Menu Plan Monday

Happy Monday and Happy June! June officially started yesterday but who's counting? Hope everyone had a good weekend. Mine was pretty good. Low key. Didn't really do a whole lot. I have a busy week coming up... I have to get ready for Rebecca's graduation party AND get the boys ready to go to their week long camp next weekend. Lots to do. I also have to make sure that the kids are fed and that we don't waste any food and I want to start clearing out older food that has been in my freezer for a while. So I thought at least for the foreseeable future I would go back to doing menu plan Mondays to make sure I am keeping myself accountable not only for time but also for budget. So what are we eating this week: 

SUNDAY: Turkey breast* (cooked in crock pot), mashed potatoes, green beans, crescent rolls, gravy

MONDAY: Breakfast for dinner (scrambled eggs, sausage biscuits*, roasted red potatoes, fruit)

TUESDAY: Turkey pepper wraps (a new recipe), chips, cucumbers and fruit.

WEDNESDAY: Y.O.Y.O/ boys are with their father

THURSDAY: Fried chicken*, macaroni and cheese, green beans

FRIDAY: Pizza??

SATURDAY: Rebecca graduation party--- taco bar and cupcakes

* This symbol shows food from the freezer that needs to be used up as I have had it for a long time. 

                                                        What are you eating this week?  

 

 

 

Books read

Happy last day of May! Hope everyone is having a good weekend. I can't believe May is over. My kids are out of school for the summer and I am just feeling restless. I haven't even been able to get into a routine yet and that is throwing me off. One thing that I have done is finally I have gotten back into reading for pleasure. One of the things that I have gotten away from is not taking time to do the things I enjoy to relax and that I like to do. Reading is one of those things. I have decided to start making a list of all the books that I have read each month so that maybe someone else can see what books are out there, and it just keeps me accountable. This month's list is going to include all the books I have read so far this year. These books are: 

This book was okay. ★★★☆☆

Good read, but very predictable Colleen Hoover. ★★★☆☆

I felt this book was okay. Got really repetitive, but overall was an okay read. ★★★☆☆ 

WOW! Loved this book. Very powerful. ★★★★★

Very enlightening. ★★★★☆

Easy summer read. ★★★★☆

★★★☆☆

★★★★☆

This was really good. ★★★★★

Have you read any good books lately? Care to give a recommendation? 

She Graduated and Memorial Day

Happy Tuesday everyone! How was everyone's weekend? Mine was super busy but full of family time. 

Saturday I went to the library, as I want to start getting back into reading. Then Saturday night we had dinner at a local Mexican restaurant to celebrate my brother getting a new job. There were probably 25-30 of us there. It was a nice time.  

Sunday was the perfect day for a high school graduation! Rebecca and 305 of her classmates all graduated in a ceremony that was only 1.5 hours long. It was a wonderful ceremony and I was so proud of Rebecca as she graduated with honors! 

After her graduation, we went to my sister and sister-in-law's house and my sister-in-law cooked dinner for everyone. It was a very low key but wonderful celebration. We had talked about going out to eat, but we figured everywhere in our town that would be suitable would be packed and this was just so much better. After dinner, my sister-in-law built a small fire in their fire pit. It was truly a good day. 

Yesterday was Memorial Day and one of the things that I love about our small town is their Memorial Day parade. This year it was very nicely done and very respectful. My sister-in-law and my niece walked in the parade with my sister-in-law's work. We also found Waldo in the parade! The rest of the day was pretty low key with naps being taken, and just resting and relaxing. 

This is the last week of school for the boys. Jacob has finals today, tomorrow and Thursday. Ben has classes as well, with early release on Thursday. My plans for the week include cleaning, cleaning, laundry, more cleaning, etc. You get the picture. LOL. 

I hope everyone has a good week. Let me know what you've been up to. 

Last day of high school for Rebecca and unemployment

 

Her end of the year art assignment. Not only can she sing, but she can do art remarkably well as well. This self-portrait was done in graphite and the background is paint. 

Happy Friday everyone! Hope everyone is ready for this holiday weekend here in the USA. Not only is it Memorial Day weekend, it is also Graduation weekend for Rebecca. She had her official last day of school yesterday. Today she had senior breakfast at her elementary school, and then graduation practice. She then spent the day with a couple of her closest friends who are also graduating. The boys still have school next week. Jacob has finals on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Ben has classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. There is an early release on Thursday for Ben. 

I am still over here trying to figure out this whole laid off thing. I haven't had a lot of energy this week. I have caught up on laundry, deep cleaned the bathroom, and paid bills. I also attempted to apply for unemployment earlier this week only to find out that someone tried to use my social security number and birth date to apply for unemployment in February of 2023. Wasn't me. So I had to upload a ton of verification documents to the agency to prove that I am me. Today I got a phone call from the agency and was able to at least start the application process. 

I have to decided what I want/ need to do. With the budget cuts projected for the agency I don't want to be in a situation where I will lose my job since the agency might shut down. Do I look for a new full time job now? Do I hold out and stick with Head Start? I don't know. I have a lot of thinking to do. 

For now, I am going to put that aside for the weekend. I am going to enjoy being the mom of a graduate. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! 

5 Word Wednesday

 

Prom and Scholarships

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope everyone had a good weekend and Monday. It is a grey, chilly day here. I think it is supposed to start raining this afternoon/evening and then rain for the next 2 or 3 days. Oh well. It is what it is. Thankfully the weather this weekend wasn't horrible because Saturday was a special day for Rebecca. 

Saturday was prom. Rebecca spent the day doing her nails and getting ready. I am thankful that she is frugal in getting ready. I did feel bad that I couldn't give her the star treatment that it seemed others were getting (getting hair and nails and makeup done, etc.). She said she didn't mind. In fact, I think she enjoyed doing her own hair and makeup after watching YouTube videos. I am of NO help, as I wear my hair pinned up, in a bun or in a pony tail most days and I don't wear makeup at all. (On a side note, one of her friends did the same as Rebecca and did his own hair and makeup, the other got theirs professionally done) My parents bought her her dress, shoes and purse. We took pictures with her friends at a local bridge before hand and then in the park where prom was located. The theme for this year's prom was Garden Gala. It was at the event center at a local park here in town. They had a taco truck and an ice cream truck there for the kids to enjoy. She said she had a good time, and she even came home having won a raffle at prom winning some very expensive (think like $200 worth) ear phones. 

Last night, was the Senior Awards night at her high school. This is for invited seniors and is a presentation of a lot of scholarships that they have applied for and had won. Rebecca was invited to attend and we knew that there were 2 scholarships that she had won; anything else would be icing on the cake. Well, she walked away with 7 scholarships total (the 2 we knew about and 5 we did not). She earned over $7000 in scholarships last night to help with her freshman year. I am so proud of the young woman she has grown into and the dedication she has shown to her schooling and to her outside of school endeavors. 

So, what is next for her? Well she has classes until Thursday. Friday she has Senior breakfast at her elementary school and then in the afternoon graduation practice. Graduation is on Sunday. It is barreling towards us as fast as it can. I wish I could slow it down. 

What we've been up to the last month...

 Well, hello there. It's been a while. Almost a month. Well, I will just say life is super busy with end of the year stuff, kids, dealing with my mental health, etc. I feel like I sound like a broken record. I have been reading blogs on my phone but haven't had time to actually sit and write down anything. Finally, today I have a few minutes to catch up and so thought I'd hop on my laptop and write down a little update. So what's been going on since Easter and the death of Pope Francis. 

Well as you all know we have an American born Pope--- Pope Leo XIV. I am excited to see what he will do for the Catholic Church. 

In my own household... let's see....

Ben had his end of the year choir concert. Can't believe my baby is almost done with 7th grade. It hasn't been the easiest year. He also had his last track meet. He did really well with it being his first year. He is already talking about doing track again next year. He is taller than me and we still have our fair share of unease. He still takes his anger out over my divorce on me, but he has been working with a counselor and there has been a slight improvement. 

Jacob is finishing up his Freshman year. Again not the easiest year but I am proud of how far he has come. He fell in love with theater this year and hopes to continue in that next year. He also has confirmed his love for choir. He, and Rebecca, and their high school chorale went to the State Competition where they scored an excellent rating. They also just had their end of the year concert which is where the above picture is from. He is looking forward to performing in Chorale again next year. 

Then there was Rebecca. 

It is such a busy time for Seniors. We have had several awards ceremonies to go to. At the Kiwanis awards ceremony, she was awarded for her involvement in Vedette, which is their high school's literary arts magazine. She was also recognized for being in the top 10% of the Senior Class. 

Then she had May Fiesta, which is the end of the year Choir concert. It is a dinner and a show. This year they catered Mexican food during the solo singer's part. She performed a solo and was awarded "The Next Mr. G" award. This is a senior award given to the senior who is most likely to follow in the footsteps of their choir director. 

The concert itself was amazing. Part of the intermission also included a senior slideshow and awards given, where Rebecca was awarded her Triple Varsity Choir letter (which is the first time her director has had to hand that out), a $300 Scholarship for college, and the National School Choral Student Award which is awarded to the top Senior and means that her name will go on a plaque in the school hallways as well. 

The next day was Mother's Day. Mother's Day was an okay day. I got up went to church. Came home and went back to bed. I am not going to lie, it is hard being a single mom. The boys made me cards, only after Rebecca told them to. She made me a vase in her art class, that I am actually using in the kitchen as a utensil caddy. We went to my parents' house for dinner where my sister in law cooked dinner, but out of the mom's there, I was the only one who hadn't been showered with special things. I know I am being bitter, but it sucked. It is what it is and I think is maybe part of the reason why my mental health is just not in a good place these days. Even though I am seeing a counselor and taking medication, life is still really hard. 

This past week, we had another awards ceremony for Rebecca. This time it was for her 3rd year Academic Letter. (She would have her 4th year, but they had a different system in place her freshman year which made it impossible for almost anyone other than juniors and seniors to earn academic letters).

 

Next week, she has been invited to the Senior Awards ceremony. Tonight is Prom. She has been extremely busy and will continue for the next couple of weeks. 

Also this past week, was my last week of preschool teaching for the school year. This school year has been extremely challenging.  However, it is over and now it is summer break for me. It will be weird as I will be laid off. Not sure how I am financially going to be able to handle this summer, but I will do what I have to do. 

Well, I need to sign off so I can see how prom getting ready is going! All I have to say is being a mom of a senior is not for the faint of heart! 

Hope everyone is doing well. And hopefully I will be back sooner rather than later. 

Wonderful Easter, the Pope, and this week

 Hi everyone. Thanks for the kind words on my last post. It just stinks and gives me an edge of uneasiness. I am committed through the end of this school year which is mid May. I have said that my intention is to return in the fall, but who knows what is going to happen at that point. I am trying hard to be intentional in my thoughts and not let the what ifs take over.

Despite all the somber thoughts about my job, I ended up having a wonderful Easter with the family. The kids and I went to mass on Sunday morning. I forgot to get cinnamon roll dough at the store, so we had to make an emergency jaunt to Walmart as Ben was so upset that I wasn't going to do cinnamon rolls. Funny thing is that I made cinnamon rolls and bacon and he didn't even eat any as he was eating the candy out of his Easter basket. The Easter bunny had come overnight. 

I took a 2 hour nap on Easter Sunday. I am allowing myself to rest. 

Then we went to my parents house for Easter dinner. I picked my sister up (did I mention that she and my sister in law moved into a house a couple of blocks down the street from me!) and took her. It was a wonderful, family filled afternoon/evening. 

I woke up on Monday morning with the news of Pope Francis' death. He will truly be missed by the Catholic Faithful and it just felt weird all day long to think about him and his legacy. I also saw the news that my very first boss at the first school I taught at had died. Joan was an amazing example of living your faith and raising a family and keeping with your values. She was a mentor and I am so glad that she was there for me when I began my career path out of college. 

It has definitely been a week of ups and downs. Life is such in flux and I just need to be intentional in what I am doing and not doing. Life has it's good days and it's sad days. I can just do my best to live each day as best as I can.