to be grateful and appreciative in a world that teaches us to always want more? We live in a big world, where being a minimalist is SO hard, but how do you drown out the noise, and fill them with what is important? I can't wait for your feedback!!
Will and I can look back now and see that we had great intentions, but we WAY overdid it. They have SO MUCH stuff. They always get so much stuff. And its at the point now, where they just don't even care about receiving because its never enough. I actually nearly fell over because one of them uttered "Thats all we get? Three presents??? Ugh" as we opened gifts at the grandparents house. Are you kidding me? We obviously had a BIG talk about it but I want it to sink in. I'm not sure I know how to accurately get this lesson across. I think I have given them the wrong message in their life so far. I want to reverse this. I want them to be passionate lovers of Jesus, first and foremost, and then because of that intense love overflow, I want them to be fiercely giving and generous.
We got SO little as kids (compared to now-a-days -oldie alert, who says nowadays???? haha) and we still were so thankful. We always looked forward to Christmas but we never felt entitled to receive certain gifts or have certain lists fulfilled. I mean, I definitely remember going over to friends houses who had so much more than us and wishing for what they had. But it didn't shape my whole world. I want that for my kids. I want to drown out the noise.
So Im looking for ideas and input. How do you teach these things to your children? What are some ideas for teaching them to be grateful and appreciative in a world that teaches us to always want more? We live in a big world, where being a minimalist is SO hard, but how do you drown out the noise, and fill them with what is important? I can't wait for your feedback!!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
The Best Beginning Ever...
2012 has ended in the best imaginable way for our family. My sweet dad blessed us beyond belief by flying us home to So Cal for Christmas and New Years. The last time we were able to spend Christmas with our family here was 2008 so it was MUCH needed. We arrived a few days before Christmas. My mom and stepdad saved all the tree and home decorating for my kids to be able to do with them. They got to decorate the tree, help with the outside decor, made an enormous gingerbread house from scratch, made and decorated cupcakes, and helped prepare our Christmas meal. The day before Christmas Eve, we went with my dad and stepmom to go get family photos take. It was hysterical!!! We got some great ones and we also got to show who we really are in some of them. See what I mean??? hahaha
Sisters
The Best
Famsies
We spent a delightful Christmas Eve at my dad and stepmoms house. The kids were lavished in love and attention and nothing makes me happier. It was SUCH a great time. Christmas was spent at my mom and stepdads with the whole family. We had a delish meal and sooo much fun family time. We ended the night an my aunt and uncles house. It was SO great to have so much fun family time.
We all got some narley cold virus that kept us in the house for way more than usual, but it was so great to have so much more down time than we normally have on visits. We have spent a ton of time playing games, watching super old episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians with my sister, watching hilarious old movies, and just laughing and hanging out together. I love it here. I love my family SO very much.
New Years was spent with these wild party animals!!! We played Battle of the Sexes for 3 hours and even my youngest brother skyped in from India to join the fun.
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