Happy Homemaker Monday (2/13/2017)

Happy Monday afternoon! I hope everyone had a good weekend. We had a fairly good one here. Saturday, Rebecca had basketball and a birthday party to attend. We also had some running around to do. We were supposed to have friends over for dinner, but they are all sick so we decided to postpone. Sunday, we had to go to the early mass as Jacob had a small part. After coming home, we just hung around the house and did a few things. I got some more decluttering done in our bedroom!  

Now we are back to another beginning of another week. It has been a busy morning, thus the lateness of posting this. (I like to post things first thing in the morning, but not today!). Ben and I have taken kids to school, took a dvd back to Walmart, stopped at Lowes for more mouse traps, had an IEP meeting for Ben, got lunch, took Ben to speech and now back home. In about 45 minutes I have to head out to tutor....At least the sun is shining, which does wonders for giving me energy.  For now, I will be joining in with the lovely Sandra over at "Diary of a Stay at Home Mom" in her Happy Homemaker Monday meme. So let's get started: 

THE WEATHER:::
Today the sun is out (YAY!) and it is supposed to be in the low 40s after being in the 60s this weekend. Looks like this week is supposed to be temperatures in the 30s and 40s all week.

ON MY READING PILE:::
Honestly, I haven't had the energy to do much reading the last week or so. I do need to get reading my review book though, so this week I will be reading In a Different Key....

ON MY TV:::

On Friday nights, we typically do pizza and a movie for the kids. This year I would like to try to remember what movies we have watched, so I will be recapping here. This past Friday night, I used a $1 rental for any movie from Family Video and rented Trolls. It was a cute movie, not necessarily one that I have to get for our dvd collection so that we can watch it a ton of times, but it was cute.

Now that the NFL season is over, we typically have on college basketball or the NBA. If Ben gets to choose, then it is Lego Star Wars.

ON THE MENU FOR THIS WEEK:::

MONDAY: fish sticks, fish filets, green beans, baked potatoes

TUESDAY: meatball sliders, salad, strawberries

WEDNESDAY: Cajun chicken, chicken rice, and peas

THURSDAY: cheeseburgers and French fries

FRIDAY: Pizza sticks, salad, and fruit

SATURDAY: Pancakes, bacon, fruit

SUNDAY: Chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes

ON MY TO-DO LIST:::

Monday: take kids to school, Ben IEP meeting, Ben speech, tutor, laundry (at least 2 loads), trash and recycling to curb

Tuesday: kids to school, grocery store for buns, Ben's class Valentine's Day party, tutor

Wednesday: kids to school,  Aldi grocery trip, tutor

Thursday: kids to school, tutor, work out to dvd, Rebecca has basketball.

Friday: kids to school,
Saturday: Rebecca has a basketball game, walk

Sunday: PSR, church

And each day has the daily housework that needs to be done.

LOOKING AROUND THE HOUSE:::

It isn't too bad. There are things out here and there, but overall it isn't too bad.

  

FROM THE CAMERA:::
I made chocolate lasagna last night for a special Valentine's Day treat for the kiddos and Bill. It is really yummy!

WHAT I'M WEARING TODAY:::

I have on jeans, a beige/ brown cowl neck sweater and brown knee high boots. (Just realized this is the same thing I wore the last 2  Mondays in a row, LOL)

 

SIMPLE PLEASURE:::

Sunshine. Enough said.

DEVOTIONAL OR QUOTE:::

So there you have it. A little peek into my life on this Monday afternoon. Hope everyone has had a great day, a wonderful Valentine's Day and let's see what this week will bring! 

 

Southwestern style egg scramble (new recipe #6 of 2017)

One of the things that I would like to get done in 2017 is to try to expand our menu items. I want to try at least 2 new recipes a month. I met that goal in January as I tried 4 new recipes. I have decided to share the recipes that I try so that maybe I can help a few of you out with some new menu ideas. I know that I get inspiration from other bloggers so maybe I can help.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have come up with an egg scramble that I have made multiple times each week. I have been trying to up my intake of fruits and veggies as a way to get healthier. I love omelets when we go out to breakfast, partly because of all the yummy veggies and things that you can add to it. However, I have NEVER been able to make an omelet here at home, EVER! I just can't do it. So instead, I came up with a sort of southwest style egg scramble that gives me a similar taste but is so much easier to make.

To make this you need, 2 eggs per person, diced green peppers and diced onion, Mexican shredded cheese, and salsa.

First, you saute the onions and peppers in a skillet. I discovered the diced peppers in the freezer section of the grocery store and they were much cheaper than buying fresh (got the bag for $0.88). You can make the veggies as soft as you would like. I saute mine for just a few minutes, as I like them to have some crunch to them.

Then you add your eggs to the same pan. You can stir them up first before you add them, or just crack them in the pan and then stir them up.

Then you just stir them until the eggs are set in a scrambled way.

After the eggs are set, you sprinkle with as much or as little cheese as you would like. I typically use a small handful. This time it was a little more as I used up the rest of the bag.

Turn the egg mixture out upside down on your plate, so that the heat from the eggs melts the cheese.

Add salsa to the top and enjoy!

This is so yummy and so easy to make! I have literally made this probably 5 or 6 times just this past week for breakfast or lunch.

If you make it, let me know what you think!

OTHER NEW RECIPES TRIED IN 2017:
Pork Chop and Scalloped Potato Bake
Tex-Mex Tilapia
Baked Chicken Parmesan
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins 
Pizza Grilled Cheese

February Decluttering Project: The Master Bedroom (Update #2)

This morning has been crazy busy. I had to take Ben and Rebecca to school, get gas, go to the bank and then I had to take Jacob into the doctor. He failed his hearing test at school and they wanted him looked at by his doctor. So that is what we did...thankfully he passed his hearing test :-) Then I had to go pick Ben up from school, and come home to make lunch and I am finally getting to sit down to type this update on my decluttering project for February. 

One of my goals for 2017 is to give our home a deep decluttering. As I mentioned in my New Year's Goals post,  I want to take a room a month and really give it a good cleaning and decluttering. In January, I chose my nemesis-- the room/closet off of the bathroom. And I am pleased to say that I was able to declutter it completely!

After giving it much thought, for February, I decided to work on our master bedroom. What better thing to do for my husband, whom I love with all my heart, than to give him, and us, a place to truly relax in at the end of the day instead of being faced with laundry piles, miscellaneous stuff that has been stashed in our room, etc.

Last week, I didn't really do much of anything in the room. And that bothered me. ALOT! So I made sure that I made time to do at least something this week. It has been an incredibly busy week, between sick kids, running errands, doctor appointments, etc, however on Thursday I found myself with some time in the morning, so I started tackling the bedroom. I took on my dresser area and the floor around it.

Here is the before:

I took everything off the top, threw away the trash and then went through every thing that was on there. I donated some, gave my daughter some of the jewelry I didn't want. I went through the drawers and got rid of a few pieces. I then put the things that belonged in other areas of the house away. (ie. deodorant, body spray that belonged in the bathroom, towels that belonged in the kitchen, tools that belonged in the basement, etc.). Then I tackled the basket that had been sitting next to the dresser for at least a month or more. This was filled with things that belonged in other areas and needed to be gone through. It literally took me less than 10 minutes to go through the basket and put things where they were supposed to go (be it somewhere in the house, in the trash, or in the donate pile.) When all was said and done, it looks so much better.

Next, I will be tackling my husband's dresser and the bookcase next to his dresser. I started getting the receipts and things off of his dresser, but then I had to stop and get ready for work. Hopefully, I can do some work on it this weekend.

If you are decluttering in 2017, how are you doing with it?

Weigh in Wednesday #6 of 2017

So one of my 2017 goals is to lose 40 pounds by the end of the year. This is a necessity for me, as in the last few months I have gained 15 pounds. That is not good. I want to be healthier and feel better about myself. 

In order to keep me accountable, I am hoping to come back each Wednesday to share my weigh in and my successes and failures from the previous week. So let's hop to it and see how I did this past week, shall we?

SO HOW DID THIS WEEK GO??? 

My official starting weight (on 1/1/2017) was: 242.0 pounds!

My weight last week was: 237.2 pounds.

My weight this week is: 236.0 pounds. 

So a loss of 1.2 pounds!  :-)
Total loss from 1/1/17: 6 pounds 

I felt that I had a good week eating wise. I ate more veggies than I normally would. I have been making an egg scramble (look for the recipe on Saturday) that has been helping. I still need to get back to drinking more water. When the weather is cold though it is hard for me to really want to drink water. Anyone else have that problem?

On the exercise front, between work and kids being sick and trying to catch up on housework, last week stank. I didn't get anything in. That is the way of the world sometimes I guess. I just need to prioritize it better I guess.  

• Wednesday: Nothing
• Thursday: Nothing
• Friday: Nothing
• Saturday: Nothing
• Sunday: Nothing
• Monday: Nothing  
• Tuesday: Nothing

So there you have it. It has been a crazy week, with 2 kids being sick and being super busy trying to work and keep up with housework, etc. On weeks like these, if I can do well in one area then I feel like that is good. This past week, I didn't do too bad on the food front, so for that I am grateful. Now to just continue that momentum. I keep telling myself that I didn't gain the weight in one day, so I am not going to be losing it in one day.

If you are trying to lose weight in 2017, how is your process going? 

The van saga, a mouse, and sickness

So what is going on in my corner of the world???

FIRST UP: THE VAN SAGA:::

Do you remember when I said that my hubby had been in a wreck? Thankfully he wasn't hurt, but the van was in a messed up shape.

Well, trying to get insurance (Geico) out to look at it was a fiasco and a half. It took over a week and a half (when we were originally told 48 hours) to get someone out to at least look at it. There were numerous phone calls, supervisors talked to, etc. It wasn't until my husband mentioned that he was going to contact his lawyer, that there was someone suddenly available to come look at it right away.

In the end, they totaled the van and cut Bill a check that day. It was a tiny sum.

In related news, Bill decided to go ahead and pay the ticket that he received as it would be $500+ dollars to go to court and fight it. The ticket was for $140.

Then, a tutoring client posted on facebook that she was selling her van, as she was looking to get a smaller car with better gas mileage. Well, we were the first to respond, so Bill and I headed over to her house to check it out. What is funny is that it is 2 years newer than the van that was just totaled, and it is the same color and style. After talking to her, and test driving it, Bill decided that yes we would buy it.

On that Monday, he went with her to the BMV to transfer the title and get new tags (which took almost all day as their computer systems kept crashing.)

On Tuesday, he took the van in to have the oil changed and get the windshield wiper looked at as it wasn't working. $700 later.... the windshield wipers work, their was a leak in the oil pan, and some other stuff that tells us that she didn't take care of her vehicle. Yeah, I wasn't too happy about that one. But what are you going to do?  In the end, we still ended up spending less than what we thought we would have to.

NEXT UP:: A MOUSE::

Then as if life wasn't stressful enough, Bill texted me on Wednesday morning and told me he didn't want to scare me, but he had seen a mouse in our house that morning. Okay. I went and bought traps. Rebecca saw in on Thursday morning. Thursday night, Bill checked the traps and he said one of the traps had the door closed and it felt a little heavier than when he had placed it under the cabinet. So hopefully there was only that one, but we shall see.

THEN:: SICKNESS::

Then, on Thursday morning, I woke up to hearing Jacob throwing up in the bathroom at 2AM. He threw up again later that morning and had a fever. He was also complaining his throat was hurting. So, after I took Rebecca and Ben to school, I took him to Urgent Care. Diagnosis: Ear infections in both ears. SIGH.

Then, yesterday morning, Ben woke up with a fever of 102 and complaining that his belly hurt. He said his ears and throat do not hurt. He laid around all day yesterday and watched "Lego Star Wars". Today, he didn't have a fever when he woke up, but he said his belly was still hurting. He has been laying around all morning and is definitely not feeling well. I just got a note on facebook that one of his preschool classmates is also out of school today with identical symptoms. :-(

So that is what has been going on around here for the last week or so. Add in the everyday craziness and I am surprised I don't have more grey hairs than I do. LOL

How's everyone else doing??

Happy Homemaker Monday (2/6/2017)

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a good weekend. We had a fairly good weekend here. Rebecca had a basketball game on Saturday. We watched 2 movies with the kids. And yesterday we went to church as a family. Also, one of the local colleges was putting on a "Girls in Sports" day clinics and we signed Rebecca up. The cost was free and she got to participate in little clinics on basketball, soccer, lacrosse, and track and field, etc. She had a lot of fun.

Then of course last night we watched the Super Bowl. I loved Luke Bryan's version of the National Anthem. I thought it was superbly done! All I can say about the game itself was "Wow, what a game!" I, like so many others, were shocked that the Falcons were winning with such a large margin. But Tom Brady proved why he is probably the best quarterback of all time. Wow. I also watched for the commercials and the half-time show. The commercials didn't really wow me this year. I thought the half time show was well done. I did find it funny that Benjamin called Lady Gaga a "cutie" while we were watching. I then asked him if I was a cutie too, and he said "nope." LOL Overall, it was a nice evening with the family.

Now we are back to another beginning of another week. Unfortunately, Benjamin woke up this morning with a fever and complaining his belly was hurting. So my plans have been changed a bit for today. He is currently laying on the couch, watching "Lego Star Wars" which he is obsessed with. For now, I will be joining in with the lovely Sandra over at "Diary of a Stay at Home Mom" in her Happy Homemaker Monday meme. So let's get started: 

THE WEATHER:::
Today the sun is out right now and it is supposed to be in the high 40s. Tomorrow it is supposed to be much warmer, like in the 60s, with rain and storms. Wednesday it is supposed to be in the 40s. Thursday it is supposed to be in the 20s with lows in the single digits. Friday it is supposed to be in the 30s. Crazy weather. I have gotten to the point where I don't plan what I am wearing until I check the forecast each morning when I get up.  
ON MY READING PILE:::
Last week, I nixed both  In a Different Key: The Story of Autism by John Donovan and Caren Zucker (that I have next on my review pile) and Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts and instead read The Life Giving Home by Sally and Sarah Clarkson. It was an interesting read. So this week, I will chose between one of the following to read. I am leaning towards In a Different Key....

ON MY TV:::

On Friday nights, we typically do pizza and a movie for the kids. This year I would like to try to remember what movies we have watched, so I will be recapping here. This past Friday we were originally going to watch Lady and the Tramp, as I had borrowed it from the library. Unfortunately the disc kept skipping and finally just stopped. There were several scratches on it. (This was the 3rd time this has happened in the last few months with library dvds. It is so frustrating). So I allowed Ben to choose one from our collection and he chose Cars. We hadn't watched that one in a really long time. It is a cute movie.

On Saturday night, Bill had to work, so I let the kids have a bonus movie night. We watched Cars 2. Again, it was another movie we hadn't seen in a while.
   

On Sunday, we watched Super Bowl LI. Again all I can say about the game is "Wow"

ON THE MENU FOR THIS WEEK:::

MONDAY: Smoked sausage bake, green beans

TUESDAY: Taco boats, corn, Mexican rice

WEDNESDAY: chicken drumsticks, mashed potatoes, peas

THURSDAY: mini corn dogs, tator tots, carrots

FRIDAY: Pizza rolls and fruit for the kids, Fried rice for the adults

SATURDAY: spaghetti, homemade garlic bread, salad, dessert (having friends over for dinner)

SUNDAY: Cajun chicken, not sure what sides will be yet

ON MY TO-DO LIST:::

Monday: take kids to school, tutor, laundry (at least 3 loads), trash and recycling to curb, quick trip to grocery store for cheese for dinner

Tuesday: kids to school, workout, tutor, Rebecca has AHG 

Wednesday: kids to school, walk, tutor

Thursday: kids to school, tutor, work out to dvd, Rebecca has basketball.

Friday: kids to school
Saturday: Rebecca has a basketball game, walk

Sunday: PSR, church (we have to go to early service as Jacob has a part)

And each day has the daily housework that needs to be done.

LOOKING AROUND THE HOUSE:::

It isn't too bad. The kitchen is cleaned. I cleaned underneath furniture in our living room yesterday, so that room is pretty clean. The dining room has a few things out in it. Our bedroom (which is the decluttering room for February) continues to be a disaster.   

FROM THE CAMERA:::
I have been putting hearts on the kids' walls each morning before they get up with things that I love about them written on it. Well Saturday, I got out of the shower and found this on my wall near my dresser. I guess Rebecca didn't want me to feel left out. (Her dad also had one on his dresser). I love the heart of that child!

WHAT I'M WEARING TODAY:::

I have on jeans, a beige/ brown cowl neck sweater and brown knee high boots. (Just realized this is the same thing I wore last Monday, LOL)

 

SIMPLE PLEASURE:::

Sunshine. The sun has been out the last 2 days and it has been divine. It is still a little cold, but I just feel so much better when the sun is out.

DEVOTIONAL OR QUOTE:::

So there you have it. A little peek into my life on this Monday. Hope everyone has had a great day and let's see what this week will bring! 

 

Pizza Grilled Cheese (new recipe #5 of 2017)

One of the things that I would like to get done in 2017 is to try to expand our menu items. I want to try at least 2 new recipes a month. I met that goal in January as I tried 4 new recipes. I have decided to share the recipes that I try so that maybe I can help a few of you out with some new menu ideas. I know that I get inspiration from other bloggers so maybe I can help.

This week, I was able to make 1 new recipe. On Friday nights, we typically do pizza night. Personally, I am not a huge fan of frozen pizzas, so I have been trying to come up with pizza themed easy meals. Well yesterday, I decided to try a new pizza themed meal and I made Pizza Grilled Cheese.

Oh my word, was it good and so easy to make! The kids and Bill all loved it and have asked that I put it into our regular pizza rotation! When I served it last night, I just served it with sliced up cucumbers and ranch dressing to dip it in. Simple, yet oh so good!

OTHER NEW RECIPES TRIED IN 2017:
Pork Chop and Scalloped Potato Bake
Tex-Mex Tilapia
Baked Chicken Parmesan
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins 

February Decluttering Project(s): Desk area and the Master Bedroom

One of my goals for 2017 is to give our home a deep decluttering. As I mentioned in my New Year's Goals post,  I want to take a room a month and really give it a good cleaning and decluttering. In January, I chose my nemesis-- the room/closet off of the bathroom. And I am pleased to say that I was able to declutter it completely!

Now it is on to February. What room to do next??

After giving it much thought, I decided to work on our master bedroom. What better thing to do for my husband, whom I love with all my heart, than to give him, and us, a place to truly relax in at the end of the day instead of being faced with laundry piles, miscellaneous stuff that has been stashed in our room, etc.

That being said, I wasn't able to really do much of anything in our bedroom this week. It has been a bad week, with no energy and just feeling off. I am hoping to get some time this weekend to work on it. It seriously needs it!

HOWEVER, this week wasn't a complete loss. I decided to tackle the desk area, as I need to get taxes done and I needed to make sure that all of my papers were together.

So I spent an evening cleaning that area and decluttering it. I got rid of a large box of papers and just trash (junk mail, etc.) that had been piled by my desk. It is great to see it clean and neat. Now I can figure out our tax stuff....

So there you have it. The first few days of February have been okay with my decluttering mission. I was able to get a smaller project done. Now to focus on our bedroom. Hopefully, next week there will be a more impactful recap.

If you are decluttering in 2017, how are you doing with it?

Lessons from Zachary: Turning Disability into Possibility by Sandy Scott (review)

FROM BACK COVER:::

Sandy Scott had it all: a beautiful country home, a successful husband, and the freedom to be a stay-at-home mom. 

Then the news crashed down on her like a Tsunami: her infant son Zachary not only had severe brain damage but probably wouldn't live past his first birthday. 

As denial gave way to despair and grief, Sandy looked out over the new, strange world into which her family suddenly found themselves thrown and wondered if they would ever know happiness again.But it was in the very challenges that Zachary's condition presented to her that she discovered her own hidden inner resources and a whole new level of compassion among other people. She eventually took on greater roles in the disability community and found her calling as a life coach.

In Lessons from Zachary, Sandy shares the knowledge and insights she gained through her own personal journey of discovery and overcoming obstacles, showing us how to use our strengths to navigate life's difficult situations to find meaning and lasting fulfillment. Scattered throughout her moving story are multiple useful tools from life coaching--Life Wheel, checklists, Miracle Question, and others--to help us develop our unknown potential.

MY THOUGHTS:::

It seems like everywhere I turn in my life I know or know someone who knows someone that is dealing with a disability of some sort. As a mom, I have 2 boys who are on the autism spectrum. Because of my own experiences, I was interested in reading Lessons from Zachary: Turning Disability into Possibility by Sandy Scott.

I will be honest. This was a hard book for me to read. I found it full of anger and frustration and a mother who was full of insecurities. To me, it was more about the mother's insecurities and her story rather than anything learned from her son. If we remove her son from the equation, then you get a story of a mother who will stop at nothing to learn who she is and how she needs to succeed in her life. If you take her son out of the equation, then you get a story of how a woman learns to follow her heart and her instinct and overcomes obstacles to become a successful coach and business woman.

However, the title of the book is Lessons from Zachary, so you can't take her son out of the equation. I understand that it was within trying to make sure that her son was taken care of that Ms. Scott had to make certain decisions that led to her life of coaching. However, it felt to me like the story that she was writing was not one of what she learned being Zachary's mom, but rather as a woman who is trying to find her place in the world. To me the writing was choppy, and she didn't explain certain situations very well. I would have loved to learn more about Zachary, but it was almost like who he was as a person with a unique personality was an afterthought.

I came away from reading this, frustrated that she didn't delve more into who Zachary was and how HE was the motivation for what she does. Rather, I came away learning that she became a coach, that she has a massive disdain for her ex-husband and that she is very insecure about who she is.

DISCLAIMER:::  I received this book from The Cadence Group in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Weigh In Wednesday #5 of 2017

So one of my 2017 goals is to lose 40 pounds by the end of the year. This is a necessity for me, as in the last few months I have gained 15 pounds. That is not good. I want to be healthier and feel better about myself. 

In order to keep me accountable, I am hoping to come back each Wednesday to share my weigh in and my successes and failures from the previous week. So let's hop to it and see how I did this past week, shall we?

SO HOW DID THIS WEEK GO??? 

My official starting weight (on 1/1/2017) was: 242.0 pounds!

My weight last week was: 237.6 pounds.

My weight this week is: 237.2 pounds. 

So a tiny loss of 0.4 pounds!   

I felt that I had a good week eating wise. But I guess not. I do know that I didn't drink near enough water like I did the first 2 weeks of January when I had the bigger losses. This past week was another stressball as we were still dealing with van and insurance stuff. We ended up eating out a couple of times and that probably didn't help either. I have got to get back on track. Just feeling frustrated at myself right now.  

On the exercise front, I wasn't able to do a lot as I was exhausted this past week. I think the stress of everything has been hitting me hard. I know that I should but I just can't bring myself to. 

• Wednesday: Really quick 1 mile walk (better than nothing)
• Thursday: Walked 1.6 miles outside for 33 minutes
• Friday: Nothing
• Saturday: Nothing
• Sunday: Nothing
• Monday: Nothing  
• Tuesday: Nothing

So there you have it. Not a great week whatsoever. I am disappointed in myself.   

If you are trying to lose weight in 2017, how is your process going?