Saturday, November 28, 2009
So Busy
I've been very busy, lately. In fact, I just got done weeding through nearly two thousand e-mails. I am now down to eight e-mails. Whew! I've had very little time for the computer. That's alright, I've been productive in other areas. I'll continue to be very busy over the holidays. I can't guarantee that I'll be posting here.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Oh Yeah, Our Van Got Fixed
I just realized that I never posted that the van was fixed. We took the van to the repair shop on Tuesday and got it back on Wednesday. It doesn't overheat or leak anymore!
In other news, I have to go prod the children to lay out their clothes for tomorrow and get them to bed. G'night all!
In other news, I have to go prod the children to lay out their clothes for tomorrow and get them to bed. G'night all!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Last Weekend
The answer to my last post:
hobos
dead car
party
murder mystery
call to the police
4am
missionaries
cinnamon rolls
scalloped potatoes
gas caps
Bengals
Buckeyes
lunch run
Wal-mart
four hours
zero hours
antennae topper
Reese's Pieces
shoes
is they all took place last weekend.
high temps. -- children with fevers (actually Mon. - Sat. for that one) and our van overheating
hobos -- Birdie and Monkey went on the 5th-6th grade youth group hobo hike. They dressed a
hobos and had to help rake leaves at a church members home so that they could roast
hotdogs and marshmallows over an open fire for their dinner.
dead car -- Jon's car quit working. He had to leave it away from home for a couple nights until a
friend helped him tow it home. (My dad came today and helped Jon fix the car.
Thanks, Dad!)
party -- Friday night, some friends from church threw a murder mystery party. Jon and I were
on a team (two couples) that tied for the win. Thanks for watching the kids, Mom and
Dad!
murder mystery -- See above.
call to the police -- I went out to go pick Jon up from work Sunday morning just after 4am.
When I got to our van, I discovered that the door to our gas tank was open and the
cap was gone. No gas was stolen. I called the police to report it before going to pick up
Jon.
4am -- See above.
missionaries -- This month is missions emphasis month at our church.
cinnamon rolls -- I made homemade cinnamon rolls for our Sunday school class.
scalloped potatoes -- I made these for the potluck lunch our church had for the missionaries who
were in town.
gas caps -- See "call to the police" and "Wal-mart"
Bengals -- They won on Sunday!
Buckeyes -- They won on Saturday!
lunch run -- Jon was on a lunch run for the two of us when his car wouldn't start.
Wal-mart -- After picking Jon up for work Sunday morning, we went to buy a new gas cap for
our van. The one the book at the store said to get was not the right one, so we had to
take the first one back and get a different kind (the most expensive :( ). We now have
a locking gas cap. On the way to church Sunday morning we saw our gas cap at the back
of our property. Anyone want an old gas cap?
four hours -- The number of hours I got to sleep Sat. night to Sun. morning.
zero hours -- The number of hours of sleep Jon got after getting off work Sun. morning.
antennae topper -- Sadly, the boys discovered Sunday evening that the antennae topper my
sister gave us was missing. We assume it was taken at the same time as our gas cap.
Reese's Pieces -- Birdie and Monkey won boxes of Reese's Pieces for having two of the best hobo
costumes. My mom did a terrific job helping them with their costumes!
shoes -- Little Bear announce that he couldn't find his shoes at about the same time we should
have been leaving for church Sunday morning. We didn't find his shoes until after
church. I found a pair of Puppy Dog's old shoes that we thought were too big for Little
Bear. They fit him! We were still late for Sunday school though.
Yesterday, our van let me know in no uncertain terms that it will no longer provide transportation for us until we get it serviced. Friends of our gave me a ride to our small group meeting last night. Of course, this happened the week I was responsible for dinner.
What Do The Following Items Have In Common?
high temps.hobos
dead car
party
murder mystery
call to the police
4am
missionaries
cinnamon rolls
scalloped potatoes
gas caps
Bengals
Buckeyes
lunch run
Wal-mart
four hours
zero hours
antennae topper
Reese's Pieces
shoes
is they all took place last weekend.
high temps. -- children with fevers (actually Mon. - Sat. for that one) and our van overheating
hobos -- Birdie and Monkey went on the 5th-6th grade youth group hobo hike. They dressed a
hobos and had to help rake leaves at a church members home so that they could roast
hotdogs and marshmallows over an open fire for their dinner.
dead car -- Jon's car quit working. He had to leave it away from home for a couple nights until a
friend helped him tow it home. (My dad came today and helped Jon fix the car.
Thanks, Dad!)
party -- Friday night, some friends from church threw a murder mystery party. Jon and I were
on a team (two couples) that tied for the win. Thanks for watching the kids, Mom and
Dad!
murder mystery -- See above.
call to the police -- I went out to go pick Jon up from work Sunday morning just after 4am.
When I got to our van, I discovered that the door to our gas tank was open and the
cap was gone. No gas was stolen. I called the police to report it before going to pick up
Jon.
4am -- See above.
missionaries -- This month is missions emphasis month at our church.
cinnamon rolls -- I made homemade cinnamon rolls for our Sunday school class.
scalloped potatoes -- I made these for the potluck lunch our church had for the missionaries who
were in town.
gas caps -- See "call to the police" and "Wal-mart"
Bengals -- They won on Sunday!
Buckeyes -- They won on Saturday!
lunch run -- Jon was on a lunch run for the two of us when his car wouldn't start.
Wal-mart -- After picking Jon up for work Sunday morning, we went to buy a new gas cap for
our van. The one the book at the store said to get was not the right one, so we had to
take the first one back and get a different kind (the most expensive :( ). We now have
a locking gas cap. On the way to church Sunday morning we saw our gas cap at the back
of our property. Anyone want an old gas cap?
four hours -- The number of hours I got to sleep Sat. night to Sun. morning.
zero hours -- The number of hours of sleep Jon got after getting off work Sun. morning.
antennae topper -- Sadly, the boys discovered Sunday evening that the antennae topper my
sister gave us was missing. We assume it was taken at the same time as our gas cap.
Reese's Pieces -- Birdie and Monkey won boxes of Reese's Pieces for having two of the best hobo
costumes. My mom did a terrific job helping them with their costumes!
shoes -- Little Bear announce that he couldn't find his shoes at about the same time we should
have been leaving for church Sunday morning. We didn't find his shoes until after
church. I found a pair of Puppy Dog's old shoes that we thought were too big for Little
Bear. They fit him! We were still late for Sunday school though.
Yesterday, our van let me know in no uncertain terms that it will no longer provide transportation for us until we get it serviced. Friends of our gave me a ride to our small group meeting last night. Of course, this happened the week I was responsible for dinner.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
What Do The Following Items Have In Common?
high temps.
hobos
dead car
party
murder mystery
call to the police
4am
missionaries
cinnamon rolls
scalloped potatoes
gas caps
Bengals
Buckeyes
lunch run
Wal-mart
four hours
zero hours
antennae topper
Reese's Pieces
shoes
hobos
dead car
party
murder mystery
call to the police
4am
missionaries
cinnamon rolls
scalloped potatoes
gas caps
Bengals
Buckeyes
lunch run
Wal-mart
four hours
zero hours
antennae topper
Reese's Pieces
shoes
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
I Really Don't Like It When My Kids Are Sick
Then again, I don't think anybody does. It's so frustrating to see an ill child and not be able to fix the problem in an instant. My children don't get sick often, but it tears me up when they do. You can read that word, tears, either way you want (my original intention was that it have a short vowel sound).
Monkey and Birdie are no longer ill. Monkey has been fever free since yesterday afternoon. Birdie has been fever free since last night.
This morning, Froggie woke up with a fever. Ugh! I always dread Froggie getting sick. She works herself up and feels much worse than she needs to. A mild fever turns into a major fiasco. She thinks that if she is at all sick, then she must throw up. She forces herself to do so. She also has no regard for where the product of that action goes. It goes wherever it goes. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to clean the hole in our living room floor that our t.v. cables go down through? It's a wood floor. I suppose I'll just have to spray Lysol down the hole and hope it doesn't damage the floor's finish.
Apparently, the ibuprofen tablet I had Froggie take took affect in the twenty minutes she allowed it. Her fever is gone right now. I'm trying to get her to nibble on a saltine cracker to make sure her stomach is settled, but so far the cracker is just laying beside her. The saga continues...
Who knew that the other children would want to eat today? Can you believe it? They're asking me what they can have to eat. Their sister is sick and they want to eat! I haven't been able to get to the store and they want to eat! Alright, saltines for everyone (including myself lol)! I'll have to make some chicken soup today. That usually perks Froggie up when she's ill.
Monkey and Birdie are no longer ill. Monkey has been fever free since yesterday afternoon. Birdie has been fever free since last night.
This morning, Froggie woke up with a fever. Ugh! I always dread Froggie getting sick. She works herself up and feels much worse than she needs to. A mild fever turns into a major fiasco. She thinks that if she is at all sick, then she must throw up. She forces herself to do so. She also has no regard for where the product of that action goes. It goes wherever it goes. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to clean the hole in our living room floor that our t.v. cables go down through? It's a wood floor. I suppose I'll just have to spray Lysol down the hole and hope it doesn't damage the floor's finish.
Apparently, the ibuprofen tablet I had Froggie take took affect in the twenty minutes she allowed it. Her fever is gone right now. I'm trying to get her to nibble on a saltine cracker to make sure her stomach is settled, but so far the cracker is just laying beside her. The saga continues...
Who knew that the other children would want to eat today? Can you believe it? They're asking me what they can have to eat. Their sister is sick and they want to eat! I haven't been able to get to the store and they want to eat! Alright, saltines for everyone (including myself lol)! I'll have to make some chicken soup today. That usually perks Froggie up when she's ill.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Where to start?
I guess I'll just go in chronological order.
October 21:
The children and I went to the Creation museum with two other homeschool families from our church.
Little Bear and Kitty Kat
Puppy Dog
Birdie
Kitty Kat, Monkey, Froggie, and Puppy Dog
Puppy Dog with Jon
November 2:
In the evening, the girls and I had Sonflower Scouts. By the time scouts was over, Monkey really wasn't feeling well. She had a high fever, but I don't think it's the flu. By bedtime, Birdie was also feeling bad and running a fever.
November 3:
Both girls are still feeling dizzy and feverish. Birdie got sick some. It may be the flu, or it might just be that her empty stomach couldn't handle cranberry juice during a fever. Ibuprofen takes care of the fevers and the girls feel better with the fevers under control. Today became a p.j. day for the kids.
Jon and I voted.
Various days:
We painted our living room. We made and exploded a volcano. Actually, the kids made the volcano while Jon and I painted. They had to work together to make the dough and build the volcano. I used red food coloring when I made it erupt. Another Weaver mom had mentioned using a water bottle to build the volcano around. We did that and the eruption was wonderful, because the pressure built up causing the "lava" to shoot up a bit.
Our washer gave out (a repairman Jon talked to thought it was probably the transmission), so we had to get a new one. We somehow missed that the one we picked out was HE. I can't use my homemade detergent in it, but we needed the extra load space. Hopefully, we'll save enough on water and electricity to make up for the high detergent cost. It's a lot easier to get the laundry done now. Of course, laundry is never actually done...
Jon planed a door down and installed it in our bathroom doorway. We no longer have a curtain for a bathroom door!
Jon changed the dryer duct.
October 21:
The children and I went to the Creation museum with two other homeschool families from our church.
Little Bear and Kitty Kat
Puppy Dog
Birdie
Kitty Kat, Monkey, Froggie, and Puppy DogOctober 30:
Our Mountain Dew can coupons for Young's Jersey Dairy were getting ready to expire, so we played miniature golf at Udders and Putters and got ice cream.
October 31:
Jon participated in a forklift rodeo and we finished using our cans at Young's Jersey Dairy. This time, Jon's sister and her family joined us for golf and ice cream.
November 1:
THREE OF OUR CHILDREN GOT BAPTIZED! Jon had the honor of baptizing them.
Froggie with Jon
Monkey with Jon
Our Mountain Dew can coupons for Young's Jersey Dairy were getting ready to expire, so we played miniature golf at Udders and Putters and got ice cream.
October 31:
Jon participated in a forklift rodeo and we finished using our cans at Young's Jersey Dairy. This time, Jon's sister and her family joined us for golf and ice cream.
November 1:
THREE OF OUR CHILDREN GOT BAPTIZED! Jon had the honor of baptizing them.
Froggie with Jon
Monkey with Jon
Puppy Dog with Jon
November 2:
In the evening, the girls and I had Sonflower Scouts. By the time scouts was over, Monkey really wasn't feeling well. She had a high fever, but I don't think it's the flu. By bedtime, Birdie was also feeling bad and running a fever.
November 3:
Both girls are still feeling dizzy and feverish. Birdie got sick some. It may be the flu, or it might just be that her empty stomach couldn't handle cranberry juice during a fever. Ibuprofen takes care of the fevers and the girls feel better with the fevers under control. Today became a p.j. day for the kids.
Jon and I voted.
Various days:
We painted our living room. We made and exploded a volcano. Actually, the kids made the volcano while Jon and I painted. They had to work together to make the dough and build the volcano. I used red food coloring when I made it erupt. Another Weaver mom had mentioned using a water bottle to build the volcano around. We did that and the eruption was wonderful, because the pressure built up causing the "lava" to shoot up a bit.
Our washer gave out (a repairman Jon talked to thought it was probably the transmission), so we had to get a new one. We somehow missed that the one we picked out was HE. I can't use my homemade detergent in it, but we needed the extra load space. Hopefully, we'll save enough on water and electricity to make up for the high detergent cost. It's a lot easier to get the laundry done now. Of course, laundry is never actually done...
Jon planed a door down and installed it in our bathroom doorway. We no longer have a curtain for a bathroom door!
Jon changed the dryer duct.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
We've been busy...
church, school, painting, volcano explosions, field trips, exciting news about three of my children . . .
I'll post more later. Right now, I don't have time.
I'll post more later. Right now, I don't have time.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Final Tally
The final tally for our Kroger shopping in September is $238.31. We came in below our goal of $75.00 per week for groceries, but don't let that fool you.
September was actually a rather expensive month for us. We've been working on redoing our living room and have purchased paint, trim, adhesive, and curtains among other things. We also had to get shoes for five of the children and me. Jon's birthday was this month and we went out to eat and of course I bought him a gift. September is a pretty busy month for us and we ended up eating out more than usual.
Most likely, any money we saved on food was spent on other needs, wants, or desires.
September was actually a rather expensive month for us. We've been working on redoing our living room and have purchased paint, trim, adhesive, and curtains among other things. We also had to get shoes for five of the children and me. Jon's birthday was this month and we went out to eat and of course I bought him a gift. September is a pretty busy month for us and we ended up eating out more than usual.
Most likely, any money we saved on food was spent on other needs, wants, or desires.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Post (Aren't I Clever?)
As you can probably tell from my title, I'm not feeling very creative today.
The past few days have been wonderful, crazy, and busy. Saturday included Jon's birthday, the Buckeyes winning, the kick-off party (carnival this year) for Sonflower Scouts, and a trip to Young's Jersey Dairy for the boys. Jon was supposed to start his new work schedule Saturday, but he took the day off. That gave Jon six days off in a row. The girls and I joined Jon and the boys at Young's for ice cream after we helped clean up from the carnival. On Sunday after church (I had nursery duty) I was exhausted and Jon sent me to take a nap (it was a long nap). Jon and the kids did a lot while I slept. When I got up I fixed a late lunch. Then, the kids and I went to church. I now help with Little Bear's class on Sunday evenings. When the kids and I got home we watched the Bengals game (Jon had saved it). The Bengals beat the Steelers in Cincinnati! Yesterday, we caught up on some cleaning that has been falling to the wayside with school. As a treat for their hard work, we took the kids back to Young's for ice cream last night.
Jon goes back to work today, and I have a feeling that we'll be doing school almost to bedtime. We're still trying to figure out how our schedule will work. If I have the energy, I might post about our schedule tonight.
On the way home from Young's, we stopped by Kroger to pick up a few things we needed. We spent $19.12. Our Kroger total for September is now $238.81.
The past few days have been wonderful, crazy, and busy. Saturday included Jon's birthday, the Buckeyes winning, the kick-off party (carnival this year) for Sonflower Scouts, and a trip to Young's Jersey Dairy for the boys. Jon was supposed to start his new work schedule Saturday, but he took the day off. That gave Jon six days off in a row. The girls and I joined Jon and the boys at Young's for ice cream after we helped clean up from the carnival. On Sunday after church (I had nursery duty) I was exhausted and Jon sent me to take a nap (it was a long nap). Jon and the kids did a lot while I slept. When I got up I fixed a late lunch. Then, the kids and I went to church. I now help with Little Bear's class on Sunday evenings. When the kids and I got home we watched the Bengals game (Jon had saved it). The Bengals beat the Steelers in Cincinnati! Yesterday, we caught up on some cleaning that has been falling to the wayside with school. As a treat for their hard work, we took the kids back to Young's for ice cream last night.
Jon goes back to work today, and I have a feeling that we'll be doing school almost to bedtime. We're still trying to figure out how our schedule will work. If I have the energy, I might post about our schedule tonight.
On the way home from Young's, we stopped by Kroger to pick up a few things we needed. We spent $19.12. Our Kroger total for September is now $238.81.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Day 20
Last night, the children and I went to Kroger. Our total was $106.14, and between sales and coupons we saved $51.18. Our total Kroger spending for the month is $219.69. That leaves us just over $80 left for the month.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Grocery Update
Jon ran to Kroger for me (a few times) Thursday to get some things we needed for some meals we were providing outside our home. The total for the three trips came to $32.95. So that brings our total Kroger spending to $113.55 for the month for any average of $37.85 per week so far. That's not bad, but we have spent some money at other places. Our grocery spending has not been much in addition to the Kroger purchases. I'm going to have to go shopping soon. I'm just about out of some essential baking items.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
I'd report our grocery spending...
. . . but, there hasn't been any.
I take that back.
I did spend $4.50 Sunday afternoon on a newspaper and three bags of fall candy. The newspaper had four or five coupon inserts. I thought there were just four, but when I thought I was done going through them I found another under the newspaper. It was either a fifth one or I hadn't kept them all together. A bag of candy corn and a bag of candy pumpkins in a jar I use for incentive treats for school time. (The children were disappointed to learn that they could only have one pumpkin per day.) The other bag of candy I bought was candy "Autumn mix" corn. I'll use that to refill the jar later. That would bring my Kroger total for the month to $80.60.
I still have meats, veggies, and some other items in the freezer to use up. I'm wondering if I get it all used up this month. I really don't want to have to put anything back after I defrost the freezer though. I may need to leave the freezer off until I can find a new seal or another solution, since it doesn't seal properly at the top. Our refrigerator is a stand alone fridge (no freezer).
I've been out of milk for a few days, but we have had other sources of calcium and vitamin D.
The cabinets are starting to clear out, so I'll have to take inventory soon.
I think we'll go shopping after Jon gets paid tomorrow.
I take that back.
I did spend $4.50 Sunday afternoon on a newspaper and three bags of fall candy. The newspaper had four or five coupon inserts. I thought there were just four, but when I thought I was done going through them I found another under the newspaper. It was either a fifth one or I hadn't kept them all together. A bag of candy corn and a bag of candy pumpkins in a jar I use for incentive treats for school time. (The children were disappointed to learn that they could only have one pumpkin per day.) The other bag of candy I bought was candy "Autumn mix" corn. I'll use that to refill the jar later. That would bring my Kroger total for the month to $80.60.
I still have meats, veggies, and some other items in the freezer to use up. I'm wondering if I get it all used up this month. I really don't want to have to put anything back after I defrost the freezer though. I may need to leave the freezer off until I can find a new seal or another solution, since it doesn't seal properly at the top. Our refrigerator is a stand alone fridge (no freezer).
I've been out of milk for a few days, but we have had other sources of calcium and vitamin D.
The cabinets are starting to clear out, so I'll have to take inventory soon.
I think we'll go shopping after Jon gets paid tomorrow.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Poor Lily
LilyWe decided to air out the house yesterday, so we opened up the front and back doors. We kept a close eye on the cats to make sure that they didn't venture out. Our cats are indoor cats and have not been vaccinated for some of the ailments they could contract if they come in contact with outdoor cats. We did really well until later in the evening. The cats had been so good that we quit checking on them. Then, we went to bed.
Apparently, no one checked to be sure the cats were accounted for. This morning when I let the dogs out, an animal started fussing. At first, I thought it was the puppy from across the street. However, the longer the animal fussed, the more cat-like it sounded. Birdie walked up behind me and said, "I hear Lily". I told her that I knew it sounded like Lily, but I thought Lily was inside. I brought the dogs back inside (they were dawdling), and I kept asking everyone to keep an eye out for Lily. Finally, I started calling the cats. Midnight, one of the dogs, about went crazy wanting me to go out back. I went to our back entryway and sure enough, there was Lily at the door crying to be let in.
Midnight
Tiger**Oh yeah, yesterday, Kitty Kat found our camera under a china cabinet of all places.
+ Kitty Kat had the idea to rub a towel over Lily and then over Tiger. Unfortunately, it didn't work. So, I gave the cats a bath. Hopefully, that will do the trick.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Tuesday (because I'm not feeling creative today)
I was totally worn out from our travels yesterday. Therefore, our meals today were rather blah.
Breakfast: banana oatmeal
Lunch: leftovers and bananas
Supper: french fries with browned ground beef, cheese, and ketchup
Snacks: fruit snacks (kids)
I did get a loaf of banana bread made and some bananas frozen. We'll have the bread for breakfast in the morning. In total, I took care of seventeen of the bananas Jon brought home. We used five bananas from what we already had here for lunch.
On the homeschool front:
I only had the kids work on unfinished assignments and take Spelling tests. They were supposed to take the tests on Friday, but they got carried away with their Science assignments and we ran out of time. Before the tests three of the girls sat in a circle and gave each other a "fun test" (Monkey's name for it) for review. Those who had tests to take did well (nothing below a B+, three got A or A+). Puppy Dog fussed that "someone" lost his Spelling list, so he couldn't study. He got all twelve of his words and his bonus word correct!
Tomorrow we're going to have to work extra hard so that we can go to evening church.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Bananas!
Since it's a new week, I'm determined to post what we eat for the $75 a Week Grocery Spending Challenge. I'll try to post for every day this week. I'll decide for the following weeks when I come to them.
Sunday
Breakfast: cold cereal and milk
Lunch: chicken, 3 peppers and onions, and corn with teriyaki sauce over rice
Supper: cheese pizza, banana halves
Snacks: sliced bell peppers (from my Mom's garden), tomatoes (from our garden and my
Mom's), and tomato juice (Thanks, Mom!)
Monday
Breakfast: leftover pancakes (from Saturday), milk
Lunch: macaroni and cheese with peas, fried bologna, and sliced tomatoes
Supper: cookout at my sister's house We're taking deviled eggs and carrot sticks.
The kids are thrilled about this next subject! Some of them have been fussing about only getting a half banana at a time. They don't care that half a banana is a serving, they just want a whole one to themselves. Anyway, Jon brought home a treat last night from work.
Bananas for banana bread!
Sorry about the picture quality. We misplaced our camera and still haven't found it. This picture was taken with my phone.Tomorrow will be quite busy with school, housework, and lots of baking!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Grocery Trip #1
This week has been a little crazy. This week has been so crazy, that at any given time, I lose one or more of the days in my memory. (Jon was thinking out loud for me and said, "either the week was crazy, or you're getting old. Since you're not getting old, the week must have been crazy." Isn't he sweet?) Therefore, I'm not going to report on everything we've eaten so far this month.
Jon and I decided that we would only count our grocery expenditures for this challenge. I will not be counting household items, toiletries, or pet supplies unless they are purchased at Kroger with our food purchases.
Most of our food purchases are made at Kroger. We don't get food items at other stores very often. I know what the best prices are for the items we use and I'm careful to shop the sales, but I don't usually go out of my way unless it is really worth it. This week we spent $76.10 at Kroger. We got some treats for our cats ($2) and a bar of Fels-Naptha ($1.29) or we would have been under budget. We do have a rebate to send in to get $10 back and $70 off a Dell computer. We most likely will not use the Dell coupon. We also probably won't get the $10 before the end of the month.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
September $75 Grocery Challenge
Mary from Owlhaven is doing a grocery challenge this month. I spoke to Jon about it, and have decided to take her up on the challenge. We may not be able to stay within the $75, but I'll try. Saturday was the first time I did any real grocery shopping in about three weeks. Our cupboards are not full. Our freezer isn't full either. We are having some problems with the seal on our freezer and it is frosting horribly. Therefore, I need to empty the freezer. This challenge should help with that.
If you follow the link above(Mary from Owlhaven), you too can join in the challenge. I dare you!
Today and Way to Go Birdie!
Last night I remembered some more things that had to be done before I went to bed. I did get the bread started last night. I was still up when Jon came home from work, and I didn't get to bed until after three in the morning. Since I was up so late, I decided to allow ourselves to head out at eleven instead of ten.
I printed off my blog post last night so I would have my list handy. It was a good thing! I decided to check my list and was reminded to have my devotional time. I chose Philippians chapter four for my Bible reading, because I knew I would need it. I actually had planned on reading from the Old Testament, but Philippians four came to mind while I was praying. My mindset today was much better than last night.
before 10:00 am list
We got everything done on my before 10:00 am list. I did make some minor adjustments. Instead of oatmeal and yogurt, we had oatmeal and milk to save time. I also heated water in the tea kettle and used that to make the oatmeal instead of cooking it on the stove and having to watch over it. I nixed the potatoes and carrots so that I wouldn't have to spend the time fixing them this morning. I had planned on putting together some cross word puzzles for the kids to use to practice their spelling words. The links on the site I had bookmarked to do that with just kept taking me in circles last night. I knew I didn't have time to do four different puzzles on my own. I didn't get the children's things ready. I let them do it! Instead of cleaning the whole kitchen I did some dishes last night and this morning. Our dishwasher is ancient and doesn't work right, so we have to hand wash.
10:00 am - ? list
We headed out just after eleven this morning. The children were pretty good about doing their homework and helping out. I was much more at peace about things today. I did call Jon before I headed home and he turned off the oven for me. I fixed mashed potatoes and peas and carrots to go with our meatloaf and bread-and-butter. We still ate lunch around two.
2:30 - ? list
Jon left for work a little later than usual. He was spending time with the kids and forgot to watch the clock. He was still on time, but just didn't get there as early as he likes to in order to get his equipment for the night claimed. I rested while the kids avoided resting. When I got up, I mandated rest time. We haven't gotten back to school. Jon suggested that we do a half day today and a half day tomorrow in order to paint the living room. I'm taking him up on it. We had a late snack. I still need to fix supper after I am done posting this. I'll probably have the children do their chores while I'm fixing supper. I really don't feel like browning the ground beef tonight. I checked the date on the meat an I still have a few days. I'll do that tomorrow.
Way to go, Birdie!
Birdie has trouble with visual perception and fine motor skills. Due to this, her writing is rarely legible. Last year, she could focus to write legibly for about the time it took her to copy two or three words. The word would often be mirror images of what I had given her as an example. Sometimes the word would be up-side-down and sometimes backward.
Following are Birdie's penmanship papers from last week and this week. For some reason, our scanner did some weird things with the pages. I didn't feel like messing with it, so I left them as they were.
Last week, I printed out part of our memory verse for her to copy. I intended to have her do part of the verse each day, Wednesday through Friday. The verse is Matthew 5:14. Everyone had it memorized Wednesday, so I gave them a break on penmanship for rest of our first week back to school.
This is Birdie's penmanship from last week. I was pleased that I could make out some of the words.
This is Birdie's penmanship from yesterday. The verse was on our white board and I didn't make a copy for her. I wanted to see what she could do. I was also pleased with this. I can make out some of the words and this was a more difficult task for her.
Today, Birdie's penmanship REALLY impressed me! Since we weren't at home and I didn't want Birdie trying to copy from yesterday's penmanship (as the others were doing), I had Kitty Kat print out a sample for Birdie to copy from.
Didn't she do a great job?
I printed off my blog post last night so I would have my list handy. It was a good thing! I decided to check my list and was reminded to have my devotional time. I chose Philippians chapter four for my Bible reading, because I knew I would need it. I actually had planned on reading from the Old Testament, but Philippians four came to mind while I was praying. My mindset today was much better than last night.
before 10:00 am list
We got everything done on my before 10:00 am list. I did make some minor adjustments. Instead of oatmeal and yogurt, we had oatmeal and milk to save time. I also heated water in the tea kettle and used that to make the oatmeal instead of cooking it on the stove and having to watch over it. I nixed the potatoes and carrots so that I wouldn't have to spend the time fixing them this morning. I had planned on putting together some cross word puzzles for the kids to use to practice their spelling words. The links on the site I had bookmarked to do that with just kept taking me in circles last night. I knew I didn't have time to do four different puzzles on my own. I didn't get the children's things ready. I let them do it! Instead of cleaning the whole kitchen I did some dishes last night and this morning. Our dishwasher is ancient and doesn't work right, so we have to hand wash.
10:00 am - ? list
We headed out just after eleven this morning. The children were pretty good about doing their homework and helping out. I was much more at peace about things today. I did call Jon before I headed home and he turned off the oven for me. I fixed mashed potatoes and peas and carrots to go with our meatloaf and bread-and-butter. We still ate lunch around two.
2:30 - ? list
Jon left for work a little later than usual. He was spending time with the kids and forgot to watch the clock. He was still on time, but just didn't get there as early as he likes to in order to get his equipment for the night claimed. I rested while the kids avoided resting. When I got up, I mandated rest time. We haven't gotten back to school. Jon suggested that we do a half day today and a half day tomorrow in order to paint the living room. I'm taking him up on it. We had a late snack. I still need to fix supper after I am done posting this. I'll probably have the children do their chores while I'm fixing supper. I really don't feel like browning the ground beef tonight. I checked the date on the meat an I still have a few days. I'll do that tomorrow.
Way to go, Birdie!
Birdie has trouble with visual perception and fine motor skills. Due to this, her writing is rarely legible. Last year, she could focus to write legibly for about the time it took her to copy two or three words. The word would often be mirror images of what I had given her as an example. Sometimes the word would be up-side-down and sometimes backward.
Following are Birdie's penmanship papers from last week and this week. For some reason, our scanner did some weird things with the pages. I didn't feel like messing with it, so I left them as they were.
Last week, I printed out part of our memory verse for her to copy. I intended to have her do part of the verse each day, Wednesday through Friday. The verse is Matthew 5:14. Everyone had it memorized Wednesday, so I gave them a break on penmanship for rest of our first week back to school.
This is Birdie's penmanship from last week. I was pleased that I could make out some of the words.
This is Birdie's penmanship from yesterday. The verse was on our white board and I didn't make a copy for her. I wanted to see what she could do. I was also pleased with this. I can make out some of the words and this was a more difficult task for her.
Today, Birdie's penmanship REALLY impressed me! Since we weren't at home and I didn't want Birdie trying to copy from yesterday's penmanship (as the others were doing), I had Kitty Kat print out a sample for Birdie to copy from.
Didn't she do a great job?
Monday, August 31, 2009
I Have a Busy Day Tomorrow
I already had tomorrow roughly planned out, then something came up. I changed my plans around only to realize that the event that will take us out of the house will not just change how we do school. I had plans of making bread tomorrow. We're out. My lunch plans were dependent on me being home to mess with the bread. We can't eat out. Jon also will need a work lunch. I've got eight pounds of burger in my fridge that I need to do something with. I was going to make meatloaf for tomorrow and brown some. Hmm...pardon me while I think on here. A list, I need a list!
To do before 10:00am
10:00 am - ?
2:30 - ?
I'd better get started on that list since it's after 12 am already. I'll have to get some sleep sometime soon.
Thanks for putting up with my ramblings.
Please pray for me if you feel so led. My attitude about tomorrow is not what it should be. Thank you!
To do before 10:00am
- Devotions (These will be a must!)
- Start the bread. Hmm...maybe I'll start this tonight!
- Get ready for the day.
- Check the dough. Punch it down. Shape it and get it into pans.
- Make sure the children are up and getting ready and feed the pets.
- Fix and eat breakfast (oatmeal and yogurt?).
- Bake the bread.
- Make meatloaf with potatoes and carrots around it.
- Get the bread out. Make sure to put it in the cabinet after it cools a little, so the pets don't help themselves to a treat.
- Put the meatloaf in the oven at a cooler temperature than normal (300 d. ?).
- Get together the children's assignments.
- Clean the kitchen.
10:00 am - ?
- Head out with the children and some of their assignments.
- Reach our destination and start the children on their school work.
- Do what it is that I need to do (the something that came up).
- Call Jon to have him check the meat loaf? I don't want to wake him too early.
- Come home.
- Finish fixing lunch and Jon's work lunch.
- Eat lunch by 2:00 pm.
2:30 - ?
- Jon goes to work. The rest of us take a rest time?
- Chores
- Finish school.
- I guess we'll have to eat supper sometime. Which means I'll have to fix it. Pizza might be quick and easy.
- Brown the ground beef while supper is baking/cooking.
I'd better get started on that list since it's after 12 am already. I'll have to get some sleep sometime soon.
Thanks for putting up with my ramblings.
Please pray for me if you feel so led. My attitude about tomorrow is not what it should be. Thank you!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
School Isn't Starting Until Wednesday
I had every intention of starting school tomorrow. Then, I went to my sleep consultation appointment. I had to wait a month and a half to get in for the consultation. So, I expected that I would still have quite a bit of waiting in my future. The doctor set up a sleep study and nap study for tomorrow and Tuesday! I go in tomorrow night at eight and don't get done until Tuesday afternoon at four. So, school isn't starting until Wednesday. I guess we'll be doing Saturday school to stay on schedule.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Potluck time at Green Thumb Mama's
I have to get off here and let Jon have the computer, so I'm making this brief. A recipe I threw together the other day has been featured in the Potluck at Green Thumb Mama's Recipe Box!. Green Thumb Mama added a recipe of her own that compliments mine. If you're curious, head on over. Thanks, Green Thumb Mama.Have a great night!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Crunch Time
August is always a busy month for us, but this August seems even more busy than usual.
Next month, we are hosting our Life Group (small group from church) and we still haven't finished our living room. So, along with everything else, we still have to finish the living room. The living room furniture is in the boys' room and our dining room, so really we have at least three rooms to finish.
We just got accustomed to our new, later schedule. Then on Saturday morning Jon called work to see if he could start early to make it easier to do traffic duty at church the next day. Instead of having him start early, they had him switch to third shift for the week. For the week! There went our schedule! However, God always provides. Mr. M. went home that afternoon. Jon is on third this week which makes him available for the visitation and funeral. There is also a rumor at Jon's workplace that they will have a new schedule bid soon. I have no idea what our regular schedule will be now.
So here's a glimpse of today and the next thirteen days:
Aug. 11 - We have to get the younger two girls home from my sister's (South of here) and the boys from my parents' (North of here). Jon has a Stage Right (drama ministry) meeting. Jon works.
Aug. 12 - Mr. M.'s visitation is from 2-4 and 6-8. We figured we would go during the earlier time, since we can. However, Puppy Dog has a dentist appointment at 2:30 in Urbana. Jon's mom also has surgery on this day. Jon works.
Aug. 13 - Mr. M.'s funeral at 10:30 AM, my grandmother's birthday, our fifteenth anniversary, and Kitty Kat's thirteenth birthday Jon's mom has a Dr. appt. and may need a ride?
Aug. 14 - Jon has a chiropractor appointment.
Aug. 15 - Jon goes back on second shift. Jon works.
Aug. 16 - We will probably have to go to all three services at church, if Jon is in a skit. Jon works.
Aug. 17 - Jon works.
Aug. 18 - I have a sleep study consultation at 8:45 AM. Jon works.
Aug. 19 - Jon has a dentist appointment at 4(?) We have a combined birthday party with our Life Group for the whole family at Young's Jersey Dairy. Jon's niece's birthday (15).
Aug. 20 - Jon's younger brother's anniversary (10th).
Aug. 21 - party for the above anniv. ? It may be moved to the 22nd.
Aug. 22 - Puppy Dog's seventh birthday. Jon works (?).
Aug. 23 - Birdie's eleventh birthday, church, and I think this is my week for nursery duty (if so, we attend all three services). Jon works (?). **I have a Sonflower Scouts leaders' meeting at 3PM.
Aug. 24 - first day of school, Jon's niece's birthday (3?)
Those are just the events we have written down on our calendar. I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
I'd better get to work!
**edited after receiving an e-mail.
Next month, we are hosting our Life Group (small group from church) and we still haven't finished our living room. So, along with everything else, we still have to finish the living room. The living room furniture is in the boys' room and our dining room, so really we have at least three rooms to finish.
We just got accustomed to our new, later schedule. Then on Saturday morning Jon called work to see if he could start early to make it easier to do traffic duty at church the next day. Instead of having him start early, they had him switch to third shift for the week. For the week! There went our schedule! However, God always provides. Mr. M. went home that afternoon. Jon is on third this week which makes him available for the visitation and funeral. There is also a rumor at Jon's workplace that they will have a new schedule bid soon. I have no idea what our regular schedule will be now.
So here's a glimpse of today and the next thirteen days:
Aug. 11 - We have to get the younger two girls home from my sister's (South of here) and the boys from my parents' (North of here). Jon has a Stage Right (drama ministry) meeting. Jon works.
Aug. 12 - Mr. M.'s visitation is from 2-4 and 6-8. We figured we would go during the earlier time, since we can. However, Puppy Dog has a dentist appointment at 2:30 in Urbana. Jon's mom also has surgery on this day. Jon works.
Aug. 13 - Mr. M.'s funeral at 10:30 AM, my grandmother's birthday, our fifteenth anniversary, and Kitty Kat's thirteenth birthday Jon's mom has a Dr. appt. and may need a ride?
Aug. 14 - Jon has a chiropractor appointment.
Aug. 15 - Jon goes back on second shift. Jon works.
Aug. 16 - We will probably have to go to all three services at church, if Jon is in a skit. Jon works.
Aug. 17 - Jon works.
Aug. 18 - I have a sleep study consultation at 8:45 AM. Jon works.
Aug. 19 - Jon has a dentist appointment at 4(?) We have a combined birthday party with our Life Group for the whole family at Young's Jersey Dairy. Jon's niece's birthday (15).
Aug. 20 - Jon's younger brother's anniversary (10th).
Aug. 21 - party for the above anniv. ? It may be moved to the 22nd.
Aug. 22 - Puppy Dog's seventh birthday. Jon works (?).
Aug. 23 - Birdie's eleventh birthday, church, and I think this is my week for nursery duty (if so, we attend all three services). Jon works (?). **I have a Sonflower Scouts leaders' meeting at 3PM.
Aug. 24 - first day of school, Jon's niece's birthday (3?)
Those are just the events we have written down on our calendar. I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
I'd better get to work!
**edited after receiving an e-mail.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Tomorrow Will Be Another Emotional Day
So, evident by my last post, last Sunday was a very emotional day. Tomorrow will probably be an even more emotional day. Today, at 12:30PM, a wonderful man of God who has influenced hundreds ( thousands or ...?) of people for Christ went home to be with his Savior after an intense battle with cancer.
Mr. and Mrs. M. missed being able to worship with their church family, so a week ago Wednesday, the church came to them. Somewhere around 450 people showed up at their home and had a worship service in their yard in the rain. The M. family put Mr. M.'s bed by the window so he could watch and participate. Afterward, he sat on his knees at the window for three (?) hours as everyone passed by his window giving him hugs, handshakes, etc.
Last Sunday, some men went to the M. house and helped get Mr. M. into his vehicle so that he could come to the end of our third service to watch his grandson be baptized. More men helped get him into a wheelchair and into the church. Towards the end of the service, Mrs. M. came to the front pews without Mr. M. I knew that either he wasn't able to make it or he was waiting to come out. Mr. M. was brought out on stage and he prayed before one of his sons baptized his grandson. Hence, the intensity of my emotions last Sunday/Monday.
While we will miss Mr. M., we know he is no longer in pain and we are happy for him. We pray that God will comfort the M. family and friends.
This song is so fitting.
Mr. and Mrs. M. missed being able to worship with their church family, so a week ago Wednesday, the church came to them. Somewhere around 450 people showed up at their home and had a worship service in their yard in the rain. The M. family put Mr. M.'s bed by the window so he could watch and participate. Afterward, he sat on his knees at the window for three (?) hours as everyone passed by his window giving him hugs, handshakes, etc.
Last Sunday, some men went to the M. house and helped get Mr. M. into his vehicle so that he could come to the end of our third service to watch his grandson be baptized. More men helped get him into a wheelchair and into the church. Towards the end of the service, Mrs. M. came to the front pews without Mr. M. I knew that either he wasn't able to make it or he was waiting to come out. Mr. M. was brought out on stage and he prayed before one of his sons baptized his grandson. Hence, the intensity of my emotions last Sunday/Monday.
While we will miss Mr. M., we know he is no longer in pain and we are happy for him. We pray that God will comfort the M. family and friends.
This song is so fitting.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Have you ever...
...been so full of grief, joy, amazement, and a whole slew of other emotions that tears just run down your face as if you had two little water falls for eyes?
Saturday, August 1, 2009
A New Schedule
Our "normal" schedule just wasn't working very well. It didn't work well during the school year. It hasn't really worked for us this Summer. So, after finding out that Jon wouldn't be going back on first shift, I decided to try a new schedule. First shift people will probably think we're insane. We might just be.
So here's the tentative schedule:
9:00 AM Mom up, devos., shower, and get ready (7:00 on Sun. and Thurs.)
10:00 Kids up, devos., shower, get ready; Breakfast (8:00 on Sun. and Thurs.), Dad up?
11:00 Chores, Dad up?
12:00 PM School
1:00 Clean up and fix lunch.
1:30 Lunch
2:30 Dad goes to work, School
4:30 Snack
7:30 Finish school and eat supper
8:30 Free time, homework, evening chores, and family time
11:00 Kids to bed (10:00 on Sat. and Wed.), Mom prepare for tomorrow
2:00 AM Mom to bed (1:00 AM on Sat. and Wed.)
3:00 Dad home and to bed (?)
We plan on getting/making some thick curtains for the kids' rooms to block out the early morning light.
Today was our first day trying this schedule. I just came up with it last night. It didn't go too bad, but the boys did get up too early. Hopefully, with time we'll all adjust.
So, what does your schedule look like?
So here's the tentative schedule:
9:00 AM Mom up, devos., shower, and get ready (7:00 on Sun. and Thurs.)
10:00 Kids up, devos., shower, get ready; Breakfast (8:00 on Sun. and Thurs.), Dad up?
11:00 Chores, Dad up?
12:00 PM School
1:00 Clean up and fix lunch.
1:30 Lunch
2:30 Dad goes to work, School
4:30 Snack
7:30 Finish school and eat supper
8:30 Free time, homework, evening chores, and family time
11:00 Kids to bed (10:00 on Sat. and Wed.), Mom prepare for tomorrow
2:00 AM Mom to bed (1:00 AM on Sat. and Wed.)
3:00 Dad home and to bed (?)
We plan on getting/making some thick curtains for the kids' rooms to block out the early morning light.
Today was our first day trying this schedule. I just came up with it last night. It didn't go too bad, but the boys did get up too early. Hopefully, with time we'll all adjust.
So, what does your schedule look like?
Friday, July 31, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Better Late Than Never?
So, a little while back (September 14, 2009), a little wind blew through our neck of the woods (remnants of hurricane Ike) and a tree branch fell on our roof.
Today, almost a year later, I finally got the monster off of there. By monster I mean that what was still on our roof was 22 foot long and about 2 foot across. This was after taking off as much as I felt comfortable doing by myself which included another section that was about 6.5 foot long by 1.5 foot across. That limb fell DOWN on TOP of our two-story home! Yeah, as one of the less-than-professional "Tree Care Specialists" stated when giving us a quote, "That's one big-ash tree!"
So, better late than never. Now, to get the roof repaired...
Today, almost a year later, I finally got the monster off of there. By monster I mean that what was still on our roof was 22 foot long and about 2 foot across. This was after taking off as much as I felt comfortable doing by myself which included another section that was about 6.5 foot long by 1.5 foot across. That limb fell DOWN on TOP of our two-story home! Yeah, as one of the less-than-professional "Tree Care Specialists" stated when giving us a quote, "That's one big-ash tree!"
So, better late than never. Now, to get the roof repaired...
Monday, June 29, 2009
StoryBlox
Have you ever checked out StoryBlox? If not, I highly recommend you do. StoryBlox sells handmade educational toys. Yes, this is a shameless plug for my sister's company. No, she didn't know I was going to do this.
StoryBlox just announced a 25% off Grand Opening Sale at their Art Fire shop .
StoryBlox just announced a 25% off Grand Opening Sale at their Art Fire shop .
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Moms Aren't Supposed to ...Part II
Jon and I have pondered whether or not I have sleep apnea for a few years. One night last week I really gave Jon a scare. He kept having to wake me up so I would start breathing again. So, he told me to set up an appointment with our family doctor and I did. I REALLY don't like going to the doctor. I usually just deal with whatever is bothering me and/or try home or OTC remedies.
Thursday evening at our Life Group meeting we asked our group to pray for the appointment to go well. It did.
My mom took the children with her to visit relatives who were in from GA on Friday. That way, Jon could go to the appointment with me.
So, here are the results of that appointment:
1. I'm on antibiotics for ten days for my sinus infection.
2. I'm now taking allergy medicine (nose spray).
3. I have an appointment in August for a consultation with a Dr. for a sleep study.
The allergy medicine makes my headaches worse. I couldn't even sleep Friday night, because my headache was so bad. If the headaches don't start improving I'll have to call the Dr. I already have a terrible time with several different types of headache and I don't need another type. The information with the medicine actually says to call my doctor if I get a headache from it, but since it's the weekend I can't. My symptoms have gotten worse since I started taking the medicine, but apparently that's normal for the first few days.
Hopefully, I'll be on the mend soon.
Have a great day everyone!
Thursday evening at our Life Group meeting we asked our group to pray for the appointment to go well. It did.
My mom took the children with her to visit relatives who were in from GA on Friday. That way, Jon could go to the appointment with me.
So, here are the results of that appointment:
1. I'm on antibiotics for ten days for my sinus infection.
2. I'm now taking allergy medicine (nose spray).
3. I have an appointment in August for a consultation with a Dr. for a sleep study.
The allergy medicine makes my headaches worse. I couldn't even sleep Friday night, because my headache was so bad. If the headaches don't start improving I'll have to call the Dr. I already have a terrible time with several different types of headache and I don't need another type. The information with the medicine actually says to call my doctor if I get a headache from it, but since it's the weekend I can't. My symptoms have gotten worse since I started taking the medicine, but apparently that's normal for the first few days.
Hopefully, I'll be on the mend soon.
Have a great day everyone!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Moms Aren't Supposed to Get Sick, Right? or I Think
I think I've been fighting this off for a while now. I've been dealing with allergies, aches, headaches, etc. just about all Spring. Now, I'm sick.
I think being busy for our week of V.B.S., which our church is now calling Kid Fest, was the final straw.
I think whatever I have is viral. (I almost decided to change the beginning of that last sentence. Then I thought, "Oh, well. It's a pattern." I seem to be doing a lot of thinking for someone who is having trouble thinking.)
I think I better cut this short and go get some more rest. Hopefully, I'll recover and feel more myself soon.
I think being busy for our week of V.B.S., which our church is now calling Kid Fest, was the final straw.
I think whatever I have is viral. (I almost decided to change the beginning of that last sentence. Then I thought, "Oh, well. It's a pattern." I seem to be doing a lot of thinking for someone who is having trouble thinking.)
I think I better cut this short and go get some more rest. Hopefully, I'll recover and feel more myself soon.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Why Didn't I Think of This Before?
There are times when I have take my children with me to the grocery store. I'm pretty sure taking the kids doubles if not triples the time spent at the store. The trips are always smoother when I am creative and have something planned for the children to do while we shop. Yesterday evening I had to take the children to the store and I came up with a plan and I think it was the best in a long time.
Saturday, our local library had a book sale. I went by myself in the early afternoon and brought back a backpack full of books for five dollars. I didn't have enough time to look, because I had to get home to take the four girls to a skating party. While the girls were at the party, Jon and I decided we would take the boys to the library and see what else we could find. As we walked in we were handed plastic grocery bags and told that we could have whatever we could fit in a bag for one dollar. The boys had a blast helping us fill the bags. We brought home seven more bags of books.
Our children are loving having all the new books to devour. At least one has plans to read all of them this Summer (well maybe not the college math book I picked up).
I took advantage of their interest last evening and allowed each child to bring a book with them to the store. That was the most peaceful shopping trip with children that I have had in a long time! I'm definitely going to do that again.
======================================================
On another topic, I have a couple prayers of thanks. 1. We paid our van off Thursday and we now officially own all our vehicles. 2. A man in a car sped through a red light Saturday. The boys and I (in the above mentioned van) had been stopped at the light for the intersecting street. We and the van turning in the lane beside us just missed being in an accident with the speeding car. The fact that I was at a full stop at the light before it changed kept us from being in the intersection as the car sped through. The car missed our van by about five feet and missed the other van by about five inches. As Puppy Dog said, "that car was flying" and "we need to thank God that He made you put on the brakes!"
Saturday, our local library had a book sale. I went by myself in the early afternoon and brought back a backpack full of books for five dollars. I didn't have enough time to look, because I had to get home to take the four girls to a skating party. While the girls were at the party, Jon and I decided we would take the boys to the library and see what else we could find. As we walked in we were handed plastic grocery bags and told that we could have whatever we could fit in a bag for one dollar. The boys had a blast helping us fill the bags. We brought home seven more bags of books.
Our children are loving having all the new books to devour. At least one has plans to read all of them this Summer (well maybe not the college math book I picked up).
I took advantage of their interest last evening and allowed each child to bring a book with them to the store. That was the most peaceful shopping trip with children that I have had in a long time! I'm definitely going to do that again.
======================================================
On another topic, I have a couple prayers of thanks. 1. We paid our van off Thursday and we now officially own all our vehicles. 2. A man in a car sped through a red light Saturday. The boys and I (in the above mentioned van) had been stopped at the light for the intersecting street. We and the van turning in the lane beside us just missed being in an accident with the speeding car. The fact that I was at a full stop at the light before it changed kept us from being in the intersection as the car sped through. The car missed our van by about five feet and missed the other van by about five inches. As Puppy Dog said, "that car was flying" and "we need to thank God that He made you put on the brakes!"
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Some of What We've Been Up To
We've been a little busy, lately.
Birdie, Monkey, and Puppy Dog were in our church's children's choir. This year they went by the name, Inside Out. Froggie and Kitty Kat didn't sign up for the Jr. High choir in time, so they didn't participate (on stage) in the Night of Worship this year.
Puppy Dog
all six children after the Night of Worship
We watched two of Jon's nieces last Saturday. While they were here, the children discovered some strange fungi (?). The children have been been observing the fungi each day. It dies off each day and then a new fungus is in the same area the next morning. Does anyone know what it is?
Birdie, Monkey, and Puppy Dog after their Inside Out award ceremony.
Birdie, Monkey, and Puppy Dog were in our church's children's choir. This year they went by the name, Inside Out. Froggie and Kitty Kat didn't sign up for the Jr. High choir in time, so they didn't participate (on stage) in the Night of Worship this year.
Birdie and Monkey
Puppy Dog
all six children after the Night of Worship
We watched two of Jon's nieces last Saturday. While they were here, the children discovered some strange fungi (?). The children have been been observing the fungi each day. It dies off each day and then a new fungus is in the same area the next morning. Does anyone know what it is?
Birdie, Monkey, and Puppy Dog after their Inside Out award ceremony.
Kitty Kat, me, Froggie, Monkey, and Birdie after the Sonflower Scout badge ceremony
This is what our living room ceiling looks like right now. Little Bear says we made it naked. Actually, it's not even there. The old plaster ceiling was falling down, so we had to take it down. We're hoping to have the new ceiling up this weekend and get the living room repainted next week. We still haven't decided what color of paint to use. We have some ideas, though.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
New Post Coming Soon
I haven't forgotten about all you wonderful people. I just haven't had time for Blogging. I'll be around to visit and post sometime soon, perhaps after we put our living room ceiling back up.
Friday, April 10, 2009
THE AWARD FOR THE MOST COMMENTS IN ONE DAY...
. . . GOES TO DAMAMA T !
Yesterday, Jon and I moderated seventeen comments from Damama T. Welcome back Damama! I probably won't get around to answering all the comments, but if you give me enough time, I may.
I'll have to see if we can get an award made up for you Damama.
======================================================================
We did our shopping yesterday, so here are the numbers.
Kroger: $69.67
total for three weeks: $346.67
weekly average: $115.56
The average will probably drop even more next week.
Yesterday, Jon and I moderated seventeen comments from Damama T. Welcome back Damama! I probably won't get around to answering all the comments, but if you give me enough time, I may.
I'll have to see if we can get an award made up for you Damama.
======================================================================
We did our shopping yesterday, so here are the numbers.
Kroger: $69.67
total for three weeks: $346.67
weekly average: $115.56
The average will probably drop even more next week.
Monday, April 6, 2009
An Angel with a Flaming Sword
Aren't four year olds interesting? Little Bear just told me, "Mom, when I grow up I'm going to be an angel, but I'm going to have a flaming sword. Do you want to know where I got that from? I got that from my Adam book." LOL My son is not going to be a doctor, a lawyer, a street sweeper, or any other normal profession. No, my son is aspiring to be an angel with a flaming sword. I wonder what he'll want to be tomorrow?
=====================================================================
I didn't get to the store on Thursday which is our normal day to shop. The kids and I went on Saturday. The kids were not in the best of moods. I started out by telling the kids I was going to take a picture of them to put on the blog anytime I caught them misbehaving. It didn't take me long to realize my mistake. I switched to taking pictures of the kids when I caught them behaving.
Birdie helps by getting beans to put in the cart while we were at Wal-mart.
I caught Monkey with her hands in her pockets while several children behind her were handling the items on the shelves. Her siblings saw this take place and the next thing I knew, several others had their hands in their pockets. (Pay no attention to the green coat sleeves. Ugh! They are the stained sleeves of Froggie's old coat. I told her I would not put a picture of her in the blog if she had the coat on, but she refused to take it off. She was caught being good a couple times, but I can't post her picture since I told her I wouldn't.
Puppy Dog stands by the cart with his hands in his pockets.
Birdie poses with her hands in her pockets. Monkey is in the background looking at a movie display with her hands still in her pockets. Another sister is looking with her hands. Ahem!
Little Bear tries to hide behind his arm as I take this picture. It took me several tries!
What a great older sister! Kitty Kat helps out by taking the boys to the restroom at Kroger.
=====================================================================
I didn't get to the store on Thursday which is our normal day to shop. The kids and I went on Saturday. The kids were not in the best of moods. I started out by telling the kids I was going to take a picture of them to put on the blog anytime I caught them misbehaving. It didn't take me long to realize my mistake. I switched to taking pictures of the kids when I caught them behaving.
Birdie helps by getting beans to put in the cart while we were at Wal-mart.
I caught Monkey with her hands in her pockets while several children behind her were handling the items on the shelves. Her siblings saw this take place and the next thing I knew, several others had their hands in their pockets. (Pay no attention to the green coat sleeves. Ugh! They are the stained sleeves of Froggie's old coat. I told her I would not put a picture of her in the blog if she had the coat on, but she refused to take it off. She was caught being good a couple times, but I can't post her picture since I told her I wouldn't.
Puppy Dog stands by the cart with his hands in his pockets.
Birdie poses with her hands in her pockets. Monkey is in the background looking at a movie display with her hands still in her pockets. Another sister is looking with her hands. Ahem!
Little Bear tries to hide behind his arm as I take this picture. It took me several tries!
What a great older sister! Kitty Kat helps out by taking the boys to the restroom at Kroger.Our total for food at Wal-mart was $21.56 .
Our total for food at Kroger was $77.75 .
Jon spent about $40 while I was at a friend's Friday.
weekly total = $139.31
total for two weeks = $277.00
average weekly spending = $138.50 .
I haven't been stressing out about food prices as much these last two weeks. Most likely, this is due to the fact that we have had more money available for food. It's looking like our average for food may be higher than it was previously. Due to the rising cost of food, we may have to increase our food budget. Then again, I usually will have a week here or there where I don't do the regular food shopping. That would really drop the average.
====================================================================
While I was typing this, Little Bear brought me the book he previously referred to, and showed me the picture of the angel with the flaming sword. The book is CREATION MY FATHER LOVES ME by J.D. Wise.
Our total for food at Kroger was $77.75 .
Jon spent about $40 while I was at a friend's Friday.
weekly total = $139.31
total for two weeks = $277.00
average weekly spending = $138.50 .
I haven't been stressing out about food prices as much these last two weeks. Most likely, this is due to the fact that we have had more money available for food. It's looking like our average for food may be higher than it was previously. Due to the rising cost of food, we may have to increase our food budget. Then again, I usually will have a week here or there where I don't do the regular food shopping. That would really drop the average.
====================================================================
While I was typing this, Little Bear brought me the book he previously referred to, and showed me the picture of the angel with the flaming sword. The book is CREATION MY FATHER LOVES ME by J.D. Wise.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
So, what do you think?
Yesterday, is a blur to me. lol I didn't post last night because I was too tired, and today I'm drawing a blank. I'll try to remember, anyway.
We started out with cold cereal. After doing some chores and other things, we had lunch meat sandwiches on wheat bread with lettuce, tomato, and cheese. We also had bananas. We then ran some errands. I had put a roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions in our slow cooker in the morning. We had that and sour dough bread with Country Crock for supper. Then Jon had a drama rehearsal and while we were waiting on him the kids worked on their schoolwork while I read to them. We had another stop to make after the rehearsal and we snacked on fruit chews in the van on the way. We got home and snacked on chips and salsa (just Jon and me) and Cheez-Its (just the kids). After putting the kids to bed, Jon and I had jalapeno poppers and pop.
Jon made some food purchases this week that came up to about $30.oo.
I had stopped getting whole wheat flour when finances got tight at the end of last year. Jon wants to go back to whole wheat now, so we are. Yay! I haven't found the time this week to make tortillas. We were at Wal-mart to get a few things yesterday and we picked up two packs of tortillas and a bag of WW flour. Our food total at Wal-mart was $7.30.
During our errand running we took our aluminum cans (35 lbs.) to the recycle center. The price of aluminum had dropped to 25 cents/lb. so we got $8.75 for the cans.
So for this week our total food spending to date is $174.99.
NOW FOR THE TITLE OF THIS POST
What do you think? Should I continue to post everything we eat each day, or should I just keep a running total of our food expenditures? Please, put your thoughts in the comments section. Thank you!
We started out with cold cereal. After doing some chores and other things, we had lunch meat sandwiches on wheat bread with lettuce, tomato, and cheese. We also had bananas. We then ran some errands. I had put a roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions in our slow cooker in the morning. We had that and sour dough bread with Country Crock for supper. Then Jon had a drama rehearsal and while we were waiting on him the kids worked on their schoolwork while I read to them. We had another stop to make after the rehearsal and we snacked on fruit chews in the van on the way. We got home and snacked on chips and salsa (just Jon and me) and Cheez-Its (just the kids). After putting the kids to bed, Jon and I had jalapeno poppers and pop.
Jon made some food purchases this week that came up to about $30.oo.
I had stopped getting whole wheat flour when finances got tight at the end of last year. Jon wants to go back to whole wheat now, so we are. Yay! I haven't found the time this week to make tortillas. We were at Wal-mart to get a few things yesterday and we picked up two packs of tortillas and a bag of WW flour. Our food total at Wal-mart was $7.30.
During our errand running we took our aluminum cans (35 lbs.) to the recycle center. The price of aluminum had dropped to 25 cents/lb. so we got $8.75 for the cans.
So for this week our total food spending to date is $174.99.
NOW FOR THE TITLE OF THIS POST
What do you think? Should I continue to post everything we eat each day, or should I just keep a running total of our food expenditures? Please, put your thoughts in the comments section. Thank you!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Feeding a Family of Eight Part V
Today we had banana oatmeal for breakfast. I was going to make muffins with the leftovers, but when I went to start that I realized that I had left the burner on low. I let the kids have seconds.
I didn't get our lunch started in time for Jon to eat with us. He took leftover vegetable beef stew, yogurt, Cheez-its, and I don't know what else for lunch. He packed his own lunch today. He picked up a sub on the way to work. He has been buying a few food items with his spending money, so I'll have to add that into our food totals. He didn't eat the bun or rolls that were in yesterday's lunch. I may be making bread pudding soon.
The kids and I had chicken, broccoli, and rice casserole; salad; and milk for lunch. Little Bear decided he was too tired to eat lunch. He went to the couch and took a three to four hour nap!
Supper was tuna and egg salad sandwiches with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. Little Bear got up right as we were getting ready to fix supper. He ate most of his lunch and most of his supper, while the rest of us fixed and ate supper.
We have a lot of running to do tomorrow, so I'm going to have to come up with some quick on the go meals and snacks.
I didn't get our lunch started in time for Jon to eat with us. He took leftover vegetable beef stew, yogurt, Cheez-its, and I don't know what else for lunch. He packed his own lunch today. He picked up a sub on the way to work. He has been buying a few food items with his spending money, so I'll have to add that into our food totals. He didn't eat the bun or rolls that were in yesterday's lunch. I may be making bread pudding soon.
The kids and I had chicken, broccoli, and rice casserole; salad; and milk for lunch. Little Bear decided he was too tired to eat lunch. He went to the couch and took a three to four hour nap!
Supper was tuna and egg salad sandwiches with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. Little Bear got up right as we were getting ready to fix supper. He ate most of his lunch and most of his supper, while the rest of us fixed and ate supper.
We have a lot of running to do tomorrow, so I'm going to have to come up with some quick on the go meals and snacks.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
I'm Beat
After an abbreviated night of sleep, I got up and made monkey bread. We had the monkey bread and milk for breakfast.
When we got home from church I fixed spaghetti with meat sauce and Parmesan cheese, green beans with onions, and rolls. We had water to drink. Jon took a nap before going to work. He didn't eat with us, so I packed his up for him to take with him. He also took the leftover Sloppy Joe and bun, the rest of the egg salad, two rolls, pineapple rings, yogurt, pop, and Cheez-its.
The kids and I went back to church for an extra 4:00pm children's choir practice. Since we got there a little early, we stayed in the van for a little while and I read to the kids. I carried a sleeping Little Bear into the church. I left him in the charge of his older sisters while the three choir kids and I went in search of their practice. We ended up just reading in the foyer and visiting with those who passed by. The kids and I snacked on the fruit chews I brought with us. There are only supposed to be six packs in a box, but when I was done passing them out to the six children there was one left. While we were in the foyer one of the choir directors came by and we found out that there hadn't been enough interest in the extra practice, so it was never actually scheduled.
Monkey went to her ensemble practice, some of us stayed to watch the practice, and the older girls walked around the church with two of their cousins. After the ensemble practice, I signed all the younger children into their classes and then made sure that the older girls made it to their small group. I then went into the sanctuary and read while listening to the adult choir practice.
After church we came home and I made pepperoni and pineapple pizzas for our supper. We had water to drink.
The children are all in bed, but they're not all asleep yet.
I really want to go to bed, but I have some things I have to take care of before I can.
When we got home from church I fixed spaghetti with meat sauce and Parmesan cheese, green beans with onions, and rolls. We had water to drink. Jon took a nap before going to work. He didn't eat with us, so I packed his up for him to take with him. He also took the leftover Sloppy Joe and bun, the rest of the egg salad, two rolls, pineapple rings, yogurt, pop, and Cheez-its.
The kids and I went back to church for an extra 4:00pm children's choir practice. Since we got there a little early, we stayed in the van for a little while and I read to the kids. I carried a sleeping Little Bear into the church. I left him in the charge of his older sisters while the three choir kids and I went in search of their practice. We ended up just reading in the foyer and visiting with those who passed by. The kids and I snacked on the fruit chews I brought with us. There are only supposed to be six packs in a box, but when I was done passing them out to the six children there was one left. While we were in the foyer one of the choir directors came by and we found out that there hadn't been enough interest in the extra practice, so it was never actually scheduled.
Monkey went to her ensemble practice, some of us stayed to watch the practice, and the older girls walked around the church with two of their cousins. After the ensemble practice, I signed all the younger children into their classes and then made sure that the older girls made it to their small group. I then went into the sanctuary and read while listening to the adult choir practice.
After church we came home and I made pepperoni and pineapple pizzas for our supper. We had water to drink.
The children are all in bed, but they're not all asleep yet.
I really want to go to bed, but I have some things I have to take care of before I can.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Today Was Better Than Yesterday
I think a big part of today being better than yesterday was that I started my day out with God. The pets woke me and I had to take care of them, but none of the kids bothered me until I was done with my devotions. I take that back. I sent two girls back to bed. Puppy Dog came to our room while I was praying and laid down beside Jon. P.D. was quiet though and let me do my devos. without interruption. I went back to sleep after my devos. LOL
When the kids all started to congregate in the dining room, I told them that we were having cold cereal for breakfast. Some time went by and they started fussing about really being hungry. Apparently, I have catered to them too much this past winter. It only took a small verbal nudge to convince them to fix their own cereal though. I came out while they were fixing theirs, fixed mine, and added some banana slices to everyone's bowls.
Lunch was Sloppy Joes, baby carrots, applesauce, and milk. We used Manwich, because it was a good price this week and Jon wanted it. I used two pounds of ground beef and two cans of sauce. We had enough left over for Jon to have enough for a sandwich at work later this week. The buns were also storebought. They were on sale and I had a coupon.
Jon took the rest of our leftover chili, a yogurt, and some pop for his work lunch. He usually drinks water and eats some of the fruit that his workplace keeps out for employees as well.
The kids and I had yogurt for an afternoon snack while we waited for our bread to cool for supper. I also made rolls for tomorrow.
Tonight's supper was egg salad (homemade) sandwiches (homemade bread), baby carrots, cottage cheese with pineapple rings, and water. We had enough egg salad for Jon to have a sandwich later.
This is Little Bear's plate from supper. As the youngest, he got the priveledge of having the heals of the bread. The younger three children tend to take turns eating the heals. If they fight, then I get them.
When the kids all started to congregate in the dining room, I told them that we were having cold cereal for breakfast. Some time went by and they started fussing about really being hungry. Apparently, I have catered to them too much this past winter. It only took a small verbal nudge to convince them to fix their own cereal though. I came out while they were fixing theirs, fixed mine, and added some banana slices to everyone's bowls.
Lunch was Sloppy Joes, baby carrots, applesauce, and milk. We used Manwich, because it was a good price this week and Jon wanted it. I used two pounds of ground beef and two cans of sauce. We had enough left over for Jon to have enough for a sandwich at work later this week. The buns were also storebought. They were on sale and I had a coupon.
Jon took the rest of our leftover chili, a yogurt, and some pop for his work lunch. He usually drinks water and eats some of the fruit that his workplace keeps out for employees as well.
The kids and I had yogurt for an afternoon snack while we waited for our bread to cool for supper. I also made rolls for tomorrow.
Tonight's supper was egg salad (homemade) sandwiches (homemade bread), baby carrots, cottage cheese with pineapple rings, and water. We had enough egg salad for Jon to have a sandwich later.
This is Little Bear's plate from supper. As the youngest, he got the priveledge of having the heals of the bread. The younger three children tend to take turns eating the heals. If they fight, then I get them.I assigned How-to reports to three of the children this week. Kitty Kat decided on "How to Make Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies", Froggie chose "How to Make Meatloaf", Monkey chose "How to Make Chocolate Tea Bread", Puppy Dog chose "How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies", Birdie wants help deciding, and I haven't heard from Little Bear yet. Did you catch that five children are planning their reports when I only assigned reports to three?
Kitty Kat decided to use the recipe on the back of a sugar package. I tried to dissuade her, but she wouldn't budge. I let her try the recipe without interference at first. She would ask my opinion from time to time.
One of those times was when the "dough" was supposed to be ready to go in the fridge to chill. It looked like quick bread batter. I went through the ingredients with her and double checked the measurements she used. It turns out that she measured the milk before adding the lemon juice to it (as a replacement for buttermilk). I had told her a day or two ago to first put the lemon juice in and then to finish measuring the milk. Apparently, she forgot. She also confessed to having the milk a little over the mark on the measuring cup. Add that to the fact that the eggs we have right now are extra large and there was definitely too much moisture. I had her add a little extra flour a 1/4 cup at a time to get a better consistency. She added 1/2 cup and we decided to try it.
I let her work on the cookies alone after the "dough" chilled. I came to help her check on them when the first set was ready to come out of the oven. The cookies were a little burnt. I helped her get them off the pans quickly and then the kids and I ate those cookies as a bedtime snack. The oven temp. was at 400 degrees and she baked the cookies for 7 minutes. I checked and she had followed the directions. I then proceded to help her by getting the rest of the cookie "dough" onto the pans and she added the cinnamon sugar. I made the cookies bigger than the recipe called for, left the temp. the same, and had her time them for 5 minutes and then reset the timer as needed. She ended up with enough nice cookies that she can take them to her small group at church tomorrow evening and leave a couple for Jon to have later. She will be trying a different recipe before writing her report though. I tasted the raw batter and it tasted just like the batter minus the bananas of a banana bread recipe that I once made from a recipe on the back of the same brand of sugar. I have never made that recipe again because the banana bread turned out bland.
The kids were in bed before 10pm tonight. I actually sent them to bed before 9:30 but I had to fuss with the boys to get them to stay in bed. Once the boys were in bed, they fell right to sleep. I did have to go upstairs to send the girls back to bed a little while ago, but I think they have settled down. Hopefully, they will get enough sleep, because we are going to be at church a lot tomorrow.
Kitty Kat decided to use the recipe on the back of a sugar package. I tried to dissuade her, but she wouldn't budge. I let her try the recipe without interference at first. She would ask my opinion from time to time.
One of those times was when the "dough" was supposed to be ready to go in the fridge to chill. It looked like quick bread batter. I went through the ingredients with her and double checked the measurements she used. It turns out that she measured the milk before adding the lemon juice to it (as a replacement for buttermilk). I had told her a day or two ago to first put the lemon juice in and then to finish measuring the milk. Apparently, she forgot. She also confessed to having the milk a little over the mark on the measuring cup. Add that to the fact that the eggs we have right now are extra large and there was definitely too much moisture. I had her add a little extra flour a 1/4 cup at a time to get a better consistency. She added 1/2 cup and we decided to try it.
I let her work on the cookies alone after the "dough" chilled. I came to help her check on them when the first set was ready to come out of the oven. The cookies were a little burnt. I helped her get them off the pans quickly and then the kids and I ate those cookies as a bedtime snack. The oven temp. was at 400 degrees and she baked the cookies for 7 minutes. I checked and she had followed the directions. I then proceded to help her by getting the rest of the cookie "dough" onto the pans and she added the cinnamon sugar. I made the cookies bigger than the recipe called for, left the temp. the same, and had her time them for 5 minutes and then reset the timer as needed. She ended up with enough nice cookies that she can take them to her small group at church tomorrow evening and leave a couple for Jon to have later. She will be trying a different recipe before writing her report though. I tasted the raw batter and it tasted just like the batter minus the bananas of a banana bread recipe that I once made from a recipe on the back of the same brand of sugar. I have never made that recipe again because the banana bread turned out bland.
The kids were in bed before 10pm tonight. I actually sent them to bed before 9:30 but I had to fuss with the boys to get them to stay in bed. Once the boys were in bed, they fell right to sleep. I did have to go upstairs to send the girls back to bed a little while ago, but I think they have settled down. Hopefully, they will get enough sleep, because we are going to be at church a lot tomorrow.
Rough Day
bacon, egg, and cheese onion bagel
Jon had a family ticket to go to a Cincinnati Bengals vs. the local Sheriff's Association basketball game at an area school. He was going to take the kids to that while I went to see my niece in the musical, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. The kids were so rotten yesterday that Jon decided they wouldn't go. If you know Jon, then you know what a big fan he is of the Bengals.
We had our next meal, vegetable beef stew with biscuits, before I left to go to the musical. The stew was planned for earlier in the week, but our plans had changed. I would normally make homemade biscuits, but there was a very good deal on biscuits at Kroger this week. We got four four packs of ten count Pillsbury biscuits for $4.00. I sent Kitty Kat to make some biscuits and she pulled out a can. I had totally forgotten about the canned bisuits. LOL We drank tea with our meal. Kitty Kat makes most of our iced tea and yesterday's was no exception.
I left to go to the musical with a heavy heart knowing that Jon was missing out. I'll have to be sure to take someone with me next time I go to something like that. There were long periods of time when I was by myself and I didn't know what to do with myself. My mom, nephew, and niece were there too, but Mom and my nephew were helping with costumes and my niece was running around with a cousin. There was also the trip from Springfield to Urbana and back alone in the car.
I got back and was swarmed by kids and pets. The pets are still acting like I was gone too long.
While I was gone, Jon and the kids snacked on some battered shrimp and Girl Scout cookies. When I returned, we had hot dogs and jalapeno brats with leftover chili, applesauce, and salad. We only had six hot dog buns, so some of the kids had their hot dogs cut up and had leftover rolls to go with it. Little Bear didn't want to eat his salad. He asked if we could put it in the fridge for the next day, and since he asked nicely, I complied.
Once again we got to bed late.
*I saved the bacon grease to use later in the week.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Feeding a Family of Eight
Some friends and I were talking yesterday and they seemed surprised when I said that we only spend $100.oo per week on food. So, I decided to use our shopping trip last night through the end of April to find out on average how much we spend on food.
There are some things you'll need to know up front. I am not starting with an empty pantry, so I won't be buying every single thing that I need for all our meals each week. Because I am not starting with an empty pantry, I am able to stock up on sale items that will be used in future weeks. That's why I decided to go with an average rather than a weekly amount. There will be some weeks that I go over $100.oo. There will be other weeks that I spend less. For the sake of this study, I will not be counting non-food items or pet food since the study is about feeding our family of eight. If we buy a new pan (we're looking for an inexpensive bun pan) I may add that in. I usually shop at two main stores, Super Wal-mart and Kroger. I buy mostly store brand items if they are of good quality. If name brand products are cheaper, then I go with those. If another store has a good sale, then I will shop there if the savings is worth it. I make most of our baked goods. I cook from scratch a high percentage of the time. I'm sure there is more you'll need to know, but I'll address that as necessary.
So, let's take a look at what we purchased last night.
We unpacked everything quickly and I rushed to get a picture and get it all put away. I can't afford to have our milk or other cold items spoil. Obviously, it takes a lot of food to feed eight people, so I won't be listing off the whole list of purchases.
Cost of groceries 3/26/09:
Menu options:
There are some things you'll need to know up front. I am not starting with an empty pantry, so I won't be buying every single thing that I need for all our meals each week. Because I am not starting with an empty pantry, I am able to stock up on sale items that will be used in future weeks. That's why I decided to go with an average rather than a weekly amount. There will be some weeks that I go over $100.oo. There will be other weeks that I spend less. For the sake of this study, I will not be counting non-food items or pet food since the study is about feeding our family of eight. If we buy a new pan (we're looking for an inexpensive bun pan) I may add that in. I usually shop at two main stores, Super Wal-mart and Kroger. I buy mostly store brand items if they are of good quality. If name brand products are cheaper, then I go with those. If another store has a good sale, then I will shop there if the savings is worth it. I make most of our baked goods. I cook from scratch a high percentage of the time. I'm sure there is more you'll need to know, but I'll address that as necessary.
So, let's take a look at what we purchased last night.
We unpacked everything quickly and I rushed to get a picture and get it all put away. I can't afford to have our milk or other cold items spoil. Obviously, it takes a lot of food to feed eight people, so I won't be listing off the whole list of purchases. Cost of groceries 3/26/09:
- Wal-mart $0 - We didn't make any food purchases there this time.
- Kroger $119.41
- Meijer $18.28 - We saved ~ $6.00 over the cost of the same items at Wal-mart or Kroger. That's definitely worth the extra stop.
Menu options:
Breakfast
- oatmeal
- muffins
- cold cereal
- eggs, bacon, and toast
- bagels
- bacon, egg, and cheese bagels
- banana bread
Lunch, Supper, or Dinner
- Sloppy Joes, applesauce, carrots
- meat loaf (a la Froggie), mashed potatoes, corn, rolls
- pot roast with carrots, potatoes, onions, bread and butter (We use Country Crock w/Calcium and Vit. D added.)
- chicken and rice casserole, salad, rolls
- fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits
- BBQ ribs, green beans, baked potatoes, rolls
- roast chicken, stuffing, rolls, brocolli and cheese
- egg salad sandwiches, carrots, cottage cheese, bananas
- tuna salad sandwiches, carrots, applesauce
- spaghetti, bread sticks, corn
- tacos, chips and salsa
- hot dogs, salad, applesauce
- pizza
- PB&J, chicken noodle soup
- yogurt
- cookies (sugar cookies a la Kitty Kat, chocolate chip a la Puppy Dog)
- chocolate tea bread (a la Monkey)
- fruit snacks
- tangerines
- cantaloupe
Drinks
- 1/2 caf. coffee (just me)
- water
- orange juice
- iced tea
- milk
- hot tea
- Mt. Dew (Jon)
- Dr. Pepper (Me)
Last night we had a bedtime snack. The kids had fruit snacks. Jon and I snacked on some Pringles and had salads (We had a package of Sargento Cheddar Chicken Salad Finishers that was about to expire. We tried a raspberry vinaigrette on it and we both liked it. We must be getting old, our tastes are expanding.) The kids didn't have drinks since they were headed straight to bed. Jon and I had pop.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
On Second Thought... And, We're Still At It
We never did start the elimination diet. Of course if you've been keeping up with us you probably already figured that out. I'm pretty sure there would have been a mutiny if I had started the diet. Everyone was relieved when we made the announcement. I think more center aisle foods made it into our cart on the last shopping trip. Of course, that may have been because everything else was so expensive and we had limited funds.
____________________________________________________________________
The kids are still helping me in the kitchen on their days to pray. They each have their own count-down going to the day they get to help next. Yesterday, Froggie helped make pepperoni pizza. Today, Kitty Kat helped make PB&J sandwiches and a vegetable salad. We also had a fruit and nut salad that I made to go with it. Birdie had to check (for the umpteenth time) to make sure that tomorrow is her day to help before she would go to bed. Cold cereal and bananas (breakfast), vegetable beef stew with rolls or biscuits (lunch), and chili and rice (supper) are on the menu for tomorrow. I also have some leftover oatmeal from this morning's breakfast, so I may make some muffins for snacks.
____________________________________________________________________
The kids are still helping me in the kitchen on their days to pray. They each have their own count-down going to the day they get to help next. Yesterday, Froggie helped make pepperoni pizza. Today, Kitty Kat helped make PB&J sandwiches and a vegetable salad. We also had a fruit and nut salad that I made to go with it. Birdie had to check (for the umpteenth time) to make sure that tomorrow is her day to help before she would go to bed. Cold cereal and bananas (breakfast), vegetable beef stew with rolls or biscuits (lunch), and chili and rice (supper) are on the menu for tomorrow. I also have some leftover oatmeal from this morning's breakfast, so I may make some muffins for snacks.
Second Shift Can Be Hard On A Family
Little Bear was having a difficult time getting to sleep last night. I had him come to lay down on Jon's side of the bed to see if I could get him to sleep. The following conversation took place.
~12:45 am 3/24/09
Little Bear - Mom? Why do you and Daddy share a room?
Me - because we're married
L. B. - If I was Daddy, and they called me into work I wouldn't go.
Me - Then you would lose your job.
L. B. - Well, if I had to go to work, then my kids might miss me.
Me - Is that why you can't get to sleep?
L. B. - Yeah.
Me - Well, you just lay down on Daddy's side of the bed, and I'll move you later.
L. B. - OK.
I ended up falling asleep too, so Jon moved Little Bear.
* Little Bear helped type this. His self appointed job was to type B and b. He thought it was hilarious to hold the key down. I was mean and erased the extra ones. So, here are some lines typed by none other than Little Bear himself:
g;;jmnnnfnmnnnnb,mb,bbb9Benjkphwrr jvkjitrjjtguj5r3ut5huhr3euireyuewyuhrewyu3yggf
bbuhhbfuhfhet5yeutrediotue3y78934uu4ui5ihyu4yuggg bvvcvvvvswvsvgbbbbbbb b bb b bbb
~12:45 am 3/24/09
Little Bear - Mom? Why do you and Daddy share a room?
Me - because we're married
L. B. - If I was Daddy, and they called me into work I wouldn't go.
Me - Then you would lose your job.
L. B. - Well, if I had to go to work, then my kids might miss me.
Me - Is that why you can't get to sleep?
L. B. - Yeah.
Me - Well, you just lay down on Daddy's side of the bed, and I'll move you later.
L. B. - OK.
I ended up falling asleep too, so Jon moved Little Bear.
* Little Bear helped type this. His self appointed job was to type B and b. He thought it was hilarious to hold the key down. I was mean and erased the extra ones. So, here are some lines typed by none other than Little Bear himself:
g;;jmnnnfnmnnnnb,mb,bbb9Benjkphwrr jvkjitrjjtguj5r3ut5huhr3euireyuewyuhrewyu3yggf
bbuhhbfuhfhet5yeutrediotue3y78934uu4ui5ihyu4yuggg bvvcvvvvswvsvgbbbbbbb b bb b bbb
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Saturday at the Owings Cafe
Today is Little Bear's day in the kitchen again. He helped make Hot Pot Slop for lunch.
L.B. pours the cheese sauce mix into the pot. Do you see the cheesy pose? He kept wanting to do this for each picture, but I told him to watch what he was doing.
L.B. dumps the corn into the pot.
L.B. scrapes tuna into the pot.
L.B. adds an extreme amount of Worcestershire sauce to the pan. (It ended up being just fine.)
L.B. pours milk from the cream of mushroom soup can.
L.B. nearly stirs the pot off the stove. (Actually, it just started to slide a bit as I snapped the picture. I grabbed the pot right after the shot. I had to tell him to hold onto the pan every time he stirred before this. This time, I just decided to capture the moment. Now, I can point out why he needs to hold the handle with a visual.)
Little Bear shows off his plate.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)