What are we eating this week?

One of the things that I want to do in 2016 is to plan our dinner menus weekly and post them here for accountability.Breakfasts are usually yogurt and fruit or cereal and fruit for the kids and Bill and I find whatever we are in the mood for. Lunch is usually something quick for Benjamin (chicken nuggets, corn dog, PB and J) with fruit and leftovers for Bill and I. During the school year, Rebecca and Jacob get free lunch at their school. That leaves dinner for the family....

I started menu planning at the beginning of the year and I will say that with a few exceptions, it worked!

HOW DID WE DO LAST WEEK???

MONDAY::: Meatloaf, green beans, augratin potatoes-- YEP

TUESDAY::: Waffles, sausage, and fruit---YEP

WEDNESDAY::: Crockpot orange chicken (new recipe) and rice and green beans-- YEP (This new recipe was a keeper!)

THURSDAY::: Cheese quesadillas, corn, carrots-- YEP

FRIDAY::: Pizza rolls and fruit-- YEP

SATURDAY::: Chicken patties/chicken wings ??? (Bill is home with the boys, as I have a lock-in to attend with Rebecca-- so this is the plan, unless he decides to order pizza or something)--NOPE-- Bill ordered pizza and wings. I knew he would but wish he wouldn't have.

SUNDAY::: Lasagna and garlic bread-- YEP

So overall, a great week for menu planning, unless you count Saturday night as a failure. I say it is what it is, so just deal. I knew in the back of my mind that he would order pizza...like I said, it is what it is. Onward to this cold, cold, COLD week! 

So what are we having this week??

MONDAY::: Turkey, stuffing, green beans, yams, gravy

TUESDAY::: Taco boats, mexican rice, corn

WEDNESDAY::: Lasagna soup (new recipe) and garlic toast

THURSDAY::: grilled chicken, chicken rice, peas

FRIDAY::: pizza and fruit

SATURDAY::: bratwurst, green beans and pineapple

SUNDAY::: macaroni and cheese for the kiddos, date night for Bill and I
 
I tend to make our menus out on Sunday night to go from Monday to Sunday. I usually go to the grocery store one day during the week (usually Wednesday but sometimes another day). I have everything I need for this menu, except for hot dog buns for Saturday. 

Hopefully, I will be able to stick to this plan and can report back success next week! 

Do you menu plan? 

Do you have a favorite dinner to share? 

 

Tried a new recipe: Crockpot Orange Chicken

One of my many unwritten goals this year is to try more new recipes. I feel like we have gotten into a rut with our menu and the kids wanting to eat the same things over and over and over again. So I decided to try and make a new recipe at least 2 times a month. I would ideally like to make a new recipe each week, but I am also a realist and know that that may not happen.

Well yesterday for dinner I made new recipe #1 for the year: Crockpot Orange Chicken.

I first saw the recipe on facebook, and the original recipe that I followed can be found at The Frugal Girls.com. I loved that it was only 4 ingredients. The only thing I had to buy was the marmalade.

Overall, I thought it was really good. I served it over rice and with green beans on the side. Bill had 2 helpings and said I need to add it to our repertoire of recipes. I also liked how simple it was to make.

I will definitely be making this again!

Have you tried any new recipes lately?

Fun in the snow yesterday

Yesterday the kids had a snow day off from school....so after Bill came home from work, we bundled everybody up and headed outside to enjoy the snow.

It was so cold, with wind chills in the single digits. The wind was fiercely cold, so we were only out about half an hour or so. The kids had a blast throwing snowballs and making snow angels.

Rebecca tried to make a snow fort but Benjamin kept taking all her snow.

I didn't get a picture of it, but Benjamin kept trying to make a snow angel, but instead of having his legs and arms on the ground, he would put them up in the air. Silly boy! When all was said and done, we came in and I made hot chocolate, with marshmallows, for everyone. It was a fun distraction for a bit!

Do you have snow where you are? 

What is your favorite "snow" activity?

Snow day today and lice

Last night I went to bed with the knowledge that they were calling for snow overnight and that I might have  tricky commute to get Ben to school this morning. Well I woke up around 3 and didn't see much snow on the ground so I thought maybe they were wrong. Around 5:30 I was awoken by my cell phone going off with a message that the schools were on a 2 hour delay. Okay so I reset my alarm and went back to sleep. Around 7am, just as Bill was getting ready to leave for work, I got another message saying that schools were closed for the day. Which means a SNOW DAY today! (Figures absolutely no snow and warm temperatures over Christmas and now we get freezing weather and snow!).

I will admit that the snow is pretty to look at. We got several inches and it is still snowing off and on as I type this up. The temperature is supposed to drop later today so am not sure if the kids will be able to go out and play or not.

The birds on the porch are happy that I refilled the bird feeder yesterday!


IN OTHER NEWS....

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.... we have been dealing with lice at our house. I discovered lice on Rebecca's hair on Friday and we have been dealing with it since then. After using the over the counter stuff (NIX), I was still finding live lice. She can't go back to school until there are no more live lice. I called her doctor yesterday and they called her in a topical prescription, because apparently lice have become resistant to over the counter meds. I put it on her hair this morning and it has to stay on her hair for 10-12 hours before we can wash it out. All I have been doing the last few days is nit-picking, laundry, nit picking, laundry, nit picking, laundry, etc. Thankfully (and fingers-crossed) no one else has any. I really hope and pray no one else gets any. This has been a nightmare. I keep telling Rebecca that I am not upset with her, just frustrated at the annoyance. We think she have have picked it up either at school or at a lock-in that she attended at the YMCA where the girls were doing each other hair and sharing hair bows, etc. Uggh...I so hope this medicine works, because I am at my wits end.

Well I need to go and do more laundry and cleaning.

What fun stuff are you up to today? 

What's the weather like where you are?

What are we eating this week?

One of the things that I want to do in 2016 is to plan our dinner menus weekly and post them here for accountability.Breakfasts are usually yogurt and fruit or cereal and fruit for the kids and Bill and I find whatever we are in the mood for. Lunch is usually something quick for Benjamin (chicken nuggets, corn dog, PB and J) with fruit and leftovers for Bill and I. During the school year, Rebecca and Jacob get free lunch at their school. That leaves dinner for the family....

I started menu planning last week and I will say that with a few exceptions, it worked!

Here is how we did last week:

MONDAY:::  Chili and grilled cheese sandwiches-- We ended up having the fish, rice and broccoli, that was planned for Tuesday, this night as I had to tutor late.

TUESDAY::: Fish, rice and broccoli-- We had the chili and grilled cheese from Monday. I wasn't feeling all that well, but hubby helped make the grilled cheese.

WEDNESDAY::: Hot dogs on buns with chili sauce and baked beans-- YEP (minus the chili sauce)

THURSDAY::: Hamburger helper and peas-- YES

FRIDAY::: Frozen pizza and fruit salad-- YES (the fruit salad ended up being blueberries that were on sale at our store)

SATURDAY::: BBQ Chicken (in the crockpot) sandwiches, green beans, and corn-- This ended up being bbq pork sandwiches as I didn't get up in time to put the chicken in the crockpot. The pork came from the freezer though so it is still a win in my book.

SUNDAY::: Macaroni and cheese for the kids. Date night for hubby and I.--kids had mac and cheese and applesauce. Hubby and I were going to use a gift card for Jake's restaurant, but the snowy weather meant neither of us wanted to drive to get food, so we ordered subs from the pizza place across the street and Bill went to get them! 

So overall, a great week of menu planning. We moved 2 dinners around and I did switch up the meat for one meal with something else from the freezer, but I still had a plan! Made our otherwise crazy week, go a little smoother.

NOW ON TO THIS WEEK::::

What will we be eating???

MONDAY::: Meatloaf, green beans, augratin potatoes

TUESDAY::: Waffles, sausage, and fruit

WEDNESDAY::: Crockpot orange chicken (new recipe) and rice and green beans

THURSDAY::: Cheese quesadillas, corn, carrots

FRIDAY::: Pizza rolls and fruit

SATURDAY::: Chicken patties/chicken wings ??? (Bill is home with the boys, as I have a lock-in to attend with Rebecca-- so this is the plan, unless he decides to order pizza or something)

SUNDAY::: Lasagna and garlic bread

I tend to make our menus out on Sunday night to go from Monday to Sunday. I usually go to the grocery store one day during the week (usually Wednesday but sometimes another day). I have everything I need for this menu, except for garlic bread for Sunday. 

Hopefully, I will be able to stick to this plan and can report back success next week! 

Do you menu plan? 

Do you have a favorite dinner to share? 

 

Thankful Sunday

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Today is Sunday and I have decided that today is the day that I will be taking advantage of being present with my family and not being online. (I am writing this on Saturday night to be posted on Sunday morning.) With that being said, I would like to also take this opportunity to be thankful for all the blessings in my life.

I am thankful that my husband stepped up to the plate this week and helped out a lot when I wasn't feeling good. He made dinner a couple nights and cleaned up late Friday night for me. 

I am thankful that my kids get a kick out of watching birds on my bird feeder that they painted for me last Mother's Day. There are times we have 25+ birds on our front porch. 

I am thankful that we have a working washer and dryer and hot water.

I am thankful for my dad. He gave Bill and I a gift this week that we were totally not expecting. 

So on this Sunday, I have so much to be thankful for and have many blessings in my life. So I am going to go and enjoy those blessings and be PRESENT to my family! 

Have a great Sunday everyone!  

What are you thankful for today?  

I need to get stuff done

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The last few days I have not felt well--coughing, low energy, Aunt Flo showed up for the week, etc. I have gotten the necessities done (with Bill's help!), but things are starting to pile up and annoy me. Today is the day I NEED to get stuff done...if only for my sanity.

These are the things that I want to get done:

• Laundry--- We have at least 4 loads to do, probably more. 
• Clean up mud room/ pantry-- need to figure out new system for coats, gloves, etc. 
• Straighten up kitchen-- put dishes away, sweep, wipe down counters
• Empty all trash from upstairs and downstairs bathrooms
• Go through newspapers and pull extras aside for Mom
• Finish putting away Christmas decorations-- need to pack up kids' trees from their bedrooms

I am sure there are more things to do, but this will at least keep me busy for a while.... Now if I could just find the energy to get started :)

What do you have on your to-do list today? 

I really need to expand my travels

Earlier today I was on facebook and I saw that several of my friends had posted maps of all the states in the USA that they had visited. I have one friend who only needs to visit 4 states to have visited them all. I know that I am in the minority in that I have not visited very many states at all. Growing up we never really went on vacations until I was a teenager. Then we could only go places where we could drive, as my mother refuses to fly in an airplane.

So after seeing where others have been, I decided to see what my map looked like.....



Create Your Own Visited States Map

My map is definitely a lot smaller than others. But that is okay. I do hope to expand my travel area in the future; I have several places that I would like to visit on my bucket list that would add states to my map. These include the Baseball Hall of Fame (New York), the Georgia Aquarium (Georgia), the Grand Canyon (Arizona), Lambeau Field (Wisconsin), whale watching in Alaska, among other places. This year we are hoping to take a vacation to one of the states that we have already been to but love, so it doesn't look like I will be adding any new states to the list this year.

How many states have you been to? 

What state would you most like to visit but haven't? 

Day of rest update, chest cold, tutoring update and CT results

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On Sundays I have decided to take a day of rest from social media (for the most part). This includes facebook, blogs, pinterest, etc. I might check my email once Sunday night due to my tutoring business, but I will do so from my phone so there is no temptation to hop on facebook or other sites.

Sunday was the first one of the new year and let me say, I think I am addicted way more than I thought!

Sunday morning, I took the kids to their PSR class (Religion class at our church) and after I dropped them off, I decided to check facebook. I know that I said that I wouldn't at all, but the goal is to be more present with my family and friends, and the kids were in class and no one that I knew was in the gym where I was sitting and waiting. Well I was on there for about 10 minutes or so and a friend showed up. So I turned my phone off and we sat and chatted for the rest of the time. After we came home, there were several many  times during the day that I was like I should check facebook or I felt like I was missing something. But you know what, I wasn't. If there is an emergency and someone needs to get a hold of me, they can call or text. If there is something that I need to see online, well my Dear Hubby can tell me about it.

So what did I do instead? Well... I took a 4 hour nap in the afternoon. I am developing a chest cold thing, so I really did need to rest. I watched some football with Bill and the kids. I colored in my adult coloring book a little. I went to bed early because I had an awful headache. I really didn't do much of anything significant. Bill did some laundry and he fed the kiddos dinner.

I am hoping that this chest cold just goes away and doesn't get any worse. I am back to tutoring this week and the kids are back in school, so I really don't need to be sick. Speaking of tutoring, I worked myself out of a job with one client. She has asked that we take a break from tutoring for her son until Summer as he is doing well right now. That is my goal, ultimately, when I start working with each client, but it still means that I am down a client (until Summer). I am thankful she is still interested in Summer tutoring.

In other really good news....Jacob's CT scan came back as normal!! I am relieved that at least we have crossed anything physical off as to the reasons he is falling. So we see his doctor again in 2 weeks and we are going to pursue genetic testing and seeing if he is on the ASD spectrum. I am just thankful today that his scan came back as normal!

Do you feel like you have to constantly be connected online or to facebook? 

How do you maintain a balance with your online needs and your real-life needs?

What are we going to eat this week?

In the past, I have tried to follow different menu planning themes only to lose interest in following their format after a couple of weeks. Well, this past year, I have menu planned off and on. The weeks that I menu planned, our lives seemed to run much smoother. The weeks that I didn't menu plan, we ate out more, spent more money and I felt discombobulated. So one of the things that I want to do in 2016 is to plan our menus weekly and post them here for accountability.

Breakfasts are usually yogurt and fruit or cereal and fruit for the kids and Bill and I find whatever we are in the mood for. Lunch is usually something quick for Benjamin (chicken nuggets, corn dog, PB and J) with fruit and leftovers for Bill and I. That leaves dinner....

So the question is: What's for dinner this coming week??

MONDAY:::  Chili and grilled cheese sandwiches

TUESDAY::: Fish, rice and broccoli

WEDNESDAY::: Hot dogs on buns with chili sauce and baked beans

THURSDAY::: Hamburger helper and peas

FRIDAY::: Frozen pizza and fruit salad

SATURDAY::: BBQ Chicken (in the crockpot) sandwiches, green beans, and corn

SUNDAY::: Macaroni and cheese for the kids. Date night for hubby and I. 

I tend to make our menus out on Sunday night to go from Monday to Sunday. I usually go to the grocery store one day during the week (usually Wednesday but sometimes another day). I have everything I need for this menu, except for hamburger buns for Saturday. 

Hopefully, I will be able to stick to this plan and can report back success next week! 

Do you menu plan? 

Do you have a favorite dinner to share? 

 

Thankful Sunday

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Today is Sunday and I have decided that today is the day that I will be taking advantage of being present with my family and not being online. (I am writing this on Saturday night to be posted on Sunday morning.) With that being said, I would like to also take this opportunity to be thankful for all the blessings in my life.

I am thankful for a wonderful Christmas break with my kids. Usually by the end of the 2 weeks off, I am so ready for them to go back to school. This year not so much. They have behaved for the most part and gotten along, for the most part. I love these 3 so much. 

I am thankful for a wonderful Christmas and New Years with Bill, the kids, and our extended family. It was full of laughing, joking and craziness. 


I am thankful for my dad. He surprised Rebecca and Jacob (and my niece Lacie) by taking them to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip" at the movie theater. He also took them out for ice cream. I am thankful that he took them, as I don't know if I could sit through this movie. (Rebecca LOVES the chipmunks and was gifted the first 3 movies in the new line for Christmas. I watched the first one with her, and was able to make my excuses for not watching the 2nd.) LOL I am just grateful that my kids have grandparents who are invested in their lives! (Oh and Rebecca and Jacob both LOVED the movie! They gave it 2 thumbs up each!)

So on this Sunday, I have so much to be thankful for and have many blessings in my life. So I am going to go and enjoy those blessings and be PRESENT to my family! 

Have a great Sunday everyone!  

What are you thankful for today?  

Hello 2016! Yes I have some goals for this year...

For years I made out a list of resolution and some years I was successful in achieving some of the resolutions, but most of the time I failed miserably. Last year I didn't really make any yearly goals, instead I said I was going to focus on making monthly goals. Well that sort of went by the wayside a few months in. As I have been contemplating things that I wanted to accomplish in 2016, I came up with the idea of instead of writing resolutions, I would write a list of things that I wanted to accomplish-- a bucket list of sorts. These are the things that I would like to see happen in 2016 for my personally and for my family.

So my things to get done in 2016 are:

Personal: 

• BE PRESENT-- so many times I find that I am sucked into social media, blog reading, or just messing around on the computer. While I am in the same room as my family, I am not totally present. I would like to do this by limiting facebook, blog reading and email to only certain times during the day. I would also potentially like to make 1 weekend day a no computer day. 
• BE PRESENT WITH MY HUSBAND-- I would like to have a date night at least 2 times a month with my hubby. I would also like to stay up with hubby until at least 11pm to spend some one-on-one time with him. 
• BE PRESENT WITH MY MIND-- I would like to read 52 books for fun. In 2015, I read 49. I would also like to include at least one biography, non-fiction, or self-help book each month. Much of what I read is for fun, but I would like to expand my mind. 
• BE PRESENT WITH THE FAMILY AWAY FROM OUR HOME-- I would like to go on a vacation with our family sometime during the summer. And I would like to do at least 1 fun activity a month with the family (going to the park, hiking, going out to eat, etc.)
• BE PRESENT WITH OUR BELONGINGS-- I would like to use what we have, declutter as much as possible and just enjoy what we have. 
• BE PRESENT WITH OUR FINANCES-- I would like to pay down our debt. I hope to have Bill's student loan from his university paid off by Dec. 31. That is totally doable. I would also like to save for Christmas by following a plan that I saw on facebook, to buy a gift card at least once a month earmarked for Christmas purchases for next Christmas. 
• BE PRESENT WITH WHO I AM-- I would like to better my health and that means trying to lose weight. I would potentially like to lose 40 lbs this year. I want to get better at menu planning (and I will begin to post our weekly menu's each week here on this blog to help with accountability.) I would also like to stress less and live more.  

Business: 
As some of you know, I started my own tutoring business. I have things that I want to do with my business this year. They are:

• Increase tutoring clients by 5- 10 students.
• Post at least 2 times a week on my facebook page 
• Look into online tutoring
• Advertise more on the facebook selling walls

I think these are perfectly doable. I will do these things. I will come back each month and remind myself of what I want to get done and report on any progress. Because I will get these done in 2016. 2016 is going to be the year to be PRESENT and to shine!!

Do you have any goals for 2016? 

Is there anything you want to get done in 2016? 

From 2015 to 2016

Yesterday, the last day of 2015, started out bright and early. I had to get the kids up early and drop Rebecca and Benjamin off at my mom's house so that my sister could watch them for me. I had to drive Jacob over an hour to Nationwide Children's Hospital to get a CT scan done. Over the summer he was starting to face-plant and there has been some regression of his physical skills, so one of the doctors we were referred to wanted to have a CT scan done. This referral was made 2 months ago and I talked to the doctor's nurse last week and they were shocked that we didn't have an appointment yet. Well, Tuesday the hospital called and had scheduled it for 2 days later! Bill was unable to get time off work with that little notice.

Since Bill had to work, I had to take him. Now, let me say that I get severe anxiety when I have to drive to Columbus and especially when I have to drive on the freeway. Well, I did it. We got there with little to no difficulty; thank goodness my GPS on my phone was working the right way. Once we were at the hospital, it took longer to walk through the hospital and actually find the office that we needed to go to for the scan  than for the scan itself. Jacob did great and although he said he wasn't scared I could tell that he was. We hopefully will get the results soon. While we were walking back to the parking garage, Jacob asked that I take pictures of him with several of the animal statues that they have scattered throughout the hospital.

We got back to my parent's house around 11. After picking up the other 2 kids, we headed back to our town and I needed to stop at Kroger for some missing ingredients for our special dinner. Kroger was CRAZY; I try my hardest NOT to go the store the day before a holiday and that is why. Then I stopped at McDonald's and got the kids lunch as a treat. After we came home, the kids played with Ben's train track and just laid low. After Bill got home from work, it was time to watch football and have a fancy dinner.

Our fancy dinner included using our wedding china that just spends it's time in our curio cabinet, lighting candles, having sparkling grape juice and some fun appetizer foods for dinner. I made pizza bread in the bundt pan, mozzarella cheese sticks, jalapeno poppers, and potato skins, and we had strawberries! The kids loved it and said it was so fun!

After dinner, there was more football. The kids went to bed around normal time of 9 and unfortunately for my hubby, I fell asleep on the couch around then. Usually we stay up and play Scrabble and enjoy a bottle of wine on New Year's Eve. Well, he tried to wake me up once or twice and I wanted nothing of it. I am such a bad wife! I did wake up at 11:40 and stayed awake to see the ball drop and ring in 2016 with a kiss for my hubby. Then it was off to bed.

Today we have just been hanging out, not really doing much of anything. The kids have been playing with their toys. We watched The Rose Bowl parade on HGTV-- wow, some of those floats are so incredible! Right now, as I type this, the boys are watching Ohio State and Notre Dame play in the Fiesta Bowl-- Hubby and Jacob are rooting for Notre Dame, although it is not looking too good for them. Later, we might be having dinner with family....overall, it will just be a peaceful, hangout at home kind of day. Perfect to ring in 2016!