Finding My Way at Home

Menu Plan Monday - January 24th

2011-01-24T14:18:00.001-05:00

Wow it’s been a tough month. Holiday bills are coming in, the car died and needed replacing, property taxes are due, we’ve got 2 feet of snow with more to come, the heat pipes in the basement froze (thankfully we were able to thaw them), one of the garage doors has a snapped coil, and then the truck wouldn’t start this morning (it’s 3 degrees outside).

My husband has been working ridiculous hours which include a temporary night shift from 2pm to 2am. His next check will be great but we’ve got to get through the rest of January as well as the first week of February before he gets paid. So the $353 I’ve spent so far this month on groceries along with maybe another $20 for milk and produce is going to have to be enough.

My menu goal this week is to prepare dinners my kids won’t moan about that also provide hearty enough leftovers for my husband to take to work.

Sunday – Kielbasa, Pierogies, Roasted Cauliflower

Monday – Crunchy Oven Baked Chicken Toes, Baked Potato Wedges, Carrots and Celery with Ranch Dip

Tuesday – Turkey Meatballs in Gravy, Egg Noodles, Green Beans

Wednesday – Pork Cutlets Parmesan over Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread

Thursday – Crockpot Steak and Potatoes, Broccoli

Friday – Breakfast for Supper – Pancakes, Sausage, Orange Juice

Saturday – Pizza (hopefully homemade but possibly takeout)

For tips on menu planning, menu ideas and more links to recipes check out Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

Have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday - October 18th

2010-10-19T13:42:00.000-04:00

Well here’s my menu for the week posted a couple days late. In addition to being behind on a bunch of household chores, I’m struggling a little with this week’s menu due to lack of inspiration. I have several busy days this week without an opportunity to do any real grocery shopping. So time constraints as well as the desire to stick to my grocery budget have me trying to plan from the freezer and pantry once again.

Monday – Chili Mac Casserole, Tossed Salad

Tuesday (Soccer) – Chicken Cutlets, Brown Rice, Green Beans

Wednesday (Dance) – Spaghetti w/Meatballs, Tossed Salad, Bread

Thursday – Pork Chops, Pierogies, Broccoli

Friday (Brownies) – Homemade Pizza Night

Saturday (Mom’s Night Out) – No clue!!!

For great menu ideas (sure to be better than mine this week!) and links to recipes check out this week’s Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-13T07:11:00.000-04:00

To enjoy more check out Wordless Wednesday.

Puttering (Mom's 30 Minute Blog Challenge)

2010-10-12T08:41:00.000-04:00

Do you ever have a ton of things to do and instead of focusing on one task you find yourself puttering all over the house, straightening, tossing, wiping, dusting, etc? Taking the time to study your window treatments, the placement of your furniture and how you maybe need to update your wall hangings and photos. Is it productive, worthwhile or necessary?

I find I need these days. It gets the entire house to a slightly nicer level and seems to calm me as well as infuse me with new ideas to freshen up my home. For some reason fall seems to be the time of year I do this the most. I think it’s my own seasonal nesting instinct…the days are getting cooler and shorter and we are all starting to spend more time inside the house. It’s nice to freshen thing up and get it all warm and cozy for the coming winter months.

My puttering session last week resulted in a few curtains getting changed out, new floor plan ideas for the playroom, moving a piece of toy organization/storage from the playroom to my son’s room and taking a small table out of hiding to place near the front door with a fall placemat and gourds. Our house got a nice dose of fall decorating and I'm looking forward to updating the playroom into a more functional family room instead of the toy dumping ground it has become.

Slow down the next time you find yourself running around the house frantically cleaning. Take a minute to really look at your surroundings, enjoy the nice things and take a minute to re-think the things that just aren't working.

Here are some links to a few decorating and organizational blogs that I like:

The Nesting Place
The Nester has a great series she’s posting right now called 31 Days to a Less Messy Nest.

I’m an Organizing Junkie
As well as keeping a whole lot of bloggers meal plans organized by hosting Menu Plan Monday, Laura offers great tips on de-cluttering and organizing as well as reviews on organizational and storage products.

Home Sanctuary
Rachel Anne offers monthly ‘small things’ to tackle around your home. You can earn points for monthy giveaways by slowly turning your home into your own sanctuary.

This post was written as my submission to Steady Mom's 30 Minute Blog Challenge. Check out this week's post Tired Moms - Do You Need a Break?. The post also includes links to other submissions.

Menu Plan Monday - October 11th - Use It Up Week

2010-10-11T08:47:00.001-04:00

One of the things from last week's menu that I planned was a roasted chicken stuffed with my 4th attempt at my mother in law’s stuffing recipe. And….YES I NAILED IT!!! Hubby was thrilled and ate a small mountain of it that night. The Crockpot Swiss Steak was not so good and the Crockpot BBQ Pork Ribs never got made – those are getting pushed to this week. On Saturday we ended up doing an appetizer night with our guests – it was a very fun evening.

So on to this week. My husband is home today and the kids will be home again tomorrow. Sunday we had a lazy day and our menu comprised things made out of leftovers. That’s the theme for this week – Use It Up. The soup I made was very good – it thickened up to almost a stew and was very tasty.

Here are some of the things I need to use up this month (some sooner than others):

Sour Cream
Green and Red Peppers
Chicken stock
Already cooked chicken (full breast and cut up dark)
BBQ Cubed Steak
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Hot Italian Sausage
Apples
Boneless Pork Ribs
Hot Dogs (I have a TON of them it seems)
Ricotta Cheese
Mozzarella Block

Sunday
Lunch – Open Faced BBQ Cubed Steak Sandwiches, Hot Dogs (kids), Carrots and Celery w/Ranch Dip, Homemade Potato Chips

Supper – Refrigerator Soup – Sausage, Chicken Stock, Cannellini Beans, Green Beans, Pasta, Tomato, Onion, and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Monday – Columbus Day (No School) – Grilled Chicken, Noodles Alfredo, Broccoli

Tuesday (No School / Soccer) – Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Tuna Mac, Freezer Pickles, Carrots and Celery w/Ranch Dip,

Wednesday (Dance) – Crockpot Chicken and Rice Casserole, Green Beans

Thursday – Blackened Blade Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Salad

Friday – Make Your Own Taco Night

Saturday - Boneless Pork Ribs w/Apples and Onions, Baked Beans, Mashed Potatoes, Carrots

Looks like I still have to find something to do with the peppers (I can freeze them if I don’t use them this week), and I have plans to make a lasagna within the next week for the freezer as well. The sausage, along with a few peppers, is getting thrown into the leftover potato chips this morning as hash browns. I think the kids and I will bake something with the apples later today or tomorrow. I know I have a few more things lurking in the freezer that need to get used up. We’ll see what other things I find and I’ll share any great ideas I might have for using them.

For more great menu ideas and links to recipes check out this week's Menu Plan Monday at I'm and Organizing Junkie. Have a great week!

A New Look

2010-10-10T15:39:00.000-04:00

I've been wanting to change things up a bit here but just haven't taken the time to put into being creative as well as working my way through blogger.

So if you happen to be here looking around let me know if you like the new look.

Thanks....

Personal Validation (Mom's 30 Minute Blog Challenge)

2010-10-06T14:40:00.000-04:00

Being a stay at home mom can get lonely and rather dull some days. There is a list of chores that need to get done every day, often multiple times I might add. Often the lack of appreciation for the things that we do each day makes us feel very ‘un-validated’ in our work. I try to keep myself busy and find new things to do and new skills to learn. I really enjoy cooking, menu planning, and getting a good bargain. Some of the times just the personal satisfaction I get from accomplishing these things helps me feel good. Other times I find that yeah I’m doing interesting things, but I don’t have any one around during the day to share these things with. I’m not overly social and don’t see myself as a ‘lady who lunches’ kind of gal. But I often find that I end up either talking to myself or searching out friends online via Facebook or a variety of special interest forums.

I just started volunteering in my daughter’s class this morning. My son is in preschool and the timeframe works out just right. I’m looking forward to interacting with the kids, helping the teacher out with clerical tasks and just having somewhere I need to go every Wednesday morning. Even though it’s an assignment I took on as part of contributing to my daughter’s classroom experience it is also something personally validating.

Blogging for me is probably the thing that is most personally validating – sometimes to the point of selfishness I might say. I’ve always loved writing and taking pictures. My content is comprised of things that are very important to me: my family, my home, food, our finances and my own sanity.

I’m hoping this winter to find snippets of time to actually explore more things that I want to do. I’d love to put a little more effort into decorating my home, give scrapbooking a try, resume exercising regularly, and of course spend more time writing. I love being home with my kids, love having the time and flexibility to care for my family, to cook good meals, to shop for bargains and really ‘make’ our home. But I know that I need to fill that out with a few more things that are a little more focused on Dawn and not just mommy

This post was written as my contribution to Steady Mom’s 30 Minute Blog Post challenge. Click here to

check out this week's 30 Minute blog post on Steady Mom's Morning Routine as well as links to other posts in the 30 Minute Blog Post challenge.

Ok I'm going to admit the longest part of writing this post was trying to find a picture of myself to share. Not only do I detest most pictures of myself...there just aren't that many as I'm always behind the camera instead of in front of it!

Wordless Wednesday - The Pumpkin Farm

2010-10-06T06:51:00.000-04:00

Check out more great photos on Wordless Wednesday

October Budget

2010-10-04T14:16:00.000-04:00

We’ve been pushing the checking account to its lowest limits lately and something has got to give. As a result, I’ve been having moments of panic quite a bit and this always puts the thought that I need to get a job into my head. The last time my husband and I discussed this option he said not yet. I know that the only type of job that would work for us financially would be for me to work the hours when he is home. Even this might not work financially as he gets sporadic overtime that far out earns anything I’d make working part time. Also it would seriously diminish the quality of our family life.

October happens to be a three paycheck month as well as the month my husband receives a lump sum check for the retroactive pay raises from their recently approved union contract. My goal this month is to maximize the additional income by keeping our flexible expenses as low as possible. This is really going to be a challenge as the pantry needs some restocking, we need pellets for the pellet stove, the truck needs new tires and it looks like I will be taking a trip to Florida within the next month to help my father in law start sorting and packing up his house to move (more on this at a later date).

I managed to get Halloween costumes already from a local consignment shop, I’ve been doing a lot of cooking from scratch and have been back to my previous mode of bargain shopping for groceries and household needs. I’ve also sold some clothes to the consignment shop and have more clothing as well as kids toys to bring down. We also have a few larger items and pieces of furniture that I’d like to get out of the house so I’m going to list them on Craigslist.

Hopefully by being smart, and of course with some luck, we can get a little bit ahead of the game before the upcoming holiday expenses start setting in. Now I'm off to finish clipping coupons and making my grocery list for tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted on our success. Note that I used the word SUCCESS – positive thinking right???!!!

Menu Plan Monday - October 4th

2010-10-04T12:28:00.000-04:00

Last week's menu went pretty well.   We enjoyed the Ritz Cracker Eggplant Casserole. I used cream of mushroom soup instead of golden mushroom, only blanched the eggplant briefly and used a little more cheese and ritz crackers than the recipe called for.

This week is a little busy with plans to have company for dinner over on Saturday.   My daughter has two birthday parties on Saturday - a Boo Bowling Party and a Movie Night Sleepover.   I have to get gifts and finish her Brownie sash (the iron on patches sooo didn't stay on!). On Friday my son's preschool is taking a field day trip to a local farm. We get to go on a hayride, pick apples, have snacks and bring home a pumpkin.   Of course I think he is most excited about riding on a school bus.

This week I'm planning the following:

Sunday - Homemade Pizza - Cheese for the Kids, Eggplant and Onion for Mom and Dad (this was AWESOME!)

Monday - Soup and Sandwich Night

Tuesday (Soccer) - Roasted Stuffed Chicken (my mother in law's stuffing recipe), Gravy, Mashed Potataoes, Broccoli (leftover chicken used for lunches and Thursday's dinner, bones used to make stock)

Wednesday (Dance) - Crockpot Swiss Steak (I will add chopped tomatoes to this recipe), Noodles, Green Beans

Thursday - Chicken, Sausage and Broccoli over Pasta, Tossed Salad

Friday - Crockpot BBQ Pork Ribs, Baked Beans, Homemade Potato Chips, Carrots and Celery with Ranch Dip

Saturday (Company for Dinner) - Still working on a menu plan for this....considering doing a hearty appetizer type buffet but I'm not sure yet.

For more great menu ideas and recipes check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Have a great week!

Relaxation through A Clean Kitchen

2010-10-02T08:16:00.000-04:00

There is an insurmountable joy in waking up to a kitchen with no dirty dishes. Now granted they aren’t all put away but they are clean, drying in the dish drainer or counter and waiting to be placed in the cabinets. The counters are wiped down, the sink is clean, the coffee pot is set for 5:30am, the stovetop has been cleaned and buffed and my lovely jar candle is glowing and sending it’s scent across the kitchen as I type.

So now I’m off to read a little before bed and know that I’ll wake up to a nice neat kitchen.

Links I Liked - Newly Discovered Blogs

2010-09-28T07:12:00.002-04:00

A last glimpse of summer.....bittersweet

I spent a little bit of my downtime last night perusing the Menu Plan Monday links at I’m an Organizing Junkie and found a few new to me blogs that were interesting. Of course this was no small undertaking as there are 277 links up while I am currently writing this at 7:44pm Eastern Time.

I thought it would be nice to share them with you. Here’s what I enjoyed and am planning to continue checking out in the weeks to come:

A Life in Progress
Gia has a great blog with a variety of things to offer. She's pregnant with a new baby, stepmom to two teen girls, a teacher, a homeowner with a lot of desire to decorate and a cook who shares recipes and links. I enjoyed Gia's site and will be visiting her again.

Golden Reflections
I liked this blog. Heather is an occupational therapist who shares child development related OT tips that are great. I plan to follow up on a few for my four year old who is just learning to use scissors (ahhhh!!!). She also shares a lot about her interests which include cooking, decorating, photography and scrapbooking.

Creative Cents
Mandy has created an adorable site full of great craft and learning ideas for kids as well as home decor, seasonal crafts, scrapbooking, coupons, sales and deals. This looks like a great place to get some crafty ideas to work on over the winter.

Check these out and leave me a comment with your own blog link or any others you think my readers and I would enjoy.

Have a great day!

Menu Plan Monday - September 27

2010-09-27T08:11:00.001-04:00

I'm trying to avoid the grocery store until Friday - which is the first day of the new month and payday. The checkbook is a bit tight and most of our bills are due end of month. October happens to be a three paycheck month so hopefully we can work on getting a little ahead of ourselves before plunging into the holiday season.

My husband has been away since Thursday and my daughter and I attended our local Girl Scout Council's Camporee Camp Out over the weekend. I neglected to menu plan last week and it was HORRIBLE. I had a hard time coming up with ideas and felt that all I did was rush and not feed my family very well. Needless to say we are back on track this week.

Here's what I'm planning for dinner at our house this week:

Sunday - Breakfast for Supper

Monday - (Hubby is still away) - Corn Dog Muffins, Baked Beans, Carrots and Celery w/Ranch Dressing

Tuesday - (Soccer) - Thyme Pork Cutlets, Ritz Cracker Eggplant Casserole, Buttered Noodles, Green Beans

Wednesday - (Dance) - Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie, Salad

Thursday - London Broil with Bobby Flay's Fra Diavolo Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli

Friday - Spaghetti and Meatballs w/Homemade Sauce, Eggplant Parmesean, Bread, Salad

Saturday - Dinner at my Aunt's house

Additionally I'd like to make the following items for snacks and for the freezer: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Zucchini Bread, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and of course Spaghetti Sauce.

For more great menu ideas and links to recipes check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie. Have a great week!

Wordless Wednesday - Wonders of Nature

2010-09-15T12:41:00.000-04:00

I've been swamped around the house so I decided for today's post I would join Wordless Wednesday. I've gotten some great nature shots over the summer and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share them.

For more great photos check out the links at Wordless Wednesday

Menu Plan Monday - September 13th

2010-09-13T07:16:00.001-04:00

I was able to stick to last week’s menu plan pretty well. The only meal I didn’t make was the Asian Pork Chops as we were running errands that evening and decided to eat out. The Cinnamon Chicken went over very well – I wasn’t sure as the combination of cinnamon and tomatoes was a little odd to me. I personally liked the Creamy Beef Over Noodles – although we had it over mashed potatoes as we had noodles the night before. The big hit with the kids were the Corn Dog Muffins. I made them mini sized and they were snacking on them all weekend.

We have a pretty active week ahead – soccer, curriculum night at school, dance class as well as a math project that my daughter needs to get finished. I tried to put together a relatively easy menu plan that utilizes what I have in the freezer and has some variety. Here’s what I came up with for our dinner table this week:

Monday – Skillet BBQ Cubed Steak, Roasted Cauliflower, Oven Roasted Potatoes, Broccoli

Tuesday (Soccer and Curriculum Night) - Kitchen Scavenge Night

Wednesday (Dance) – Crazy Slow Cooker Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Thursday - Brown Sugar Chicken (crockpot), Rice, Corn

Friday – Hot Dog Casserole, Cheesy Bread, Salad

Saturday (Soccer and birthday party) – Fried Rice (use up leftovers) Chicken Strips, Vegetable Medley

For more great menu ideas and links to recipes check out this week’s Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

Preserving the Garden - Day One

2010-09-10T11:32:00.000-04:00

My pretty garden earlier this summer - by now it's looking rather ratty but still producing

I'm working on putting up tomatoes for the freezer today.   I already have some roasting and have just started boiling water to skin the remainder.   I also hope to get some zucchini shredded for baking and some sliced, blanched and frozen for frying.   There are some cucumbers in the fridge as well as a few more in the garden that are going to turn into freezer pickles.

It was a productive week around here.   I managed to get my desk aka 'command center' under control as well as getting the kids outgrown clothes removed from their dressers and closets.   Now I need to pull out the nicer items and take them to consignment.   I do still have mountains of clean laundry to put away and more to wash as well.

Next week I'll share my results of preserving the garden.   Wish me luck!!

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

2010-09-10T09:41:00.000-04:00

I used these gorgeous vegetables as inspiration for my Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad.

Clean and slice vegetables for grilling. I used eggplant, zucchini, onion, red pepper, green pepper. Salt the sliced eggplant and let it rest in a colander to drain away any bitterness. Rinse off salt and pat dry.

Ready for the grill.

Grill Veggies with a bit of olive oil brushed on ntil they get soft and achieve some of those nice grill marks.

My grill didn't seem to get quite hot enough so I don't have as many grill marks as I would have liked

Prepare your choice of pasta according to directions in an amount you think is reasonable. I cooked half of a 13oz box. I prefer using tricolor rotini but all I had in the pantry was penne. Cook al dente so it doesn’t get too mushy. Rinse in cold water.

Toss pasta with grilled veggies, a little garlic, parsley, basil and your choice of dressing – I used a Balsamic Vinaigrette. Add parmesan if desired. I had some leftover crumbled Italian sausage and some fresh diced tomatoes that I added in as well.

Serve chilled as a side dish.

I think this dish would also work very well hot. If I made it hot I would probably not use the Balsamic Dressing but would instead toss with just olive oil, parmesean and cook the tomatoes instead of using them fresh and cold. My husband enjoyed this as a side in his lunchbox.

Lunch Box Ideas for My Picky Eater

2010-09-08T07:49:00.000-04:00

Packing lunches for my 7 year old Picky Petunia can be quite a challenge. I’ll admit she isn’t the healthiest of eaters and is definitely not adventurous when it comes to food. I spent the other day searching for ideas on how to inject a little more nutrition into her lunchbox while still giving her things I know will get eaten and hopefully even enjoyed.

Generally she takes either a turkey or ham and cheese sandwich on a wrap or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We look at the school lunch menu every month and she circles the days she would like to buy school lunch. Our school lunch program is $2.25 a day and looks to have a very well rounded selection – of course most of them she isn’t interested in so she only buys lunch perhaps 4 times a month.

I visited quite a few web sites as well as did a brain search to put together a list of things I think she will eat. I thought I would share this with my readers. Hopefully at least some of you are able to get your kids to eat more exciting and even healthier foods but here’s my Picky Petunia Lunch Box Idea List:

Use “Green” aka Spinach Wraps instead of Flour Tortillas (she actually asks for these)
PB&J or Cream Cheese and Jelly on Cinnamon Raisin Bread or Cornbread Muffins
Sandwich Shapes – I have some cute mini cutters in seasonal shapes
Cheese and Crackers with Grapes and Veggie Sticks
Ants on a Log – Celery, Peanut Butter and Raisins
Ants on a Raft – Graham Crackers, Peanut Butter and Raisins – maybe throw on banana slices too?
Pretzel Kabobs – Meat and Cheese rolled up and skewered with a pretzel
Trail Mix – Chex Cereal, Peanuts, Raisins, Pretzels, Mini Chocolate Chips (in today’s lunchbox)
Mini Muffins – blueberry, banana mini choc chip
Yogurt
Carrots, Celery and Peanut Butter
Popcorn
Fruit – Bananas, Strawberries, Grapes

On Saturday I have these Corn Dog Muffins planned for dinner. If the kids like them then I might include them on the lunch list.

I got some of my ideas from these links:

Save $400 a Year on School Lunches
Living on a Dime’s frugal tips to providing school lunches – has some great comments and additional ideas from their readers as well.

School Days: Fun Brown Bag Lunches for Kids at eSSORTMENT
35 complete lunches including snacks and drinks. I found some very different kid friendly ideas here including apple and banana chips; Ants on a Raft; Peanut Butter, honey and raisin sandwich; and fruit kabobs.

School Lunch Ideas
I didn’t get to spend much time on this site as it is huge! It also includes lunch ideas for peanut free classrooms as well as food safety in packing lunches.

I’d love to hear any of your kid’s lunch favorites – especially those with picky eaters like mine.

Links I Liked - Organization

2010-09-07T08:42:00.000-04:00

A peaceful summer sunset at the beach

After the extremely busy but fun summer we’ve had things are starting to settle into the school year routine. Of course as I look around my house I realize that everything else here is still chaos. I have laundry all over the place, financial and school papers to deal with as well as the kid’s clothes to start switching out. Feeling totally overwhelmed by all the de-cluttering, cleaning and re-organizing I have to do I searched the web for some inspiration to push me along.

FlyLady got me started on getting rid of the chaos in my home – known by her as the Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome. Whenever I get that overwhelmed feeling I resort back to her teachings – shine my sink, set the timer and accomplish as much as I can in fifteen minute bursts. You can also check Marla Cilley’s (aka FlyLady) book Sink Reflections. I highly recommend FlyLady for those of you that can’t seem to get out from the clutter in their lives.

Homemaking Organized is a very resourceful site for homemakers. It includes a blog full of interesting topics as well as some great printable checklists. I just recently printed out the September 2010 Home Organizing Checklist. Check it out for tips on organizing your home, kids, schooling and family life.

For those of you who are gung ho on organizing check out Laura’s Organizing Junkie Challenge. I’m not quite sure if I’m game for it but I do love Laura’s blog I’m an Organizing Junkie. There are great posts on home organizing ideas, products and processes. For me the best part of I’m an Organizing Junkie has to be Menu Plan Monday. By contributing to this weekly post I find myself keeping on track two ways – one as a blogger and most importantly as a mom who has to feed her family healthy, interesting meals on a budget. Menu planning has definitely helped me in that last respect.

Organizing Mommy blogs on this conversational and fun site about her trials at keeping her home and family organized. She has some great tips on physical space organization and time management as well as information on homeschooling. She also happens to be one of the followers of my own blog so a little extra shout out to her for that. Check out Organized Everyday for tips and smiles.

Now that I’ve perused a few of my favorite organizing and homemaking sites I’m ready to tackle things here. If you need a little inspiration and maybe even some education on how to get your home and life a little more organized the information in these links will help set you on the right path.

Laundry, dishes and my dirty sink are awaiting me….so off I go! Have a great day.

Menu Plan Monday - Labor Day Monday

2010-09-05T09:26:00.001-04:00

I'm starting my menu this week on Sunday. We actually have a picnic to attend Sunday afternoon so I'm not sure if we'll really be eating dinner when we get home. If not the chicken is already cooked and I'll use it for my husband's lunches throughout the week (chicken sandwiches, chicken salad, etc, etc). I'm trying to use up a few things from the freezer - kielbasa, stew beef, pork chops and hot dogs. Also trying a few new recipes so I'm rather excited about that - dinners have been a bit boring around here.

Here's what will be on our table this week:

Sunday – Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas

Monday – Mom’s Skillet Kielbasa, Salad

Tuesday – Cinnamon Chicken ($5 Dollar Dinner Mom Cookbook), Vermicelli, Broccoli

Wednesday – Creamy Beef over Noodles, Salad

Thursday – Asian Pork Chops ($5 Dollar Dinner Mom Cookbook), Green Beans and Carrots, Brown Rice

Friday – Make Your Own Taco Night – Taco meat, lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream, refried beans, shredded cheese and corn

Saturday – Corn Dog Muffins, Baked Beans, Carrots and Celery with Dip

Lunches for DH this week will consist of chicken sandwiches, Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad, Bisquick Quiche, and of course - leftovers.

For more great menu ideas and recipes check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

The End of Summer Vacation

2010-09-03T13:15:00.000-04:00

Well it's over....the last days of summer and school is now back in session. My daughter started the 2nd grade this past Monday and my son starts preschool in another week. I wanted to share a few more pictoral memories of our summer. These are from the last month of summer and include my daughters 7th birthday through the first day of school.

Hope you enjoy these photos:

My 7 Year Old's birthday at Chuck E.Cheese

Amazing view from Rosecliff Mansion in Newport RI

On the cliffs at Beavertail Lighthouse, Jamestown RI

The "Birthday Boys" enjoying birthday beverages in front of the bonfire

First day of 2nd Grade

Trying out their birthday golf clubs.

I'll be back next week with a new MPM Menu, a recipe for Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad, an update on my garden and the steps I'm taking to preserve our harvest as well as links to great topics and chit chat.

Have a great weekend!

Menu Plan Monday - July 26th

2010-07-26T07:18:00.001-04:00

Last week’s menu went pretty well. I did end up skipping the cube steak and the kielbasa as we used up some leftovers those nights instead. This week our schedule isn’t quite nailed down so rather than planning for individual nights I’ve come up with a list of meals we can have and based on our plans for the day, I’ll pick and choose. I know that one night we’ll be meeting up with my brother in law and his family and we are also planning to spend a couple nights at the beach house weather pending. I’m heading out on Friday morning for a girl’s weekend in Hampton Beach, NH. I can’t wait – beach time, trashy magazines to read, nails to paint, shopping, fried dough, a nice dinner, cocktails and dancing ourselves silly. I’m sure my husband will be ordering pizza Friday night. I only needed to plan 3 dinners this week as well have breakfast, lunch and snack foods available.

Here’s what I plan on cooking this week:

Italian Marinated Split Chicken Breasts, Grilled Mixed Vegetables and Potatoes
Hamburgers, Hotdogs, Baked Beans and Corn on the Cob
BBQ Cubed Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Cucumber Salad

Breakfast will be cereal, waffles and yogurt. For lunches we have tuna, leftovers, peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese and tossed salad.

For more menu ideas and links to recipes check this week’s Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

Have a great week!

Summer Fun Photos

2010-07-22T06:45:00.000-04:00

Here's a pictoral glimpse into the activities that have kept our family busy over the past few months and have also been a portion of the reason I wasn't blogging. Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed the memories made:

First Grade Garden Party

Memorial Day Parade - Daisy Troop Procession

Neighborhood Kids at our Memorial Day Picnic

Dance Recital - Ballet

Grandpa took us to the Dinosaur Crossing when he visited

Spring Soccer

4th of July Weekend at the Beach

Sandcastles in Rhode Island

On the way back from ice cream at "The Shack" in RI

Our Family at Charlestown Beach, RI

It's been a great spring/summer so far. Now I'm trying to regroup for the second half which includes a Girl's Weekend in Hampton Beach, a getaway to Newport, Rhode Island, and more time at our family's beach house. Somewhere in there we also need to get my daughter's summer reading and math scavenger hunt completed as well as get ready for school to start on August 30th.

Hope your family is making good memories this summer as well.

After Vacation Chaos

2010-07-21T08:06:00.000-04:00

Re-entry to real life after vacation sure is a lot of work. Most of that work seems to be laundry. I have been washing and hanging out clothes non-stop for the past three days. Of course have I put any of them away yet??? Noooo…..

Today is a cloudy showery day here so I’m going to take a break with the washing and get all these clean clothes put away. My To Do list is a mile long and while I’ve been busy working hard the past two days I feel like I’m spinning in circles and accomplishing little. It’s time to make a plan that focuses on fewer tasks. And then actually follow them through to completion.

Today I am going COMPLETE the following tasks:

Put away all clean clothes – and require help from the kids with theirs
Prep Tossed Salad and Cut Up Veggies
Clear my ‘desk’ aka countertop of all mail, papers, etc – sort by priority
Start tackling the paperwork that needs action – I know I can’t finish this today
Get Birthday Cards and a gift for my daughter from her little brother

While I’m tempted to add to this list I’m not. I have a second list going of things that need to get done but I’m not going to focus on them today. If I come across other things throughout the day I will add them to the second list for action another day.

Now it’s time I walk away from the computer and get going. On a positive note I already took a half hour walk this morning at 5:30am. With both kids home it seems that this is the only time I can get in my exercise and burn off some steam.

Wish me luck on having a productive day. Hope yours is as well!

Links I Liked - Summer Produce

2010-07-20T07:44:00.000-04:00

Here are a few shots of my garden. I’m very pleased with the results thus far. It’s smaller than I wanted this year, hence a bit crowded and needs a little more weeding and pruning but it’s starting to produce nicely. I almost think that in the past I’ve been overwatering as it did well with me gone for 10 days.

Harvesting a few zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers and green beans yesterday has me excited about all the fresh summer foods available. I found a few great blog posts on using the abundance of summer produce available to us from farmers markets and grocery stores as well as our own gardens.

Give these a look:

The following two posts are from Jami at An Oregon Cottage. First is a great collection of light, easy, veggie oriented meals in her post Favorite Easy Summer Meals. This second post is one on Freezer Jam that I wish I had before strawberry season ended here. I’m bookmarking this one for next summer.

Take advantage of the great sale prices on red peppers and check out Holly, The Mostly Happy Stay at Home Mom’s process of preparing Roasted Red Peppers. I didn’t get any into my garden this year but I’m going to snag some at the next sale and make these.

Jessica aka FishMama at Life as Mom has dozens of links to summer recipes including grilled meats and vegetables, salads and treats. Check out her BBQ Recipe Ultimate Recipe Swap for some summer backyard party ideas.

Hope you enjoy these links as much as I did. Have a great day!

Menu Plan Monday - July 19th - Penny Pinching Menu

2010-07-19T12:40:00.000-04:00

I have just recently gotten back into menu planning and really need a penny pincher menu this week. We just got back from 10 days at the Rhode Island shore after spending 7 days at our family’s house on Long Island Sound. I am dog tired, yet I have to climb Laundry Mountain and feed everyone this week. After vacation expenses and upcoming bills, I really need to try to stay out of the grocery store until after payday. So in between washer cycles I put together this menu for the week:

Sunday – Pantry Scrounge

Monday – Steak Kabobs, Grilled Zucchini, Yellow Squash and Onion (with the exception of the onion these are from my garden!!), Bread Maker Bread

Tuesday – Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs, Rice, Green Beans (also from my garden)

Wednesday – Crock Pot Cubed Steak, Mashed Potato, Corn

Thursday – Birthday Girl’s Choice – My daughter turns 7 and gets to choose dinner. Right now it sounds like she wants pancakes or French toast. Easy, yummy and budget friendly – I’m not going to complain!

Friday – BBQ Keilbasa, Baked Beans, Sweet Cucumber Salad (cucumbers are from garden)

Saturday – Sandwich Night, chips, carrots and celery sticks (above mentioned 7 year old is having a Chuck E Cheese party with her girlfriends this afternoon so keeping it simple)

Sunday – Afternoon Family Birthday Party – Appetizers, Cake, Ice Cream. I still need to figure out a few appetizers. I’m trying to keep it easy and inexpensive. The party is at 2pm so it’s between lunch and dinner.

Lunch options for my husband are tuna, chicken or egg salad sandwiches, leftovers or tossed salad. The kids will have peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese, soup, macaroni and cheese or chicken nuggets. Snack choices are goldfish crackers, jello, ice pops, gogurts, applesauce or animal crackers. We really need fresh produce around here. Thankfully the garden has provided a few things.

Grocery day is Friday so in order to make this work I need to do a little bit of scratch cooking. My ‘wish’ list to accomplish is:

Hard Boil Eggs – DONE
Bake Bread
Make Cucumber Salad
Make Jello - DONE
Plan Sunday Appetizers
Bake Cookies (?)

I also need to plan out my grocery trip and should probably draft out a menu for next week based on any good deals I can get on Friday.

For more great menu and recipe ideas check out this week's Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie. Have a great week!

April Grocery Challenge - Re-Stock the Freezer and Pantry on $400

2010-03-31T12:31:00.000-04:00

The placemat my daughter made for the 1st Grade Nutritious Breakfast at school

(picture cropped to remove her name)

My challenge for April is to re-stock my freezer and pantry, as well as provide healthy, interesting meals to my family. The budget for accomplishing these two tasks is set at $400. Hubby gets 3 paychecks this month and we got our income tax return, so it seems like a good time to give it a try. I started my challenge today - ok I know today is the last day of March but I really REALLY needed to shop or nobody was going to eat tomorrow! My spending today is going to be applied to the April budget.

The little man and I spent about an hour and a half in Stop and Shop this morning and I spent more in one shopping trip than I have in quite some time. I had a coupon worth $8.00 off my total order, 4 Stop & Shop Dollar Doubler Coupons, a slew of $1.00 coupons and quite a few under a dollar that doubled.

Included in my purchases are:

Easter Ham
2 Rings of Keilbasa
2 Packs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Family Pack of Cube Steaks
Family Pack of Boneless Pork Ribs
2 Packs Oscar Mayer Bacon
1lb Deli American Cheese
1/2 Lb Deli Turkey Breast
2 Jars of Hellmans Mayo
4 Boxes of General Mills Cereal
FREE Hood Sour Cream
Coffee (Maxwell House and Starbucks)
1.5 Gallons of Milk
2 Dozen Eggs
6 Boxes Green Giant Frozen Veggies
2 Packs of Fruitables Juice Boxes
5 Cans DelMonte Diced Tomatoes
7 Cans Campbells Cream Soup
Lettuce
Red Peppers
Broccoli Crowns
Grape Tomatoes
Strawberries
5lbs Potatoes

And….here is the picture of the $273.61 worth of groceries that I purchased for…….$145.77!!!!

Ok here’s another picture of my little cutie with all the groceries informing me with gestures that he wants a snack….I couldn’t resist!

As I said, I did spend more than I have in quite a while, but with shopping sales, using coupons and getting some marked down meat I managed to save 47% on my groceries today. If you consider the hour and a half of shopping along with about an hour and a half of prepping (scanning circular, making list, matching coupons, etc) I earned $42 an hour (3 hours to save $127.93). Not too shabby eh?

Do you have any grocery spending goals for April? Have any questions on finding coupons, shopping sales, creating a stockpile or other grocery related stuff? Drop me a comment with any questions you have for me or tips you might have for me and my readers.

My next shopping trip is CVS….stay tuned for those results later this week.

Menu Plan Monday - March 29

2010-03-29T08:19:00.001-04:00

It’s pouring buckets outside today and of course the little man and I have to go out twice – once this morning and again after lunch for story time. He is attending a preschool screening at our elementary school this morning. They identify children who require early intervention for the FREE preschool program at our elementary school (yes you heard me FREE – ok we do pay taxes for it….). I don’t see my son requiring intervention however they also have a lottery to fill out the classes from the rest of the kids that are screened. So why not give it a shot – it’s free, 4 days a week 2 ½ hours a day.

I actually planned my menu last week but never posted it. And I did a better job following it than I have in the past few weeks.

I’m planning to grocery shop Wednesday or Thursday (applied to April’s budget). The budget is going to have to be bigger this month due to Easter Dinner and the need to do some freezer/pantry stocking. Pickings around here have just been too slim….while DH likes that I maintain a budget I think he’s getting aggravated with the lack of a few things he’d like. So this week I’m working hard on a grocery list based on sales and coupons. I have an extra $8.00 off my entire order at Stop & Shop so that’s where I’m headed this week as well as CVS and perhaps Aldi.

Here’s the menu plan for this week:

Monday – Chicken Cutlets Parmesan, Pasta, Salad

Tuesday – Pork Chops with Balsamic Sweet Onion Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli

Wednesday – Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Homemade Bread, Salad

Thursday – Grilled Chicken Legs, Green Beans, Pasta Alfredo

Friday – Burgers and Dogs, Macaroni Salad, Homemade Potato Chips

Saturday – Family Fun Takeout - Egg Coloring Party!!!!

For more great menu and recipe ideas check out Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie. Have a great week!

March Grocery Challenge - The Final Week

2010-03-26T12:33:00.000-04:00

With less than a week left in March I've spent my grocery budget of $240. I will admit to a little bit of cheating though....the $240 is what I spent from the checking account. I returned bottles and cans to grab milk one day and today just sold our Backpack carrier for $50 - used $7 of that to buy apples for this afternoon's Daisy meeting snack.

My next grocery trip is planned for Thursday April 1st. I'll let you know next week if I make it until then and what my anticipated budget is for April.

Now I better get menu planning from the pantry!!!

Whirlwind

2010-03-25T20:58:00.000-04:00

Wow it's been nutty around here.   I feel so lame for not posting this week.   I actually even made my menu, links, etc and just never posted it or linked it up to MPM. Ha wouldn't you figure it's the one week I've followed it more than I have in the past few weeks. I've missed being here but just have had too many things going on in my house to even get a chance to sit at my computer.   And my kids informed me that we need two computers as I HOG our one - uh NOT....this is MY computer I keep reminding them and I LET them use it......doh.

Tomorrow I have to be at school at 815 for the 1st Grade Nutritious breakfast.   The kids and I made a quiche tonite - I need to warm, slice, and plate it before heading there in the morning.   My neighbor's babysitter is going to take my son along with her other two charges for the morning.   And on top of that I forgot I volunteered to be snack mom for the Daisy meeting tomorrow afternoon.   So I have to get some apples to slice along with the cheese sticks and juice I already purchased during the week.   And of course my daughter had dance tonite as well as homework ..... aaarrgghhhh...

Hoping to get back to you all more next week.   Perhaps I can be a more sane writer then as well!

Tasks for Tuesday

2010-03-16T09:17:00.000-04:00

The crazy rain and wind has subsided and we're looking at a day of sunshine and near 60 degree temperatures. Which means.....LAUNDRY!!! I have one load ready for the line and will throwing another in shortly. Hoping also to accomplish the following tasks today:

Drop off signed taxes (refund due yaaaayyy!!!)
Pick up birthday gift for neighbor boy
Did I say laundry? - yes more laundry
Bring some outgrown clothes to Goodwill
Get my boy outside to ride bikes, play in the yard, etc
Oh yeah...and more laundry

I've been pushing around the need to put together a weekly schedule for myself and the family. I would like to take some time today to get some ideas onto paper and research some printable forms that I can use. I'll see where I get and hopefully be able to share with you my results as well as some good links.

Menu Plan Monday - March 15th

2010-03-15T10:55:00.000-04:00

Most of last week’s menu went as planned. Wednesday the kids and I ended up next door for pizza so on Thursday we opted for Takeout Chinese. This week I’m cooking from the pantry as much as possible with an eye towards providing my husband leftovers for lunches. I’m trying two new recipes from Erin Chase’s new book The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Nourishing Meals That Are Easy on the Budget and a Snap to Prepare. One of the recipes has a link and the other is only available in her cookbook.

For dinner at our house this week:

Sunday – Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Soup, Carrot sticks

Monday – Chicken, Broccoli, Mushrooms over Penne, Salad

Tuesday – Honey Glazed Pork Chops, Pierogies, Green Beans

Wednesday – Cowboy Pie (From The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook), Corn

Thursday – Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Casserole (I’m going to have to modify this recipe a little based on what is available in my pantry and my family’s tastes – let you know what I come up with and how it turns out)

Friday – Spaghetti, Homemade Sauce with Meatballs & Sausage (from the freezer), Salad, Homemade Bread

Saturday – Leftover Buffet

Check out Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie for more great recipes, menu ideas and a giveaway this week.

March Grocery Challenge - Week 2 Aldi Update

2010-03-12T14:50:00.000-05:00

Aldi Trip - $38.26

I made a trip to Aldi on Thursday and was able to complete most of my needs list for under $40!! Yes I admit to shopping with my calculator and choosing not to pick up some items I normally would have grabbed. We should be mostly set through next week with the exception of milk and doing some loss leader/sales/coupon shopping for the pantry.

Here's how the budget is looking to date:

Budget - $240
Spent - $149.05
Remaining - $90.95

It's going to be a challenge to come in under budget this month but I think I can make it work. Meal planning and cooking from scratch are musts to make it happen.

March Grocery Challenge - Week 2

2010-03-11T08:59:00.000-05:00

Stop and Shop - $17.34

I'm targetting $240 for my March Grocery Spending. My shopping trip at Stop and Shop last week was a bit frustrating and more costly than I had hoped - but this week made up for it.   By using the 4 Dollar Doubler coupons in the S&S Flyer and 5 $1.00 manufacturer coupons on loss leader items I did a little stock up on items that my family likes. I also returned $5.00 dollars in bottles and cans.    My S&S total before coupons and savings was $38.34 after a savings of $21.00 I only spent $17.34 for the items pictured above.

I also shopped CVS this week for sandwich bags (BOGO 50% off), Easter Candy ($3 ECB off $10 purchase), Fusion Razor ($4 ECB and $4 MC), Oral B Tootbrush ($4 ECB), Gillette Body Wash (on sale and $2 MC).   My spending at CVS after executing three transactions (not including my prescription) came to $16.18 - quite a bit of which was actually the Easter candy.

So here's where my budget stands as of this morning:

BUDGET - $240
SPENT - $110.79
REMAINING - $129.21

I'm planning an Aldi trip today with a goal of spending less than $40.   That will leave me with about $90 to get through the rest of the month.   I think I can pull it off.    Now as far as the rest of our budget....well I'm working on that one.    Eating out is going to come in a bit over but I'm letting it since two of those outings are related to my birthday.   I figure if anyone deserves not to cook a few nights it's the mom right???!!

Links I Liked

2010-03-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

The crocus blooming in my front yard

Spring is visiting us here and it's been so uplifting.   I've been trying to make a little more time to read blogs - especially ones I've never visited and ones that are not as widely read.   There are lots of good ones out there.   Here are a couple of them that I enjoyed:

Living in a (Mostly) Happy SAHM World - Holly is a former attorney become Stay At Home Mom.   Her children are a little younger than mine but her life sounds rather similar and I really like her blog.   I just recently found Holly's site after she visited my own blog.

The Saved Quarter - This mom shares her family's journey towards saving.   The first post I read here was this awesome Dining Room Re-do - for which she won 2nd prize in I'm an Organizing Junkie's 28 Day Room Redo Challenge - Way to GO!

And now a few other interesting tidbits that I read over the past week or so:

Today is the Day - Relationship Reminders from Trent at The Simple Dollar.

Every Penny Counts - Informative article on The Dollar Stretcher on the results of adding a penny or two to minimum payments.

Two Simple Ways to be a Happier Parent - An Article on Yahoo with tips on making parenting more joyful.

Hope you enjoy these reads.   If you know of a blog that you think I'd enjoy or like to have me check out yours just drop me a comment on this post. Have a great day!

Menu Plan Monday - March 8

2010-03-08T08:07:00.000-05:00

We had a few plan changes during last week that affected my menu. The Turkey Pot Pie never got made and on Friday night we had beef stew instead of steak. So I’m bumping those two items into this week. I grocery shopped on Thursday last week (results here) and am going to need to go grab a few things this week as well. After reviewing the fliers and my pantry I think my only stop this week will be at Aldi. Since I spent more than I budgeted last week I’m going to keep this week’s list very short.

Here’s what we’re eating at our house this week:

Monday – Turkey Pot Pie, Salad

Tuesday – Grilled Chicken, Broccoli, Mashed Potatoes

Wednesday – Cheeseburgers, Baked Beans, Carrot Sticks

Thursday – Takeout Pizza (my birthday and dance lesson night)

Friday – Steak with Mushrooms and Onions, Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans

Saturday – Grownup birthday dinner out

Sunday – Dinner at my parents

For my birthday I’m requesting The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Nourishing Meals That Are Easy on the Budget and a Snap to Prepare, which I already previewed from the library. It has some great shopping tips and family friendly, frugal recipes. Also my husband once again has microwave access for lunches so that will be a great time and money saver – he can once again take leftovers!

For more menu planning ideas and great recipes check out Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

March Grocery Challenge

2010-03-04T13:42:00.000-05:00

I've set my grocery budget at an aggressive $240 for this month. My husband has minimal overtime right now and we've been tapping the severance account far too often for far too much.   So we're determined this month to cover all our basic expenses with just his income.

I spent a little over an hour yesterday preparing a grocery list and scouting for coupons.   Unfortunately the coupon pickings are a bit slim and my list was a bit longer than I hoped.   I was trying to get my shopping done today for under $70 and instead came in at $77.   I shopped at Stop and Shop - I usually shop at Shaw's.   I realized today why I usually avoid Stop and Shop.....the overall pricing is higher and I had an aggravating checkout experience where all my online printed coupons were questioned.   I know some stores have a policy about not accepting them but the part that aggravated me is that they didn't know what to do.   I asked the cashier to please stop scanning my groceries until a decision was made as my whole list was based on sales and coupon matching....quite of few of my purchases would have to be put back if the coupons were not honored. The coupons were finally accepted but the whole experience left me frustrated....especially my total bill.   Granted I did have $48 in savings between rewards card and coupons but it just wasn't as much as I had tried for.   I left wishing I had just gone to Aldi.

So my grocery budget for the rest of the month is down to $163.   Hopefully Sunday's paper will have a greater quanity of coupons (this week was only one flier) and Shaws will have some better sales and loss leaders.   Although I did learn my lesson - an Aldi trip is a must this month!

March Freezer Cooking - The Results

2010-03-03T09:46:00.000-05:00

I've completed most of what I set out to do on my March Freezer Cooking Plan. The following items are being stashed into the freezer today:

3 Containers of Spaghetti Sauce with Sausage and Meatballs
2 Containers of Turkey Stock
1/2 Turkey Breast

In addition the items I made from scratch to help stretch my pantry this week are:

Macaroni Salad
Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
Cake Mix Cookies
Homemade Bread (1 loaf)
Turkey Pot Pie (dinner on Thursday)

I'm sorry I don't have photos but the battery in my digital camera has died and I haven't had the time or cash to get it replaced this week. Payday is tomorrow so that's an item on my list for the weekend.

Next month I'd like to try to attempt more freezer cooking along the lines of what Crystal at Money Saving Mom and Fishmama at Life as Mom accomplish. I think it will require a bit of advance planning and shopping on my part. Not sure how well this month's grocery budget is going to support that but I'm going to give it a shot. Check out both of their final freezer cooking results here and here - as well as check out the links and comments from others for great ideas.

Grocery Planning and Still Cooking

2010-03-03T07:27:00.000-05:00

I'm still not done with my freezer cooking. Yesterday I made a turkey for dinner and today I'm making stock. I'll post later with the results of what I managed to accomplish and link it up to the host blogs Money Saving Mom and Life as Mom.

Yesterday brought a wonderful taste of spring to our home. I got two loads of laundry to dry on the line, did a little bit of yard cleanup, took a huge load of items to Goodwill and another load to the dump. Of course today wouldn't you know it's snowing....sigh....oh well such is March in New England.

My goals for today are to get my grocery lists planned with coupons, balance my finances and finalize our March budget. In addition to making stock and posting my cooking accomplishments, I'd like to tackle cleaning the layer of dust off my living room (a pellet stove is lovely for warmth but wow it puts out more dust than we realized).

Hope to see you back here a little later....

Monday Marathon

2010-03-01T10:30:00.000-05:00

It's not quite 10:30 here and that's what I feel like I've been doing - running a marathon! I can't quite say I'm winning the race but I am pleased so far with my pace and progress. My Monday Marathon consists of the following:

Make Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs and Sausage
Bake a loaf of bread
Tackle the Laundry Mountain (and put away the clothes too not just pile them)
Clean the bathrooms
Attack the Playroom Jungle
Take my boy to StoryTime at the library

So far the sauce is bubbling on the stove with sausage and homemade meatballs in it. The bread is kneading in the breadmaker and I've scaled maybe a third of the way up Laundry Mountain. I guess I'll knock out the bathrooms next and then drag the boy into the playroom jungle.

Hope you are having a good Monday!

March Freezer Cooking

2010-02-28T11:52:00.000-05:00

My March Freezer Cooking is really a necessity to get through the next two weeks with nothing left in my grocery budget until the next payday. My goal is to prepare things that will make easy, inexpensive meals and keep me out of the store and away from restaurants and take out. I need to accommodate breakfast, boxed lunches, snacks and dinners from my pantry. I think that by doing some freezer and advanced cooking I can achieve tasty healthy meals for my family without entering the grocery store.

Here’s my plan for cooking over the next 3-4 days:

Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs and Sausage (I have some canned tomatoes and ground beef, ground turkey, sausage as well as some tomatoes in the freezer)

Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

Blueberry Bread

Cake Mix Cookies (with blue and red sprinkles – Go USA!!)

Roasted Turkey (leftovers to be used for sandwiches, pot pie, stock and soup)

Turkey Stock

Turkey Pot Pie

Macaroni Salad

Homemade Bread

My Menu Plan for this week springboards off my freezer cooking efforts. See my Pantry Challenge Menu Plan Monday post for details. For more Freezer Cooking ideas check out the March Freezer Cooking posts at Money Saving Mom and Life as Mom.

I'll be posting on Wednesday with the results of my freezer cooking.

Menu Plan Monday - March 1st - A Pantry Challenge A Bit Early

2010-02-27T18:57:00.008-05:00

I plan to grocery shop on payday – which is Thursday. My goal for this month is to spend approximately $60 a week (so $240 for the month). I can’t shop before Thursday and am planning to do some freezer/advanced cooking this weekend as well as early in the week. Hopefully with utilizing my pantry/freezer and pre-cooking, I can get through until Thursday without hitting the store. I took this menu plan only through Friday as I don’t know what kind of deals I will be getting on Thursday and don’t want to plan out further until shopping. Friday’s menu includes some items I will purchase regardless of price.

SATURDAY
Breakfast – French Toast (with homemade bread from freezer)
Lunch – Sandwich Steak Quesadillas, PB;J and Bananas
Dinner – Chicken, Carrots and Green Beans over Rice

SUNDAY
Breakfast – Waffles
Lunch – Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Canned Soup
Dinner – Kids at Grandma’s House/Us at US Olympic Hockey Game Party

MONDAY
Breakfast – Raisin Toast with Peanut Butter
Lunch – DH – Tuna Sandwich, Carrots, Macaroni Salad, Banana Muffins / DD – Turkey Wrap, Carrots, Popcorn, Juice Box, Cake Mix Cookies
Dinner – Spaghetti, Meat Sauce, Romaine Salad, Homemade Bread

TUESDAY
Breakfast – Waffles with Butter and Jelly
Lunch – DH – Meatball Sandwich, Romaine Salad, Blueberry Bread / DD – School Lunch, Banana Muffins, Juice Box
Dinner - Roasted Turkey, Mashed Potato, Broccoli

WEDNESDAY
Breakfast – Cold Cereal
Lunch – DH – Turkey Sandwich, Macaroni Salad, Banana Muffins / DD – Turkey Wrap, cheese Stick, Juice Box, Banana Muffins
Dinner – BBQ Cubed Steak, Sweet Potato, Broccoli

THURSDAY
Breakfast – Waffles with Peanut Butter
Lunch – DH – Turkey Salad Sandwich, Carrots, Cheese Stick, Blueberry Bread / DD – School Lunch, Popcorn, Juice Box
Dinner – Turkey Pot Pie

FRIDAY
Breakfast – Toast, Cereal
Lunch – DH – Chef Salad, Yogurt, Fruit / DD – Turkey Wrap, Carrots, Yogurt, Juice Box, Cookies
Dinner – Steak, Onions & Mushrooms, Roasted Potatoes, Salad, Rolls

Check out my March Freezer Cooking post for more details on what I prepared this week. For more great menu plans and recipe ideas check out Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie

(ps....I'm having a hard time with aligning my text....will work on that more for next time - sorry!)

The Friday Frenzies

2010-02-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

We returned from Florida on Tuesday evening and I feel like I've been behind on my life since even before we left. We had a very nice visit with my father in law, saw my husband's cousins for dinner at their new house and made another step in accepting our family dynamics without my mother in law.

It's a snowy day here and I'm trying to get things back on track at home. Laundry and dishes are at the top of the list as well as updating the budget worksheet and digging through some mail and paperwork.

I really need to get a menu plan in place for next week as the past couple nights meals have been really lame and really late! My pantry and fridge are a bit sparse looking so they need some restocking as well.

Have a nice Friday all....mine is a bit frenzied but hopefully will produce some well needed accomplishments in our household.

The Light in the Room

2010-02-09T06:00:00.007-05:00

Is there someone in your life that always seems to bring the light, fire and energy into a room? That one person who commands your attention and focus? My mother in law was that person in our family. She had the amazing ability to make everything fun. She was the most energetic, celebratory person I’ve ever known. She made it all happen - be it little fancy napkins with snacks, a special outing with a picnic lunch or just being silly and goofy herself while egging (ok…commanding) us all to join her. It was required that we go dancing in the square when we visited and that we threw cocktail parties when they came back north to our house. Holidays were always marked by her – treats for Valentines and Halloween, snuggly bunny animals at Easter….my husband and father in law remember the green dinners at Saint Patrick’s Day as well.

I’m not saying she was perfect. If you hurt her deeply enough she never forgave you. She had no patience or tolerance for sickness, laziness, being tired or whining. Suck it up, get up and get going. Life was to be lived to its fullest. And live it she did....up until the last day before she went into the hospital. Just days before that she took my daughter for her first pedicure, made her last Thanksgiving turkey complete with the stuffing I have yet to master, and sold a house.

I spent the time she was in the hospital and just after she passed away driving her beautiful Cadillac and listening to her Miley Cyrus CD. “The Climb” had become an inspirational boost to her during the rough days of treatments. Even a short trip to Publix had me in tears…missing the woman who made me her daughter from day one, the grandmother to my children, the woman who raised the man I love, and even during times when we clashed….a woman who was one of my dearest friends.

Today is her birthday….she would have been 67 today. Her light was extinguished too soon…and those of us who loved her are still muddling around in a bit of darkness trying to re-kindle in her honor the fire she set in our lives. We love you Marilyn; wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend…you showed us how to live and love life….we pray that in time we can figure out how to get where you want us to be, in some semblance, without you.

Peace, Love, Faith and Hope

Marilyn

2/9/43

12/11/09

Menu Plan Monday - February 8th

2010-02-08T15:10:00.000-05:00

Last Week’s Menu Plan around Loss Leaders and Sales Items went pretty good. The Rosemary Chicken got a little dried out but that was a timing issue on my part. We love the sweet potatoes with rosemary – very tasty. The Quesadilla Surprise didn’t thrill my husband (I put kidney beans in there – he could have done without those!). The Crockpot BBQ Spareribs were very tasty but a little fatty and greasy. I think they could have either used more time in the oven before being put in the crockpot or time in the oven or on the grill after cooking in the crockpot. I also ended up substituting baked beans for the mashed potatoes that night as I was crunched for time after dancing lessons. However the leftover ribs were awesome in the Pork Fried Rice.

I won’t be grocery shopping this week so we’ll be eating from the freezer and pantry. Also we will be leaving a week from Tuesday to visit my Father in Law in Florida so I opted to plan my menu out through the Monday night before we leave.

Monday – Baked Ziti (from freezer), Sausage, Salad, Bread,

Tuesday – Grilled Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli

Wednesday – Soup and Sandwich Night

Thursday – Dance Lessons – Out to Eat Night....The 99 Restaurant with a coupon

Friday – Thyme Pork Cutlets, Pierogies, Applesauce, Green Beans

Saturday – Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Corn

Valentine Sunday – Steak, Mushrooms & Onions, Salad, Rolls, Dessert (Yet to be determined)

Monday – Use it Up Leftover Buffet

Check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more great menu ideas and recipe links.

From Frumpy to Fab

2010-02-08T09:04:00.000-05:00

I'm joining A Proverbs Wife in her From Frumpy to Fab challenge this week. Today is the first day of the challenge and the task for today is to document an action plan.

My "Fabulous" Action Plan to De-Frumpify

Get dressed each morning after DD leaves for school - NO SWEATS
Style my hair and apply makeup (minimal)
Look through my clothes and put together 5 outfits including shoes, accessories, jewelry
Purge items I won't, don't or can't wear
List a few items that would round out my wardrobe
Check Goodwill, the consignment store and Kohl's (have a 15% coupon) for new stuff
Wash and moisturize my face each night before bed

So far this morning I'm off to a good start. My hair is styled, makeup is on and I have a new sweater and vest to wear today. I'm going to the bus company to apply for a job so I chose a pulled together casual look.

Check back here for more updates on From Frumpy to Fab and if you want to join the challenge pop over to A Proverbs Wife.

Grocery Savings this Week

2010-02-05T07:46:00.000-05:00

I shopped twice this week. On Sunday I hit Stop and Shop for loss leader and sales items. I stuck to my list and used coupons. Some of the deals I got at Stop and Shop include:

- Hellman’s Mayo – $2.99 each plus .75 and .60 coupons doubled (purchased 2)
- Barilla Whole Wheat Pasta - $1/box
- Starkist Tuna - $1.00/5oz
- Chicken Leg Quarters - .79/lb
- Pork Spareribs – $1.99/lb
- Italian Sasuage – $1.99/lb

My total before savings came to $77.98. My savings including Rewards Card Savings and Manufacturers Coupons was $30.02. Total Spending at Stop & Shop was $47.96

My trip to Shaw’s was quite a big lengthier and more expensive. In addition to sales and loss leaders items I had a large list of needed items to replenish the pantry with. I find that Shaw’s tends to be slightly less expensive than the Stop and Shop. Some of the deals I got at Shaw’s include:

- Cantaloupe - $1.49
- Mushroom - $1.00/8oz
- Yellow Onions - $1.00/2lbs
- Brocoli Slaw - $1.00/10oz
- Radishes - $1.00/10oz
- Ground Turkey - $2.29 for 1.25lbs (Marked down – grabbed 2 packages)
- Boneless Chicken Breast – $1.88/lb
- Pork Cutlets - $1.88/lb
- Land O Lakes Deli Cheese - $4.99/lb
- Sara Lee Deli Ham – $6.99/lb
- Java Delight Coffee - $4.99/12oz (Coupon $1.00 off two bags)
- Bertoli Olive Oil - $5.99 ($1.00 off coupon)

I had quite a few coupons at Shaw’s including a $15.00 off any purchase of $150 or greater. Also they had a Quaker promotion – all items were $1.99 and if you purchased 5 items you got an additional $3.00 off. We returned $3.90 in bottles and cans so that amount also came off my total. My total purchase before savings and bottle returns was $267.87. Shaw's also has a gas reward program and based on my spending the next time I pump up at Gulf or Irving I save .30 cents a gallon. After the $3.90 in bottle returns I saved $116.93 in Rewards Card and Coupon Savings. Total Spending at Shaw’s was $147.04

I originally set my grocery budget for $200 this month. I’ve already spent $195.00. I won’t be shopping again except for milk and fresh produce so I’m going to have to bump my budget up to $225. I can probably maximize that by making my last trip of the month to Aldi.

Hope you were able to do some frugal shopping this week. If you grabbed any great deals or coupons share them in the comments.

Additional Income Required

2010-02-04T15:25:00.000-05:00

This May I will have been out of work for 2 years. My unemployment has run out and the one year severance I received is being tapped far too quickly. It's time for me to get serious about supplementing my husband's paycheck with some income of my own.

My goal in earning income is to minimize my 'cost of working'. Costs of working include; daycare, clothing, gasoline, lunches, and less time to bargain shop and prepare meals. It is also important to me to maintain balance in our home and for our children. I want my kids to know that mom is here for them before and after school. I want them to be able to stay home when they are sick and to experience summer vacations. I want my husband to have the flexibility to work overtime when it's available - something that increases his income tremendously.

Monday morning I have an appointment at the local school bus company to apply for a job as a driver. My work days and times will match those of my daughter's school and both she and my 3 year old son can ride along on my route. I will have a chunk of time each day to take care of household tasks, doctor appointments, volunteer opportunities at school and hopefully just to catch my breath.

Since the training and certification for driving can take up to two months, I spent some time today working on listing some unused items on Craigslist. Tomorrow I am going to go through the bags of outgrown clothing we have and get them down to the consignment store. Hopefully within the next month or so I can bring in a little cash by re-selling and then get certified to drive the bus.

Links I Liked

2010-02-04T10:48:00.000-05:00

In keeping with my budget grocery shopping theme here are a few links that I found interesting:

At This Side of Eternity’s Savings Dollars and Sense Blog you can read some tips on Successful Grocery Shopping.

In her post Simplify Your Pantry and Your Life - Susanne at Hillbilly Housewife shares some of the benefits of doing a pantry challenge. She ended up with de-cluttering her kitchen food storage and clearing room for the items that make for a well stocked pantry.

Money Saving Mom has a guest post by Jennifer of Saving and Giving in which she shares the NON-COOKING LESSONS LEARNED by participating in the January Pantry Challenge held by Money Saving Mom and Life As Mom. One of the lessons I took away is that dinner doesn’t need to be extravagant – a soup and sandwich night can satisfy everyone’s appetite as well as our grocery budget.

Hope you find these links informative and helpful in your quest to simplify and reduce the cost of feeding your families.

Menu Plan Monday - Planning Around Sales and Loss Leaders

2010-01-31T15:35:00.001-05:00

Last week’s Pantry Challenge Menu went relatively well but was pretty boring. I had hoped to get to the store on Thursday but never did. On Sunday morning I did a loss leader/sales shop at Stop and Shop and on Monday morning I’ll be completing my grocery shopping at Shaws. Check my blog on Tuesday for the results of those two shopping trips.

My menu plans for the next two weeks will take advantage of the sales items I was able to get at both stores. This week I’m focusing on using the more perishable items in my menu and next week I’ll work with what I have left. My grocery goal this month is to feed my family on $200. The majority of that is going to be spent this week so I’m going to have to make things stretch.

Here is the plan for this week:

Sunday – Flying Pantry Gourmet (in other words I’m winging it!)

Monday – Broccoli, Mushrooms and Sausage over Penne

Tuesday – Rosemary Chicken Dinner (I'm substituing sweet pototaes for the white potatoes in this recipe), Broccoli

Wednesday – Quesadilla Surprise (utilize leftover chicken and leftover veggies)

Thursday – Crockpot BBQ Spareribs, Coleslaw, Mashed Potatoes, Corn

Friday – Soft Taco’s, Rice, Salad

Saturday – Pork Fried Rice (use leftover rib meat and leftover rice)

Lunches this week will consist of sandwiches, chef salads and leftovers. The kids and I are going to bake Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies later today for a treat throughout the week.

For more menu planning ideas and great recipes check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Grocery List and Meal Planning Process

2010-01-29T14:01:00.000-05:00

A Previous shopping trip to Shaws

My frugal grocery budget this month has me planning to spend under $200 for the entire month. We will be gone for one week of the month so it should work out. Just to note I include paper, cleaning products and toiletries in my grocery budget.

Today I am working on planning my grocery trip(s) on Monday (and maybe Tuesday) to purchase the bulk of our food for the month. I have the store circulars, my needs list from the refrigerator, my coupon box, and my notebook. Everything is cleared off the dining table and I’ve got a nice cup of orange spice tea to help me get through the task.

First I work my way through the circulars listing loss leaders and sales items for each store that I am considering purchasing.

Next I work through my coupon box looking for matches to items on both my sales list and my needs list. If I don’t have a coupon I might still purchase the product depending on the price and our need/usage history for that product. If the product is on my needs list and I really need it then I try to get the best price in the store that I can without a coupon. Right now my coupon box is rather empty due to lots of expirations being purged and the fact that I haven’t been couponing in about two months. I will be buying the Sunday newspaper this weekend and scrounging around online for printable coupons. I know that Coupons.com will reset their printable coupons on the 1st of the month so I plan to check there once more before I head out Monday morning.

I now have lists for two stores of loss leaders and sales items. Based on what I plan to purchase for meat and produce, I start meal planning for at least the next week. Today I’m going to try to rough out approximately two weeks worth of menu ideas. I try to utilize the highly perishable items as soon as possible and push out recipe and menus that will use the hardier ingredients towards the end of my plan. I just came up with 11 dinner menu ideas - a few of which utilize leftovers. At this point I’m not looking to plan for specific days. I’m looking for ideas based on the sale items and making sure I either have on hand or on my shopping list the right ingredients for the main dishes as well as sides and vegetables.

Finally I look at my lists and select the store with the greatest number of sales items and/or the store that I know generally has lower prices. I fill in all my needed products on this list from both the fridge list and the list of what I need to round out my menu plans. This store is a must visit for me and I will schedule my shop as early in the morning as possible. The store is generally less busy, I am more energetic, the bottle return area is empty (I have holiday bottles and cans to return) and I can usually snag a few meat markdown sales.

For those of you interested or living in the Northeast here is the list of loss leaders and sales items I plan to purchase along with coupon information:

Stop and Shop
Doubles manufacturer coupons under $1.00
Spareribs (Family Pack) 1.99/lb
Italian Sausage (Family Pack) 1.99/lb
Chicken Leg Quarters (Family Pack) .79/lb
Fresh Brocoli 1.79/lb
Starkist Tuna (5oz) 10/$10
Barilla Pasta (1lb) 10/$10
Betty Crocker Cake Mix 10/$10
Pillsbury Toaster Strudel 2/$4 ($1.00 of two coupon)
Hellman’s Mayonnaise $2.99 (.75 coupon and .60 coupon – both will double)

Shaws
Doubles manufacturer coupons under $1.00
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (Family Pack) 1.88/lb
Pork Sirloin Cutlets (Family Pack) 1.88/lb
Shoulder Steak 1.99/lb
Ground Beef 2.49/lb
Mushrooms – 1lb 1.00
Onions – 2lb 1.00
Potatoes – 3lb 1.00
Coleslaw – 10oz 1.00
Land O Lakes American Cheese (Deli) 4.99/lb
Sara Lee Ham (Deli) 6.99/lb
Yoplait Light Yogurts .59 ($1.00 off 8)
Trix Yogurts 2.69 ($.80 off 2 – cannot double)
Quaker Products Buy 5 get $3.00 back (I have other coupons that I am going to see if I can stack with this offer)
Shaws English Muffins – 12 count 1.99
Java Delight Coffee – 1lb 4.99 ($1.00 off two Shaws coupon)

The lists above are just the loss leader and sales items I am planning to purchase. I am adding to the Shaws list the additional items I need for the pantry as well as the items to round out my menus. I have more sales items for Shaws, I prefer their bottle return area and I think their prices are generally lower than the Stop and Shop I go to. I thought you would be most interested in previewing the sales items especially if you are local and want to take advantage of the same deals.

Next week I’ll share my menu plan as well as the results of my grocery shopping trips to both Stop and Shop and Shaws.

Links I Liked

2010-01-28T07:50:00.000-05:00

Here are a few interesting blog posts I've found over the past week. Check them out!

Hillary, monthly contributor to Steady Mom, shares 8 Lessons She Has Learned from her 2 Year Old. Her post reminded me that we can learn a lot from these little people in our lives

Jami from An Oregon Cottage has a great instructional post on cutting up whole chicken. It includes photos. For those that are vegetarians or meat phobics maybe skip this post and check out the rest of her site instead.

Molly at Econobusters publishes a Monthly Money-Saving Digest that looks rather interesting. The publication is available as a download for $4.95. Check out this link for more details on the February issue.

Drop me a comment if there are any blogs you recommend I check out - especially your own! Have a great day.

Steady Days Book Review and Giveaway at Keeper of the Home

2010-01-26T12:19:00.000-05:00

Stephanie at Keeper of the Home has a great book review and giveaway on her blog. Check out this link for a review of Steady Days: A Journey Toward Intentional, Professional Motherhood and to enter the giveaway. The giveaway ends Friday, January 29th.

Also check out the blog Steady Mom for more great insight and support on your journey through motherhood.

Black Belt Frugality

2010-01-26T09:24:00.001-05:00

$$$

After the past few months our household budget is totally out of whack. We had a planned trip to Florida and had budgeted for that but then life went beyond our control. We extended our trip which caused increased airfare costs, my husband stayed in Florida without getting paid while his mother was in hospice, I had to fly back to Florida with 3 hours notice (ouch that was expensive), we helped cover costs of services, flowers, extra company and bringing my father in law back home with us for several weeks over the holidays.

Needless to say we really have to tighten our belts for the next few months. I had this post partially written a few months ago and after reviewing and adding to it I think I have a good plan for my “Black Belt Frugality” mission. Here are some of the tips I’m following to help cut our expenses:

• Institute No Spend/No Drive days where I don’t use the car and don’t go to any stores. I try to do this one to two days a week. It also helps me stay on top of things I need to accomplish around the house because I’m not running out the door for a couple hours every day.

• Reduce my grocery budget by combining sales and coupons to stockpile my pantry with items we need and use at the lowest possible prices.

• Take advantage of meat sales and mark downs by getting to the grocery store early in the morning. Most items have a sell by date of the following day and as long as the meat is either cooked or frozen that same day it is fine. This technique has stretched our grocery budget for meat a great deal.

• Use minimal paper products – I don’t buy paper plates or cups and we use dishrags in the kitchen instead of paper towels. We do however use paper napkins and my husband does require some paper towels at his disposal.

• Save bread ends in freezer to make my own bread crumbs.

• Save veggie scraps in the freezer (carrots, onions, celery, peppers) for making stock or adding to roasting pans for gravy flavoring.

• Menu planning and making more foods from scratch is something I have also found saves a lot.

• Both my husband and my daughter bring lunches and snacks to work/school with them each day. My son and I also eat from home and if we have errands to do I will pack snacks and drinks so we aren’t lured in by fast food or convenience stores.

• I’ve put the electronics on light strips and actually shut them off when not in use. We have a DVR that I don’t have on the light strip as we like to record a couple ‘grownup’ shows to watch at our convenience.

• We’re keeping the thermostat set at 62 for the winter – We currently have a wood pellet stove burning in the living room that heats the entire first floor. The heat in our lower level is set at 62 degrees.

• Our last oil delivery was at $3.09 a gallon. In addition to keeping the heat down and using the pellet stove we have turned down the temperature on the hot water heater. I also rinse dishes in cold water and have been doing much more laundry using cold – except for whites, sheets, towels or more heavily soiled items.

• Use the library. I am a voracious reader. I can devour a book within 2 days or less – at 8 bucks a book it can be ridiculously expensive. My son goes to story time at our local library and I check out at least 3 books a week for myself. We also borrow videos – they have a 2 day rental with one renewal. I’m careful to return my books and videos on time so I don’t incur late charges.

Hopefully with some smart shopping, planning and patience we can get our budget back on track within a few months. I’d love to hear any frugal tips my readers have on maximizing the household budget.

Menu Plan Monday - January 25th - The Extra Challenging Pantry Challenge

2010-01-25T09:46:00.000-05:00

Last week’s menu went over pretty well. I had to get a bit creative on Wednesday as Aldi didn’t have sweet potatoes and I didn’t have any rosemary for the chicken recipe. Also on Monday I didn’t have sausage for the penne and broccoli dish so I made mini meatballs instead. Our Saturday dinner for company was a big hit – and everyone had a great time.

This week I really need to start cutting back on our expenses so I’ve tried to work out a Pantry Challenge menu. And based on the total lack of meat in my freezer it was a definitely a difficult menu to plan. I don’t have any recipe links as I’m flying by the seat of my pants with this menu. It’s also subject to change based on leftovers or any brilliant new ideas I conjure up during the week. Here’s what I came up with:

Monday – Leftover Buffet – We have steak, potatoes and corn leftover from Saturday night. Not enough for all so I’m going to add in a salad and probably hot dogs for the kids.

Tuesday – Turkey Pot Pie – There are cooked legs, thighs and wings in the freezer. There are potatoes in the pantry as well as carrots, onions and celery. I can do a Bisquick crust for the top.

Wednesday – Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry – There are some thin sandwich steaks and broccoli in the freezer.

Thursday – Dance Lesson Night – Spaghetti and Meatballs – Sauce and Meatballs are in the freezer. I’ll add in a salad and maybe bake some bread.

Friday – Homemade Pizza

Saturday - ??? – I will probably go to the store on Thursday morning so I’m going to leave Saturday’s menu open until I see what I can get on sale for meat, etc.

My husband is back to work starting today so I also need to figure out some lunchbox ideas…and I have just a little deli meat left. I’m not sure yet if he has access to a microwave so this might also take some creativity. The bananas on the counter are getting rather pungent so baking banana bread and banana muffins are on the to do list for this afternoon.

For more great menu ideas check out Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

Happy Monday!!!

2010-01-25T07:17:00.000-05:00

It's Monday morning and my husband has finallly gone back to work after being out for over two months. Initially for our vacation to Florida, then to stay with his mom in hospice and after that to recover from a broken hand. So it's just me and the boy today after my daughter heads out to school. Yes that is a bit of glee that you hear in my voice.....shhhh.....

Today I'm going to spend the morning getting organized and listing all the things that I need to catch up on:

Finances - Balance checking account, pay bills, prepare February budget worksheet
Inventory freezer, fridge and pantry
Menu Plan - Pantry Challenge
Pack up the things that my father in law couldn't fit in his suitcase and ship them to him
Start thank you notes for holiday gifts and for the support during my mother in law's illness and death
Laundry!!!
Blog Post Ideas

It's going to be a rainy windy day today and we're going to stay home today. Hopefully I can put a good dent in my list. I'll pop back in later with a status. Have a great Monday!

Links I Liked - Home Sanctuary

2010-01-20T11:23:00.000-05:00

Rachel Anne at Home Sanctuary has some great posts this month on Home Management, Housekeeping, Delegating and Creating a Calmer more Peaceful Home. Here a few practical posts that I enjoyed. Check out the rest of Rachel Anne’s blog when you visit – it’s one of my personal favorites!

The Secret to Successful Home Management

Are you a Messy Perfectionist?

Household Organization - Setting Up a System that Works, Gloriously

Where Does Your Time Go?

And Now, A "Real World' Housekeeping Schedule

Share the Work

Menu Plan Monday - January 18th

2010-01-18T14:11:00.000-05:00

I haven’t done weekly menu planning since before Thanksgiving. For quite a bit of that time we weren’t home and the rest was filled with holiday chaos. This week I’m trying to work with the meat I have in the freezer and one trip to Aldi on Tuesday to fill out the rest of my menu requirements. I had hoped to do a pantry challenge next week but I’m not prepared enough yet. Hopefully after a few weeks of budget shopping to restock the pantry and freezer with staples I can give that a try.

Here’s what’s on the table at our house this week:

Sunday – Turkey Noodle Soup

Monday – Mom’s Night Out – Baked Chicken Tenders, Oven Baked Potato Strips, Corn, Salad

Tuesday – Broccoli and Sausage over Penne, Salad

Wednesday – Grilled Mustard Rosemary Chicken Thighs, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans

Thursday – Dance Lessons Night – Crock Pot Flank Steak in Mushroom Sauce, Brown Rice, Salad

Friday – Soup and Sandwich Night

Saturday – Company for Dinner – Bobby Flay’s Porterhouse Steak with Fra Diavolo BBQ Sauce, Cucumber, Onion and Tomato Salad with Honey Basil Vinaigrette, Mashed Potatoes

Lunches: Turkey Salad Sandwiches, Chef Salads, PBandJ, Leftovers

For more great menu ideas, recipe links, etc check out this week's Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

On My Way Back

2010-01-14T15:18:00.000-05:00

Life is slowly getting back to some level of normalcy around here.   Just last night I started reading blogs and planning some post ideas for next week.   I haven't done any menu planning in ages so Menu Plan Monday is a definite on my list as well as the post of Links I Liked that I try to put up on Tuesdays each week. I also really need to get a grip on our finances so I have some frugality posts in the works as well.

The last six weeks have left my house in quite a bit of chaos.   We're disorganized, undergoing a master bath remodel, have presents that still need to be put away, old toys that need to be donated, and thank you cards to be written for the holiday gifts as well as for the incredible support given to us during my mother in law's illness and death.

Slowly all these things will happen.   Of course I'm realizing that I need to get far better at delegating and letting unimportant things go or I'll truly drive myself insane.

A Time of Sadness

2009-12-18T11:28:00.000-05:00

My inlaws with their grandchildren two years ago

My mother in law passed away Friday, December 11th in Florida. She had breast cancer that had spread to her lungs and her lymph nodes and ended up in the hospital after being diagnosed with pneumonia. We were hopeful that she could beat the pneumonia, return home and have more time with us before the cancer got worse....that was not to be. She passed away knowing she was loved with her son holding her hand.

It's been an incredibly sad and difficult month for us all. As in most times of sadness though, my husband's family bonded with each other, shared many memories and showed his mom that together we would be ok.

I returned home yesterday after more than a week away from my children. My husband and father in law will be here on Sunday. I'm trying today to get my life back in order, finish my tasks to create a somewhat happy Christmas at least for the children, as well as prepare to have my father in law with us for several weeks. I hope to return to blogging after the new year.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Family Time

2009-12-03T21:20:00.000-05:00

Here is the four of us at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort Campfire.   This picture was supposed to include Grandma and Grandpa.   It was a strange 2 day trip that we took - the kids had a great time but my husband and I had to work had to produce that...always knowing in the back of our minds that it was supposed to include his mom and dad. We tried to reschedule and when we couldn't his parents insisted that we give their grandchildren the trip they wanted them to have even without them.

We are still in Florida.   We extended our stay until this coming weekend. Today we got some good news that my mother inlaw has made a step in the right direction.   We are hopeful and cautiously optimistic that tomorrow will bring another positive step.

We are all tired - physically and emotionally.   My brother in law has been here since the morning we left for Disney (we couldn't have left dad alone so that was a blessing). Today we decorated the Christmas Tree with my husband's cousins and their husbands after they all visited at the hospital. Then we all shared a meal prepared by a neighbor along with sandwiches and salads that I picked up from the grocery store.   It was probably the most festive evening we've had so far...not even Thanksgiving was as enjoyable honestly.

I hope to do a bit more decorating tomorrow and take the kids down to the town square in the evening to see all the holiday decorations. I also need to see if I can get my Christmas cards printed at CVS and do a bit of online shopping as I am now behind schedule....but of course for a more important reason.

Last night my mother in law searched my face as she asked me for the truth....I told her that she needed to keep 'making the climb' and that she would be 'ok'.   I know in my heart that it's not her time yet.....not yet...

A Bit of Time Away

2009-11-27T19:49:00.000-05:00

It's been over a week since I've posted.   I am currently on vacation visiting my in-laws in Florida and prior to that was really consumed with getting ready to leave as well as trying to get a jump on some of my holiday shopping, decorating, etc as we won't be home until December 2nd.

We are staying in The Villages - an active adult community between Orlando and Ocala that is incredibly huge and a great place for my inlaws to live as well as for us to visit.   I hope to share a few photos over the weekend of the community and what we have been doing.

We had a nice Thanksgiving although it turned out different than planned. We ended up moving the 17 person party from my mother in law's home to her neighbors, as hosting it here wouldn't have worked that day.  Those of you that we are close to know that we are facing some family challenges right now so you understand...I don't want to share more publicly out of respect for my family's privacy.    All in all it was a day to be thankful for...a day that we shared with family we don't see often as well as my inlaws friends who weren't able to be with their own families for the day.

I hope this holiday also found all of you healthy, happy and thankful for the blessings in your own live. I miss blogging this past week, but need to take this time to be here and involved in the moment....blogging can wait until later.

Organized Christmas - 6 Week Countdown to Christmas - Week Three Gifts and Giving & Week 4 Get Cooking

2009-11-18T08:36:00.001-05:00

I’m still trying to follow Cynthia Ewer’s Organized Christmas Countdown at Organized Christmas. This is actually Week 4 – Get Cooking Week, but I’m still working on Week 3 – Gifts and Giving Week. My Get Cooking Week isn’t going to happen until we get back from vacation after Thanksgiving. If I can get most of my shopping done by the end of the first week in December I’ll be thrilled. As I said in my last post the point is to keep chipping away at what needs to be done and not stress about being behind.

Tasks I’ve completed in the past two weeks are:

Purchased Holiday Stamps
Ordered Photo Calendars for Grandparents (already received)
Started Selecting Photo’s for the Calendars
Started Shopping (I’m making some headway here – more to follow)
Emailed my Sister In-Law for gifts ideas for my Nephew and Niece

Tasks I need to complete this week/weekend are:

Declutter Décor (remove Halloween and excess regular décor. We won’t be here for Thanksgiving so I’m going to skip decorating for it and will move onto Christmas Décor early)
Establish Holiday Clothing Needs
Inventory the Gift Box
Buy a few supplies for my daughter’s homemade gifts and keep making them
Get gift ideas for our parents – other than the grandparent type gifts
Keep Shopping!!!!
Plan my Baking and Gifts From my Kitchen Lists

Today my daughter has a half day of school and I have a parent teacher conference at 3:40. I’ll be dropping the kids off with my parents at 2pm returning around 5ish for supper with them. My plan is to tackle some shopping before and after the conference. I’ve got some gift cards and coupons to work with so hopefully I can get a lot for less.

Here are some of the deals I am working with:

Kohl’s – 20% off entire purchase and I have $20.00 in Kohl’s Cash from shopping last week
Toys R Us - $30.00 in Gift Cards from purchasing Hasbro Games and for purchasing over $75 in merchandise
Amazon.Com - $20.00 in Gift Cards from Swagbucks

So now I have to get to list making and psyche myself up to head out shopping this afternoon. My goal for this holiday is to have all gifts purchased and wrapped by December 16th. I don’t mind baking and crafting the week before Christmas – I actually enjoy it. But I hate heading to the stores and feeling overwhelmed. I want to enjoy making cookies with the kids, decorating the ‘bird’ tree with the neighbor boys, visiting with family and friends and just appreciating my blessings.

Check out Organized Christmas for great ideas on creating a low stress, high fun, frugal holiday for you and your family.

Links I Liked

2009-11-17T07:30:00.001-05:00

Here's a few links that I enjoyed over the past week:

Rachel Anne from Home Sanctuary presents Have Fun with Your Man
Caring for our marriages is vitally important to the foundation of our homes and families. Check out Rachel Anne’s tips on how to connect (or perhaps re-connect) with your man and have some fun.

Stephanie at Keeper of the Home shares her Goals and Plans for a Slower Season
Do you tend to find a slower pace during the fall and winter seasons? I’m yearning to get to that place but it seems for us it won’t be until after the holidays. Stephanie shares her favorite slower paced things to do when the days get colder and we want to stay indoors.

Susanne Myers at Hillbilly Housewife provides some tips on the Perfect Time To Clear Out The Toy Clutter–Tidy Tuesday
Here’s a task we really need to undertake in our house before Christmas comes. I need to get the kids on board to help get rid of some things they don’t use anymore.

If you have any links you liked this week that you'd like to share with me and my readers - from your own blog or others - please leave the link in a comment.

Menu Plan Monday - November 16th - The Use It Up Before Vacation Week

2009-11-16T08:12:00.000-05:00

We’re leaving for vacation next week and I’m trying not to shop this week. My selections are pretty slim and I’m getting very low on meat in the freezer. So I put together a very basic menu using things I have or can ‘create’ from leftovers. I don’t have any recipes or links to share this week as these are either my tried and true or ‘flying by the seat of my pants’ meals.

On another note I’ve been struggling with a few things over the past week – my attitude and sanity being the biggest. I’ve been snapping at everyone, screaming at my kids and dissolving into tears far too easily. I’ve also managed to drag myself into a state of inactivity and am behind on a lot of things that are important to me. This morning I’ve promised myself that I’m going to stay positive this week no matter what kind of challenges I’m facing. I’m going to stay active and take some time for myself to de-stress and recharge before it’s too late and I turn into that raving lunatic mom (yeah you’ve seen her in your own mirror too now haven’t you????). So that said I’m going to post this menu for the week and get off the computer to accomplish some other tasks.

Here’s what we’re eating this week:

Monday – Pasta, Broccoli and Meatballs

Tuesday – Chicken Pot Pie

Wednesday – Breakfast for Supper

Thursday – Hamburger Helper, Corn

Friday – Pork Chops, Rice, Green Beans

Saturday – Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli

Sunday – Pork Fried Rice

For more great menu ideas check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Monthly Grocery Challenge - November - How Low Can You Go????

2009-11-11T18:21:00.001-05:00

Aldi Shopping Trip - $62.48

Yesterday I shopped at Aldi and managed to keep my total to $62.48. With the exception of milk, lunchmeat and a few incidentals I should be able to keep my spending under my $250 dollar target for the month. In addition to grabbing milk, eggs, English muffins, coffee, flour tortillas, frozen juice concentrate, and a few other weekly necessities I stocked up on butter, 5lbs of ground beef, yeast and cheese.

The next week and a half are going to take some careful planning to keep from shopping. I plan to Christmas shop tomorrow and we are headed to Florida for vacation the following week. I generally do a Stop and Shop Peapod order to be delivered when I return from vacation but am going to forgo that treat to myself this time.

A Little Bit of Freezer Cooking

2009-11-11T17:58:00.000-05:00

My dinner menu for Tuesday was Roasted Chicken. I had a 10lb bag of chicken leg quarters that I purchased frozen for 4.99. So on Tuesday I undertook thawing the whole bag and cooking it all. We used 3 legs for supper that night and the remaining 7 legs I cooked between the crockpot and the oven. I’ve stripped all the meat and have separated and frozen it. I’m going to make stock with all the bones and scraps tomorrow.

Today my dinner menu was Spaghetti and Meatballs. I made 3lbs of meatballs – some I put into my own sauce along with hot Italian sausage. The remaining meatballs I froze individually and then popped into a large freezer bag.

So basically for a little bit of ‘extended’ dinner preparation I now have already cooked chicken, already cooked meatballs, chicken stock, and spaghetti sauce with meat in the freezer for future meals. It took a little bit of extra time and planning but it will make a few nights during the coming month a lot easier.

Veteran's Day November 11, 2009

2009-11-11T16:16:00.000-05:00

Honoring those who have served and are serving our country...

thank you for your courage and your sacrifice.

Today we visited my grandfather's grave at the Veteran's Memorial Field Cemetary in his hometown. He was a World War II Army Veteran who served in France, England and Germany for four years. This is the first time I've ever brought my children to a cemetary. Surprisingly it was at my daughter's request that we visit the graves of soldiers today - so I told her I knew a special soldier we could visit. Lately I am very impressed with her grasp on our country's history and the things that are important for us to remember and respect. It was a bittersweet moment for me today - pride to be the granddaughter of a good man and sorrow that my children and he won't know each other.

Links I Liked

2009-11-10T14:42:00.000-05:00

I’m a bit behind on reading blogs this week but I did find a couple notable posts I wanted to share with you:

One Mom’s Guide to Avoiding Swine Flu Naturally by Stephanie at Keeper of the Home
A subject that has most moms concerned right now is the H1N1 flu as well as all the other ‘nasties’ that seem to be roaming the school halls with our kids. Stephanie gives some common sense advice as well as a few natural tips on keeping healthy and fighting off viruses. Mind you as she says this is ONE MOM’s advice and we don’t all agree on how to best keep our families healthy.

In our home we are attempting to prevent illness by:

enforcing increased hand washing
using antibacterial gel in public places where we can’t wash as easily
instituting earlier bedtimes
avoiding large public gathering places (the mall playpit being one)
increasing our vitamin C intake

Hopefully we can all avoid getting sick this winter or at least minimize the effects of any germs we do encounter.

Ultimate Recipe Swap : Make Ahead Meals by Fishmama at Life as Mom
This post by Fishmama provides tons of links by other bloggers sharing their own Make Ahead Meal ideas, tips and recipes. I need to spend more time checking out the links here and getting some make ahead ideas for myself.

Menu Plan Monday - November 9th

2009-11-09T09:33:00.001-05:00

I actually wrote my menu yesterday but am only just getting it posted this morning. In addition to trying to stretch the pantry and freezer I'm feeling a bit low on creativity and inspiration. My menu just isn't thrilling me but it does take advantage of what we have on hand in the house along with a few things I plan to pick up from Aldi tomorrow.

Here's what I'm planning for the week:

Sunday - Cubed Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Corn

Monday - London Broil, Rice Pilaf, Broccoli

Tuesday - Roasted Chicken Legs, Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans

Wednesday - Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad, Rolls

Thursday - Soup and Sandwich Night

Friday - Chicken Quesadillas, Mexicorn, Rice

Saturday - Homemade Pizza

I guess after typing up the menu it doesn't sound so bad. Maybe it's just me that's willy nilly today.....oh well - have a great day. I'm off to get my house under control after a busy weekend.

For more menu plans and hopefully more inspiration than I've lent today check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Organized Christmas - 6 Week Countdown to Christmas - Week Two Reality Check

2009-11-07T10:13:00.000-05:00

I’m following Cynthia Ewer’s Organized Christmas Countdown at Organized Christmas. This is Week Two – Reality Check Week. I’m behind on quite a few things this week after having my daughter home sick. So I’m trying to cram some of my Week Two Christmas Tasks into this weekend and will carry the remaining into next week. The point is to start accomplishing what needs to be done and not stress about being behind.

Tasks I’ve completed this week are:
Purchased Holiday Stamps
Ordered Photo Calendars for Grandparents
Started Selecting Photo’s for the Calendars
Started Shopping (ok I only bought 2 items….but I started!)

Tasks I need to complete this week/weekend are:
Establish Budget
Declutter Décor (remove Halloween and excess regular décor. We won’t be here for Thanksgiving so I’m going to skip decorating for it and will move onto Christmas Décor early)
Establish Holiday Clothing Needs
Inventory the Gift Box

I hope to have next week's checklist posted earlier and to devote more time to planning and task accomplishment. Shopping is a big task for me to get working on. I have a Toys R Us list and plan to get there in the next few days.

Monthly Grocery Challenge - November - How Low Can You Go????

2009-11-05T13:30:00.002-05:00

How Low Can You Go???

$65.57 Shaw's Trip

I finally got to the grocery store this morning. I had hoped to give BJ’s a try but it’s too far and I didn’t have time to get a November coupon booklet from the store to plan my shopping. So instead I went to Shaw’s with a mid-sized list and a handful of coupons. I spent $65.57 today – my savings were VIP Card $31.85, Manufacturer Coupons $3.85, and Store Coupons $2.35. Not too bad and I did get a few good deals including:

Jennie-O Turkey Breast Sliced - $4.99/lb
Russet Potatoes - .99 for 5lbs
Bumble Bee Tuna - .88 each
Keebler Snack Cracker Packs–1.88 minus .55 coupon doubled–Paid .78 each
Malt-O-Meal Cereal – BOGO–2.79 minus .75 coupon doubled–Paid .65 each
Scotties Tissues – BOGO–1.79 minus .50 coupon doubled–Paid .40 each

My total for the month including today’s purchases along with a few items from the market over the weekend comes to $85.23. I have $164.77 remaining in my budget for the month. I’m thinking that an Aldi trip next week will probably get us through until we leave for vacation the week of Thanksgiving. Looking good to meet my goal so far!

Getting Back on Track

2009-11-05T08:56:00.000-05:00

My daughter headed back to school today. She is fever free but still has a lingering cough. I opted to keep her off the bus though so my son and I dropped her off and will be picking her up at the end of the day. I've also decided to have her skip dance class tonight - she doesn't need the extra energy output and I'm trying to avoid exposing her to additional germs. We'll do a makeup class next Saturday.

I'm a bit overwhelmed and a bit behind on the list of things I had hoped to accomplish this week. One plus to being home is that I haven't spent money - that needs to change today though as my son and I are headed out to Shaws shortly to catch the last day of this week's sale (the one I made my list and prepped my coupons for). Other than that I think I am going to take things slow today - even with the overwhelming task list. I'm feeling a bit of something coming on - my ears are a little stuffy and my throat a bit pinchy. If we weren't so low on some necessary groceries I wouldn't bother to go today. That said though I think both DS and I could use a brief outing - we're a bit stir crazy. Hopefully later on today I'll have a November Grocery Challenge post up with pictures.

Keeping It Real - Priorities and The Things I Stress About

2009-11-04T05:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I wrote about priorities as a mom being subject to whatever comes your way. While my post yesterday was for the day, lately I’ve been struggling with my priorities overall. Right now I’m a stay at home mom – after being a ladder climbing career woman for almost 20 years. My oldest is 6 and attends 1st grade and my 3 year old is home with me. Some days I feel like Super Mom – I accomplish a lot of household tasks, I do fun and semi educational things with my son, I get dinner on the table and help my daughter with her homework. Other days I feel overwhelmed and certain that I am not focusing on the most important things.

Some of the things that I get stressed on are:

My son is 3 and doesn’t know his letters and can’t count past 3. Am I failing him as a mom? Does he need preschool or should I put together a homeschool curriculum for him? My oldest was in daycare and learned most of these things in that environment.

My daughter needs more focus on her homework – she is a good student but not overly ambitious. Do I push her harder? Do I make it her responsibility to do more than what is ‘just’ required? Is just dance lessons and Daisies enough or should she engage in more extra-curricular activities? Can I handle more activities????

I am frugal on a lot of small things. I hang dry my clothes, shop sales with coupons, menu plan, keep my electronics on light strips that I shut off, stretch leftovers and pack lunches for my daughter and husband. I did just initiate a refinance on our mortgage - which is a big thing. But I know we need to close a financial gap and that the continuous slow tapping of my severance isn’t good. Do I need to work harder at saving? Do I need to suck it up and go back to work full-time? Is there more that I can do from home to make money?

I have holiday planning, vacation planning, winter survival planning, organizing the house and the kids, my husband, and myself and ahhhhh…..so many things running through my brain. On top of it I added this blog to my list of things to do. Honestly though this is the one thing I feel is for me. Selfish or narcissistic as it sounds, I find myself energized by writing this blog and receiving positive feedback on what I put out. I have so many creative ideas that I want to implement and I get so excited about them – I just don’t have the time to get to all of them quick enough. The excitement for a project that is all my own has been awesome for my brain and my self-worth.

I just needed a chance to vent and also to let my readers know what’s real. I read a lot of blogs about homemaking, frugal living, homeschooling, cooking, parenting, faith, etc and sometimes after reading these I feel incredibly inadequate. However since I’ve been writing myself, I know that a blog is often ‘life edited’ for readers. Yes mine is that quite often – but for the moment I wanted to keep it real.

New Classic Family Dinners Giveaway from Recipe Lion

2009-11-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Recipe Lion has a giveaway contest for one copy of Mark Peel's "New Classic Family Dinners" cookbook. The book contains more than 200 recipes which were all tested in Mark's home kitchen - without a kitchen staff doing the work. I've got my entry in already. Check out this link to enter the contest.

Priorities

2009-11-03T06:58:00.000-05:00

Priorities when you're a mom sure do change quickly. Today on 'Dawn's Agenda' I had planned to write a few blog posts, work on my Christmas Planning Tasks, do several loads of laundry and get to the grocery store. Instead I will be snuggling on the couch watching silly kid videos, serving breakfast, lunch, snacks and cleaning up after each, playing board games and reading books. The only possible trip outside the house is to the Dr's office.

Yes my oldest is still running a fever. Yesterday she hovered around 100 degrees for most of the day then climbed up to 101 by dinnertime with an increased headache and sore throat. She is still sleeping right now so I'm not sure what her status is yet this morning. If she is still not feeling well I'll get her in to the Dr - but regardless she has to stay home from school until she is fever free for 24 hours.

So Dawn's priorities for the day get shoved aside as I step to the plate for my most important job.....mommy.

Menu Plan Monday - November 2nd

2009-11-02T07:18:00.000-05:00

Grocery Challenge Menu - How Low Can You Go??? – Week One

I’m trying to keep my grocery spending to $250 this month for my November Monthly Grocery Challenge. As a result I probably won’t have the most exciting menu plans over the next couple weeks since I plan to use the pantry as much as possible. Most of our meals will be the ‘tried and true’ kind that use inexpensive ingredients I always have on hand and that I know my family will eat. I do need to shop but I'm not sure when I will be leaving the house in the next few days as I have one kid sick with flu type symptoms. The few items I do want to pick up for this week’s menu are potatoes, coleslaw veggies and salad fixings. Maybe tonight or tomorrow night I can get out to the store after my husband gets home from work.

Monday – Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage (I have sausage in the freezer that I will brown with onions and mushrooms. Then add chicken stock from the freezer and broccoli. Pour mixture over pasta and season with parmesan cheese and black pepper)

Tuesday – Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff, Green Beans

Wednesday – Thyme Pork Chops, Sweet Potato, Broccoli (we didn’t make these last week so I pushed them to this week)

Thursday – Slow Cooker Chicken (boneless chicken pieces with cream soup and chicken stock), Rice, Corn

Friday – Sirloin Tips with Onions and Mushrooms (I have some bottled marinade to use on these), Mashed Potatoes, Salad

Saturday – Meatloaf, Baked Beans, Coleslaw

Sunday – Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (will make sauce from canned tomatoes I got on sale), Salad, Rolls

Also to make this week: Banana Bread and Pumpkin Bread for the Election Day Bake Sale, Tuna Mac Salad for my husband’s lunchbox, molasses or gingerbread cookies for snacks.

Money Saving Mom's "Becoming a Work At Home Mom" Series - Part 2

2009-11-01T11:35:00.000-05:00

Starting with Small Things (Part 2)

Part 2 of Crystal’s “Becoming a Work At Home Mom” series is posted at Money Saving Mom. Each post I read has me anticipating the next one! In Part 2 Crystal shares with us the small things she started doing to earn an income from home. If you’re interested in learning more please check out this post at Money Saving Mom as well as all the comments posted.

I would have to say this is the stage I am in right now – dipping my feet in the water and seeing how things feel. One of the easiest ways I’ve found to make quick cash is to sell off items on Craigslist or eBay. I also use Swagbucks and have earned about $20 in Amazon.com gift cards. (See this post for more information on earning prizes and gift cards by using Swagbucks.) I haven’t tried any of the survey sites and I’m not sure I want to take that path – it sounds like an investment in time that doesn’t pay a lot. I really am enjoying blogging and while it hasn’t paid off yet I feel good about building something and having a tangible ‘product’ out there in the world. I like writing and am hopeful that this experience will hone my skills and perhaps open the door to future writing projects.

Do you do things from home to earn additional income? What things seem to work best for you and what kind of advice do you have for someone starting out?

Swagbucks

2009-10-30T17:07:00.000-04:00

I’ve been using Swagbucks as my search vehicle for well over 6 months now. It’s a site where you search the web, click through to purchase products from affiliated vendors and trade in old electronics to earn Swagbucks. With Swagbucks you can purchase items and best of all redeem your earned bucks for gift cards. So far I have earned $20.00 in Amazon Gift Cards just by simply using Swagbucks as a search vehicle – and it’s all FREE!!!

Click on the icon above for more information or to join Swagbucks and start earning some swag cash!

Blitz It Friday - The Baking Cabinets

2009-10-30T09:03:00.000-04:00

It’s Blitz it - Friday at Organized Everyday and I’m pleased to be able to join again this week and share my accomplishment. Last week I did a whole house blitz and honestly it made the house a very nice place to be for the weekend. Because of that I’ve decided to change my housework day to Friday. So yes I’ll be blitzing through the house again but that’s not too exciting to post about every week. Instead I’ll find a project each week that needs a little attention and tackle it for my blitz post.

This week I blitzed through my baking cabinets. I’ve been baking more from scratch, and with the upcoming holidays I really needed to purge and inventory. I tossed a few ancient items that were stuffed in the back and sorted things that had been put back all willy-nilly.

I have quite a bit of molasses, three bags of flour and tons of sprinkles. I need to stock up on sugar, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, chocolate chips and yeast. The cabinets look much nicer and I moved a few items that I use frequently for easier access (I’m only 5 feet tall and as I’m getting older I don’t like climbing as much!). The next cabinet that I need to deal with is the coffee/medicine cabinet next to the sink. Every time I open that cabinet something falls out – usually into the sink. I know my husband would appreciate a blitz on that cabinet as well.

Here’s the before and after shots of my baking cabinets:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

For more blitzing inspiration and to read Organized Mommy’s blitzing methodology check out Blitz it - Friday #29 at Organized Everyday.

Monthly Grocery Challenge - November - How Low Can You Go????

2009-10-29T06:00:00.003-04:00

How Low Can You Go?????

With the holidays approaching and the need to find extra funds to purchase gifts I’m going to ratchet down my grocery budget for November. I’m aiming to keep my spending at $250 for the entire month and divert the extra funds towards holiday gift shopping. The key to making this work is to not increase other areas of spending – especially the eating out/takeout categories. We won’t be hosting Thanksgiving either so that will be a cost savings as well. We will be away on vacation for a week over Thanksgiving so I do anticipate extra miscellaneous spending. I’m hoping to accommodate some of the extra vacation spending by selling off some items on eBay and Craigslist. I already have a few items posted and will be gathering more to list this weekend.

We just got a BJ’s Club Membership and my first shopping trip of the month is going to be at BJ’s. My plan is to go on Monday of next week. What I didn’t realize before is that BJ’s offers club coupons every month that can be stacked with manufacturers coupons. I have a price list of my regular purchases that I will bring and I did take some notes when we were there on some prices I felt were better than the supermarkets I frequent.

Prior to my shopping trip I want to inventory my pantry and freezer. Then I’m going to make a list of meals that I can prepare for the month using what I have and noting what I need to purchase. I did a good job stocking up this month, and while I want to minimize my spending I also don’t want to deplete my whole stockpile and have to re-stock in December at the height of holiday spending.

What does your November grocery budget look like? The next couple months are tough between holiday entertaining and gift purchasing. Do you have any plans or ideas on how to accomplish both goals without busting the bank? I'd love you to share them here!

Free Candy Christmas Wreath e-Book from Living on a Dime

2009-10-28T07:51:00.000-04:00

The folks at Living on a Dime are offering a FREE e-book on how to create a Candy Christmas Wreath. I think my kids would love making and having one of these on our wall for the holidays. Tawra recommends taking advantage of post Halloween candy sales - I'll be scouting out the deals on candy this weekend. Go here to download your copy today!

Organized Christmas - 6 Week Countdown to Christmas - Week One Get Organized

2009-10-27T12:21:00.000-04:00

I’m following Cynthia Ewer’s Organized Christmas Countdown at Organized Christmas. This is Week One – Get Organized Week. I will be posting weekly updates on my holiday planning and accomplishments. If you have any tips that make your holiday planning, shopping, baking, entertaining or decorating easier and less stressful I’d love to hear from you.

The tasks I’ve completed so far are:
Print out my Christmas Planner Pages and Calendar Pages
Started populating the calendar pages with pertinent dates
Christmas label list is already completed on my laptop
Gift Idea List is started

Other tasks I need to complete this week are:
Compile photos for the Grandparents Photo Calendars
Blitz through my Baking Cabinets, Toss, Inventory and List Needs
Purchase Holiday Postage Stamps
Work with my daughter on her gift creations (secret stuff!)
Inventory the Gift Wrap, Tags, Bows, etc stash

I’m holding off on purchasing Christmas cards right now as we generally do photo cards. We will be heading to Florida for Thanksgiving and the family will be going to Disney (SHHHH…..the kids DO NOT know this so for my real life family and friends don’t say anything!!!!). I think a family photo from Disney would make a great Christmas card.

Check out the countdown at Organized Christmas and join me in planning a great holiday season.

Links I Liked

2009-10-27T08:13:00.000-04:00

Here’s a few links to posts I’ve read over the past week that I really enjoyed:

Blitz-It Friday #28 at Organized Everyday
Blitzing is a great way to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Check out Organized Everyday for the Organized Mommy’s blitzing methodology. I find that blitzing helps keep me focused and helps me get a lot done. When I think I have all day to get things cleaned up I end up noodling around and not accomplishing too much. Organized Everyday is a great site for tips on de-cluttering and organizing your home and life – yep even organizing your kids and husband!! My sidebar has a link to this blog with the most current post noted.

Kids, Chores, and Routines – A Simple, Yet Crucial Part of Family Management at Life as Mom
FishMama at Life as Mom has a neat visual way to remind kids of their daily chores – check It out. My sidebar also has a link to this blog with the most current post noted.

The Organized Christmas – Christmas Countdown: Six Weeks to an Organized Christmas
Cynthia Ewer from Organized Home has a free six week Christmas Organizing Plan on her OrganizedChristmas.com website. The site has weekly planning themes, daily inspirational messages as well as free printable forms to help get and keep you organized. I am getting started today with my own planning using Cynthia’s site. We are going to Florida for a week over Thanksgiving and I’d like to have most of my holiday tasks completed by then. I’ll be putting additional links up to this site and posting my progress weekly and – want to join me?

Menu Plan Monday - Creating Leftovers for Lunches

2009-10-26T08:05:00.000-04:00

My menu planning focus this week is to create leftovers for my husband’s lunches. We don’t have any deli meat and I’m not grocery shopping again this month. He has access to a microwave and since he works outside he enjoys hot and hearty lunches. Hopefully my plan will satisfy him.

Notes from last week – the Honey Baked Chicken went over well – the Pork Chops with Apples and Thyme did not. My husband asked me to find the last recipe I used for the Thyme Pork Chops so we’re giving that a try again this week. Wednesday and Thursday are busy evenings in our house this week so hopefully my choices will be easy to put together ahead of time. I am also going to make Chicken Stock, Blueberry Bread, and Quiche for the freezer.

Here’s what I’m putting on the table this week:

Sunday: Roast Chicken, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Corn

Monday: Asian Grilled Chicken Breasts, Salad, Rice

Tuesday: Chicken Pot Pie with Bisquick

Wednesday: Ham and Noodle Bake, Corn

Thursday: Crockpot Beef Stew, Rolls

Friday: Thyme Pork Chops, Sweet Potato, Green Brocoli

Saturday: Halloween – Take Out/Eat Out at Friends

For more great menu ideas as well as links to recipes check out Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

Here Comes The Tooth Fairy

2009-10-23T16:37:00.001-04:00

Yes here she is - my oldest child, only daughter has lost her first tooth...sniffle...sniffle.... When the bus pulled up to the driveway this afternoon she had a big cheshire cat grin going - I couldn't figure out why until she leaped off the bus and showed me the tooth.

Of course now we have to figure out what the going rate is for the toothfairy - Any ideas???

Blitz It Friday - Trying to Catch Up

2009-10-23T11:55:00.001-04:00

Today I'm joining Blitz It Friday #28 at Organized Everyday. I'm behind on housework and really don't want to spend the whole weekend trying to accomplish things with both kids and my husband under foot. So here's my plan for today and what I've completed so far:

For Blitz It Friday I am working on the following:

DONE!
Balance Checking Account and Update October Budget
Put Away 3 Laundry Baskets of Clean Clothes
Clean the Hall Bathroom (except for the tub/shower)
Vacuum Bedrooms, Kitchen, Living Room, Playroom, Stairs and Bathroom
Pick Up Playroom
Separate, Wrap and Freeze Meat purchased Thursday

Blitzing is a great way to forge ahead on getting a lot of tasks done in a small amount of time. The key for me is to limit my distractions - ie computer, tv, noodling, etc. If I set myself a deadline and have a list of things to accomplish I can usually get most of it done. Granted today I'm blocking out a large amount of time to getting things accomplished but often times with even 15 minutes to spare you can tackle at least one thing that has been bugging you.
Check out the link above to Blitz It Friday at organizedeveryday.com. Organized Mommy has lots of info on her blitzing methodology and some great inspiration to be gained from her previous projects.
Next week I plan to tackle the baking cabinets for my blitz. Stay tuned until then.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2009-10-23T06:52:00.000-04:00

I made a batch of these the other day. I buy bananas at Aldi in a large bag and we never seem to get through them before they get too ripe. When they are very ripe, I peel them, pop them into a Ziploc bag and put them into the freezer to use for baking. As they thaw they get all mushy so you don’t even have to mash them.

Here’s the recipe I used with my own tweaks added. For starters I reduced the sugar from ¾ cup to ½ cup and added vanilla, cinnamon and the mini chips to the recipe. Also I generally make the mini muffins as my kids like them better than the large muffins.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 12 Large Muffins or just about 4 Dozen Mini Muffins

Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, vanilla, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Add chocolate chips Scoop into muffin pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

After the muffins cool, I put half in a container for us to snack on immediately. (and I mean immediately as they are already gone!) The other half I freeze on a plate then transfer to a Ziploc bag to dole out for lunches and on the go snacks. The mini size muffins are perfect for the kids – they will have 2 for a snack – no waste and a yummy treat.

Monthly Grocery Challenge

2009-10-22T11:46:00.001-04:00

October - Stock the Pantry and Freezer for Under $400

Today was my Shaw’s shopping trip. I spent more than I had intended but I grabbed some great deals including Marked-Down Meats, Sylvania CFL Bulbs, Healthy Choice dinners, Flour, Green Giant Steamer Veggies, Wheat Bread BOGO, Prego Sauce and even Beer for DH. I also got $11.00 in coupons to use on my next grocery trip.

My total today came to $125.19. I had $60.79 in Preferred Customer Savings, $25.18 in Manufacturer Coupons, $19.20 in Shaws Store Coupons and $4.30 in bottle returns. I achieved a total savings of $105.17 today – not too bad if I do say so myself.

Total spending for the month comes to $383.06. I’m done except for milk and produce next week which I will use the $11.00 in coupons towards. So it looks like I will be coming in under my $400 dollar target for groceries this month. I was able to stock my pantry with soups, pasta, flour, tomato sauce and lunchbox snacks. My freezer has a ton of meat as well as bread, frozen meals, and frozen veggies.

I'm pleased with my efforts this month. I know that menu planning helped a lot as I used what I had and what was on sale. We also reduced our eating out/take out spending quite a bit this month by having meals planned. Next month we will be gone for a week over Thanksgiving so my spending should be reduced. I need to look at my calendar and come up with my challenge for next month. I'm thinking of budgeting $250 for the month so that I can start my holiday shopping using some of what I would have spent on groceries.

How have you done so far this month on your grocery budget? Any goals for next month?

For more inspiration on grocery savings, steals and deals check out Money Saving Mom's Super Savings Saturday.

Money Saving Mom's "Becoming a Work At Home Mom" Series

2009-10-21T19:09:00.000-04:00

Crystal at Money Saving Mom has Part 1 of her Work At Home Mom Series posted. Check out Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom: In the Beginning…(Part 1). While this post is mostly an intro, it does give you background on Crystal and her husband’s journey to multiple income streams. Crystal is a respected blogger and definite mentor in the on-line work at home world. I’m looking forward to learning more from her series. I also hope to share here at Finding My Way at Home, my own attempts to increase our household income using alternative means.

Links I Liked

2009-10-20T06:44:00.000-04:00

Here are a few links to posts I've read over the past week that I've enjoyed. Hope you do as well:

Embrace Plan B at I’m an Organizing Junkie
Laura has some heartfelt words about battling perfectionism, stepping out of your comfort zone and being 'OK' with the current situation even when it goes against your plans.

Review: The Simple Living Guide at The Simple Dollar
Trent has a review of Janet Luhrs book "The Simple Living Guide" that has inspired me to check out this book further.

Guest Post: Maximize Your Freezer's Potential and Minimize Freezer Burn at Money Saving Mom
Amy from The Finer Things in Life writes a guest post on Money Saving Mom about how to package meals for the freezer. Great tips for those of you who try to do bulk cooking.

Feel free to leave comments on any great links you've found or links to your own posts that you think myself or my readers would enjoy.

Menu Plan Monday - October 19th

2009-10-19T09:06:00.000-04:00

I never got the recipes posted last week that I intended to post – I’ll try to do that this week. The Rosemary Chicken and Sweet Potatoes is just soooo yummy!!! Shepherd’s Pie is one of my husbands favorites and it even got a thumbs up from little miss picky eater. The Pork Fried Rice I made on Sunday was very good – of course it’s one of my ‘throw together’ recipes so who knows if it will be as good next time.

On the menu at our house this week is:

Monday – Honey Baked Chicken, Rice, Salad

Tuesday – Grilled Sirloin, Baked Sweet Potato, Broccoli, Rolls

Wednesday – Pork Chops with Apple & Thyme, Pierogies, Green Beans

Thursday – Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (meat is leftover cubed steak in freezer and I’ll make my own tomato sauce), Salad, Homemade Bread

Friday – BBQ Pork Sandwiches (from leftover Pork Chops – the apple is a nice touch with the BBQ), Hot Dogs, Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Carrots & Celery

Saturday – Leftover Buffet/Breakfast for Supper

Sunday - I’d like to do some kind of roast this day – pork, beef, chicken or turkey. I’ll finalize which meat based on what I can get for the best price when I shop on Wednesday. My plan is to get some leftovers and lunchmeat out of whatever meat I cook on Sunday.

Hopefully my family will enjoy the meals I planned for this week. The Honey Baked Chicken has gone over well in the past and we haven’t had pork chops or pierogies in a while. I’m also planning to bake banana mini muffins for the lunchboxes and need to make up a batch of waffles for the freezer.

Need ideas for your menu? Check out the great links and recipes on the Menu Plan Monday post at orgjunkie.com.

I Don't Know How They Do It

2009-10-15T09:28:00.000-04:00

3 of "My Boys" for the Day

Yesterday I babysat for the boys next door. After getting my daughter and the two oldest boys on the bus, my son and I went over for 8am to get the other two boys. The morning was spent between their house and my house, doing a little bit of cleaning up and baking while the boys played. At lunchtime one of the boys came home from kindergarten. I fed them lunch, put the baby down for a nap and took the other three outside in the front yard for about 20 minutes. My daughter and the oldest boy got home at 3:30. Everyone had a snack and we all went out for a while again. The older kids stayed out while I brought the baby and the two littlest boys inside.

We walked back to our house just before 5:30pm and I immediately got supper started. My husband was working late and then going to his dart club so I had all the parenting, feeding, homework, and bed readying duties myself. WOW was that tougher than I had realized. I’m used to having those responsibilities when he works late but never after working myself. I’ve been a stay at home mom since my daughter started school and have been able to work my schedule to accommodate everything else that needs to get done. (uh oh….I need to get ground beef out of the freezer this morning for dinner tonight….sorry brain wanderings there)

Last night made me very thankful that I am able to stay home right now and that most nights my husband is home to help with homework, bath and dinner cleanup. It also gave me a great deal of compassion for the women out there who work all day and then come home at night to do all the things that I’m able to do during the day. Let’s just say I’m a little bit in awe…..

Monthly Grocery Challenge

2009-10-12T08:43:00.000-04:00

October – Stock the Pantry and Freezer for Under $400

I shopped at Aldi on Sunday and spent $67.82 – definitely a little bit more than I wanted but I also had my husband and the two kids with me. Shopping with DH always adds up to more – even more so than just shopping with the kids. Regardless, I’m pleased with my purchases and with the abundance in my freezer and pantry.

My Aldi list had a few staples that I had run out of like Baking Mix, Butter, Flour, Frozen Juice Concentrate, Minced Garlic, Shredded Cheeses and Canned Tomatoes. I also grabbed a few items for this week’s menu plan – Sweet Potatoes, Brocoli, Fresh Mushrooms and Biscuits. My usual buys at Aldi included Milk, Eggs, Bread, Bananas, Flour Tortillas and English Muffins. The kids got a treat of Corn Dogs and DH grabbed a bag of Pistachios.

My total grocery spending for the month comes in at $250.99 as of yesterday. That includes my stop at the convenience store for milk (and the piece of chocolate that DS begged for me when we were there). My game plan for the rest of the month is to buy only essentials and use the rest of my budget towards stockpiling with loss leaders and coupons. Look here to see my previous Monthly Grocery Challenge post

What’s your grocery budget look like this month? Are you able to work the sales and coupons to maximize your dollars? Have you gotten any great deals? Share your knowledge and accomplishments here!

Menu Plan Monday - October 11 - Busy Week!

2009-10-11T15:50:00.000-04:00

It's Sunday here in our house but lately it seems that it's the better day for me to start our menu for the week. The Crockpot Ribs were very good but I didn't have boneless ribs which I think would have made the recipe better. We didn't eat all the ribs so I cut the meat off the bone and popped it into the freezer. The meat from them is the 'pork' in my Pork Fried Rice tonite.

It's going to be busy around here this coming week. Monday is a holiday and DD has a playdate, Tuesday DD has no school, Wednesday and Thursday I am babysitting for the neighbor boys, Friday evening we are having company, Saturday DD has a birthday party in the afternoon and then both kids are sleeping at the grandparents as my husband and I are going out. Sunday DD and I have a baby shower brunch to attend. I tried to plan my menu with things that would accomodate our busy schedule days as well as a few things we haven't had in a while. We're needing a little more variety around here. Menu planning with fussy kids is so difficult though!

Sunday - Pork Fried Rice (I wish I had a real recipe for this but it is usually a leftover/kitchen sink put together - sometimes better than others), Kids are having frozen corn dogs and leftover mac & cheese

Monday - Grilled Steak, Rice Pilaf, Salad

Tuesday - Baked Rosemary Chicken and Sweet Potatoes, Brocoli, Biscuits

Wednesday - Pasta with Brocoli & Sausage

Thursday - Shepherds Pie

Friday - Homemade Pizzas

Saturday - Eating out, Kids eating at grandparents

I will post a few recipes later today as I can't find the links for them. For more great menu and recipe ideas check out Menu Plan Monday hosted at orgjunkie.com.

Secrets of a Super Saver

2009-10-09T11:54:00.000-04:00

Lisa Palmi, 20 year stay at home mom and fellow Dollar Stretcher Forumite, has recently published an informational download on her secrets to saving 60% - 90% off your grocery bill. As most moms know, the grocery bill is one of the largest expenses of a growing family. Lisa’s download details how to utilize coupons, rebates and store programs to maximize your grocery budget. I consider myself a relatively smart shopper and user of coupons, however there were quite a few new tricks I learned from Lisa’s publication. Some of the information Lisa teaches about are:

Coupon & Rebate Sources
Coupon “Stacking” Tips
Doubling Bar Code Secrets
How to Get Paid to Purchase Products
Store Sales Cycles by Month

My favorite part of Secrets of a Supersaver is that Lisa shares her methods for organizing coupons, planning shops and transactions and maximizing the value of your coupons.

The Secrets of a Supersaver download is being offered for $7.00 through the follwing link . Click Here to Purchase.

As part of a special promotion, anyone who purchases the download via the link above will receive 3 entries in a random drawing for a FREE COUPON ORGANIZER.

You may also receive 1 entry in the drawing by viewing Lisa's site via the link and then returning here to Finding My Way at Home and leaving feedback in the comments section of this post. This drawing is valid today through October 31st. Winner will be announced on November 1st.

Money Saving Mom's "Becoming a Work At Home Mom" Series

2009-10-07T15:15:00.000-04:00

Crystal at Money Saving Mom is doing a series on becoming a work at home mom. She's gotten an overwhelming response to her introduction for the series. Check out this post at Money Saving Mom and keep an eye out here for future links to this exciting series.

I have to go Pee Pee - Toilet Training Fun

2009-10-07T11:14:00.000-04:00

I hear this statement yelled to me multiple times a day. DS is doing a very good job a toilet training but wow does it take a lot more focus, time and patience than I realized. I waited until DD was in her third week of 1st grade and our schedule slowed down to give it a try. DS had just turned three and got big boy underwear for his birthday so he was psyched up to wear them. The first day we went through 3 pairs of underwear by 10:30am and we went back to the pull-ups. Each day got increasingly better and after 3 weeks he has very few accidents and even manages to have a dry pull-up most mornings.

That said the things that drive me crazy about this whole toilet training business are:
• Constant little boy nudity – he has to have shoes, socks, pants off to go and then decides that he prefers not putting any of them back on
• Sitting on a wet toilet seat – yes I have boycotted using the same bathroom but DD gets caught sometimes
• Having to check out every public bathroom wherever we are
• Needing the diaper bag for every outing just in case

It’s interesting though that the methods used for my two children were vastly different. DD was in daycare and started toilet training at the age of 2. It was a big deal to get all the little kids to ‘try’ even if they were still wearing diapers. And frankly I wasn’t the one doing the training so I wasn’t sure if it was the best method.

With DS I never once got him to perform on the toilet. He would sit there, read books, sing, fill the toilet with paper and flush but nothing else. It basically took the cold turkey method to get him trained and it delivered much quicker results than the method used with DD. Also DS is staying dry at night – something which took DD another year to accomplish after being day trained.

Check out the book below Mommy I have to go Potty by for more information on tips and tools to toilet train your child.

Update on Summer Learning Adventures

2009-10-05T14:38:00.000-04:00

I’m laughing at myself about my overly ambitious goals for providing the kids, mostly DD, with learning adventures this summer. We did accomplish some of the goals but most of the summer was spent trying to keep them amused, keeping them from pummeling each other, and trying to find a few moments of peace and quiet for myself in between the mayhem. Where on earth did I get the idea that I was SuperMommy???

The goals we accomplished for the summer included:

• Completion of the Summer Reading Challenge and getting to attend a special Magic Show at school as a reward
• Tying shoes
• Great improvement in telling time
• Starting to comprehend money, coin values and overall money concepts
• Both kids completed Swim Class

So now DD is in 1st grade all day and it’s just me and DS at home. Which means my next task is to figure out how to ensure he’s learning at the appropriate rate since he isn’t currently in preschool or daycare. Somehow I think my plan might be a little more ‘reasonable and achievable’ this time.

Menu Plan Monday - October 5th

2009-10-04T13:05:00.000-04:00

Overall I did really well sticking to last week’s menu plan. Monday’s Honey Mustard Chicken wasn’t that great but since homemade bread was on the menu for Wednesday that night was a big hit. Friday night ended up being tomato soup and grilled cheese as DH was working pretty late and the London Broil wasn’t worth wasting on the kids. The tag sale on Saturday was cancelled due to rain so I did the London Broil that night instead of Friday.

What I like about menu planning is that it gives me options for the entire week. If I choose to rearrange the order of my plan because ‘life’ got in the way one day, it is still easier than being clueless. I also find it helps keep my grocery spending in line as I plan around what I have on hand. Yes on occasion I will go grab something extra as I have an idea that just needs a little something I don’t have in stock. But overall menu planning seems to reduce my stress level and my grocery budget.

Have you given menu planning a try? What works for you and what obstacles do you find yourself fighting to overcome when it comes to creating and sticking to a menu plan?

Here’s what on the table at our house this week:

Sunday – Dinner at a Friend’s House
Monday –Crockpot Ribs, Salad, Mashed Potatoes
Tuesday – Sirloin Tips, Noodles, Brocoli
Wednesday –Chicken Baked in Cream of Chicken Soup , Rice, Green Beans
Thursday – Dance Class Night and Dinner Out – DH hasn’t been to DD’s dance class yet this year so we’re all going to go watch and then head to THE 99 RESTAURANT for dinner with my $5 off coupon.
Friday – Ham Steaks, Pasta Alfredo, Broccoli
Saturday – Hamburger Helper Beef Pasta, Green Beans (ok, yes my family likes some HH once in a while. I keep them on hand and when I buy ground beef I separate it into ¾ lb packs to use for HH or to toss into pasta. I’m not a super chef – I do what I need to do to get my family to eat, provide something quick and easy, and keep my budget in line.)

For more excellent ideas on menu planning check out the Menu Planning Monday thread on orgjunkie.com.