Menu Plan for the Week 11-13-11

This is a crazy busy week for us!  I have parent conferences for my students and my boys, so keeping the menu plan flexible is going to help me make it through! 

We will also be getting ready for my bestie and her family to be her for Thanksgiving week too!  I can't wait to have them here with us!  It is always fun to have guests!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!


Here is what we have planned to eat for this week:

Breakfasts: Cereal, Oatmeal, Biscuits, Muffins, Pancakes, French Toast, Waffles, Fruit

Lunches: Ham or PB & J Sandwiches, Meat and Crackers, Leftovers, Fruit or Veggies, String Cheese, Hard Boiled Eggs, Granola Bars, Fruit Leather, Homemade Chewy Bars

Dinners:

Sunday- Soup

Monday- Spaghetti, Buttered Bread, Italian Sausage

Tuesday- Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Veggie Tray

Wednesday- Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, French Cut Green Beans

Thursday- Leftovers

Friday- Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Chips

Saturday- Pizza

Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.

Until next time,

Shop Update!

I have been a crazy sewing machine (I know I'm funny...hehehe) this weekend.

I added some new goodies to the shop today, with more to come!  

Here's a sneak peek!

 Thanksgiving Turkey

 Thanksgiving Harvest

 Thanksgiving Turkey Too

 Lavender Floral Baby Burp Cloths

 All Girl Baby Burp Cloths

 Orchid Floral Baby Hooded Towel

Pink Bears Baby Hooded Towel

I also have some more market bags on their way!  

I hope you all have a great week!

 

Joining up with Sumo's Sweet Stuff

The Teenager

I know a lot of people that said, "Just wait until you have a teenager."  With the look of pain and regret firmly planted in their eyes.  Kenny and I scoffed at them because we knew.  We knew our boy and we knew our family.

Having a teenager for almost a year now has been a blessing.  This kid still talks to us, still wants to eat with us, still wants to go places with us.

You see I don't think it's the teenagers that change so much, I think it's the parents projecting their fears and insecurities about the job they've done so far.

 The mama and the teenager

We are not perfect parents, but we are parents.  We set boundaries and encourage exploration and creative growth.  So what did we wind up with, well I'd say we wound up with a kid who loves us as much as we love him.  To me that is the greatest success a parent can hope for when rearing these little humans!

Until next time,

This Teaching Gig

I am super thankful for where I am in my life right now.

Everyday I get to spend time with my boys and their amazing vocabularies.  I just love talking and listening to them tell their stories and tales of their busy school days.  It makes me smile to think that Kenny and I have guided them to be the men they are becoming, maybe a little too quickly for this mama's heart.  What amazes me most is the vocabulary we have helped them gather. 

People around us say talking to our kids is like talking to an adult.  I love it!  No baby talk around here, they were born as little humans and that's how we talked to them from the beginning.  It gives my heart such joy to continue to see them blossom.

Then I get the pleasure have the duty to go into my classroom each day.  It's no joke that this year has been a challenge. 

I am exhausted at the end of most days, but by the grace of God I am seeing progress in these little people in my care.  I about cried yesterday when one of my kiddos read a book on grade level and was able to retell the story beautifully.  Now mind you she was only reading kindergarten level when we began this journey in August.  The pride that was shining through her smile was amazing. 

Those moments are what push me to keep going to a job in a place that causes such a range of emotions in my soul.  Getting ready for report cards is always a little stressful, but getting to spend a few moments with each of these kids one on one proves that I am making a difference and pushing these kids down the right track.

My teaching gig is a pretty sweet deal.  I love teaching my own kids and to know my job right now is to help teach another batch of kids makes all the adult junk worth it!  Challenges will keep coming up, but I know that my children and my students will be prepared for whatever crosses their paths because I helped build their foundations!

Until next time,

Homemade Halloween

My boys are usually pretty ambitious with their Halloween costume ideas.  I guess they know their mama and daddy love a challenge and are just as detail oriented as they are!  So this year was no different!

My Lukas decided he wanted to be Doctor Who (the David Tennet version), so we went through closets and made a list of what we needed to make and or find for him.  It was so much fun seeing him get excited when we found the perfect suit at the thrift store.  With just a few alterations he was ready to assume the character in full force!

Nikolas's costume was more of a challenge.  My sweet spiky haired boy wanted to be Ezio from the Assassin's Creed Brotherhood video game.  Holy smokes!  This costume is medieval times and very detailed.  There was no pattern and no running out to purchase unless I had an extra couple of hundred bucks to blow.  Since that wasn't going to happen we headed to Joann's and got some great fabric on super sale!  I got busy trying to recreate each piece of the costume.  I am so pleased with how it turned out!

Kenny and Zackery were easy.  Zombies.  Another trip to the thrift store and a couple of questionable suits later we have great costume materials!  I let them do their thing and I think they were pretty successful with the creepy factor as long as they didn't break out into smiles! 

I loved the challenges they brought us this year!  It was fun and we got all four of them decked out for less than $50!  Way better than we could have done if we bought everyone a store made costume!

Until next time,

Menu Plan for the Week 10-30-11

I know I haven't posted our menu in a while, but we've had one!  I don't know what I  would do without sitting down and hashing out a menu each month.  It would be chaos I tell ya! 


I did my marathon shopping this weekend.  So crazy for nearly 4 hours, but I hit every place on my list and got just about everything we needed.  It's a lot of work at one time, but the up side is I rarely have to hit any stores for the rest of the month.  I go to the farmer's market every Saturday for milk and produce, but that is fun compared to a regular store.  It works well for us and our budget! 

My sister wants me to teach her how to make it work for her family too.  It should be fun teaching her my strategies for monthly planning and budgeting! 


I also finished up my part of the monkey's costumes.  I can't wait to get pictures up! They turned out so well!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!


Here is what we have planned to eat for this week:

Breakfasts: Cereal, Oatmeal, Biscuits, Muffins, Pancakes, French Toast, Waffles, Fruit

Lunches: Ham or PB & J Sandwiches, Meat and Crackers, Leftovers, Fruit or Veggies, String Cheese, Hard Boiled Eggs, Granola Bars, Fruit Leather, Homemade Chewy Bars

Dinners:

Sunday- BBQ Tri Tip, BBQ Chicken, Steamed Red Potatoes, Broccoli, Fresh Rolls (made without the garlic and seasoning this time)

Monday- Hot Dogs, Creamy Mac-n-Cheese

Tuesday- Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Veggie Tray

Wednesday- Leftovers

Thursday- Pot Roast, Red Potatoes, Broccoli, Rolls

Friday- Nachos Grande

Saturday- Taquitos, Spanish Rice, Beans

Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.

Until next time,

This is Where I am

It's been way too long since I've done a post, but sometimes life just zooms past at mach speed.  My routine streams from one day to the next, not much changes and it suits me.  I sometimes wonder why I blog. I know I love reading other blogs, but why would folks want to read about the goings on around here?  Then I stop and think that maybe, just maybe my little ramblings will help someone push through a tough time or giggle at something silly that happened with my monkeys.

Whatever the reason I know I need to keep sharing and checking in with my bloggy corner!

Each morning begins the same~ gathering the laundry baskets, sorting, and deciding which basket needs attention first.  I am a laundry fanatic.  I do a load a day at least.  I was FLY-washed and I haven't looked back since.  No crazy marathon laundry days for me.

I savor the quiet of everyone still out cold.  I move back to my room and make the bed then I head to the computer.  Check email, check Facebook, and twitter.  If I'm up to it I'll check my school email too, but I am trying to keep that separate from home time.  I mess around fluttering from blog to blog for a bit and then I head back upstairs to finish my morning routine.

I just added treadmill time back into my day.  Between the frustrations at work and my energy needing a boost it was time to get my backside back in a walking routine.  So far so good!  My attitude is definitely seeing the benefit!

After my walk I get showered and ready for my day.  I prep the boys' lunches and then get them up and ready for breakfast.  I love making sure they have breakfast at the table together each morning.  I'm a bit of a short order chef in the morning, but it's all good.  They love it and my oldest boy thanks me each morning for getting their breakfasts ready.  Those words coming from a teenager makes me feel awesome.

By the time they're done it's time for me to hit the road and get myself to school.  My school days are all about routine and order, but we are still working on the order part.  I teach in a pretty rough town, so a lot of our kids come in with a lot of baggage.  Most days fly by and then I head back home.

Evenings are dinner, signing papers, hanging out a bit, and sometimes getting on my sewing machine for a bit of fabric therapy.  Baths, stories and bedtime come early, but it works for us and my babies perform so well in school I don't think we should change the routine!

So that in a nutshell is my day, nothing exciting, nothing glamorous, but it is mine and it is pretty cool.  I am so blessed to have healthy kids, mostly happy kids, and a hubby that is pretty awesome.

I guess the message in my post is sometimes the most routine and genuine days are the best days.  We don't need fancy things to know that we love each other and are here for each other everyday.

Until next time,
 

 I'm joining in!

Menu Plan for the Week 9-11-11

We had a busy and sad weekend.  Busy with family and sad with the loss of one of my hubby's childhood friends.  It kind of sideswiped us, I wish we had one more day of weekend to regroup!  We're sticking together and giving our monkeys extra hugs.  Life is so very precious!

Wow!  We're starting week five of school, I cannot believe it!   All of us are doing well.  My new students are a much better behaved group than my class last year, so that really helps since I have so many more students this year.  Z is doing great and seems happier with his classes this year.  L is a leader in his class, if the group is stuck on an answer his teacher knows she can count on him for the correct answer.  N has already made it as student of the month, such a good kid!

Well, this week will be busy again.  I am hoping to get many things done in my classroom and many things done around the house. It's time to clear out more junk and keep just the things we love and use.  I am in organizing mode, I want to regain control over our living spaces.  It just makes life for us all so much easier and happier when everything is in its proper place! 


I hope everyone has a wonderful week!


Here is what we have planned to eat for this week:

Breakfasts: Cereal, Oatmeal, Biscuits, Muffins, Pancakes, French Toast, Waffles, Fruit

Lunches: Ham or PB & J Sandwiches, Meat and Crackers, Leftovers, Fruit or Veggies, String Cheese, Hard Boiled Eggs, Granola Bars, Fruit Leather, Homemade Chewy Bars

Dinners:

Sunday- Leftovers

Monday- Deli Sandwiches, Pasta Salad

Tuesday- Beef / Chicken Quesedilla, Beans, Salad

Wednesday- Leftovers

Thursday- Tri Tip, Asparagus, Pasta

Friday- Pizza, Salad

Saturday- Taco Truck Style Tacos, Spanish Rice, Beans

Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.


Until next time,

My New Digs

With all of the budget cuts in my school district came some consolidation of classrooms.  I was one of the unlucky ones in that I had to pack up my classroom and move into a new to me room.  I wasn't so sure about this idea at first since I had been in my room for 6 years, but it turned out to really good for a lot of us.  I had a lot of work to do to get the new room straightened out, but it was worth it!  I am really enjoying my new room and my new neighbors!

Here's the place where I spend my days trying to fill little minds with all things second grade!

This new space is growing on me...

Until next time,

Thankful

 

 There is nothing like a new school year to keep me away from blogging!  I have missed it, but quite honestly I needed to focus on my home life and new students for a while.  It has been a pretty good start to the new year!  I was so nervous about having 28+ students this year, but it really has not been too bad.  I have been blessed with a pretty mild group this year.  After struggling with super challenging classes over the past few years I was pretty anxious about what awaited me!

I am seeing challenges in the number of students, but hopefully I will be able to get everyone to where they need to be by the end of the year.  I wish I didn't have to have 28 kids, but I am thankful that I kept my job while so many others lost theirs.  It's a scary time in education, but I am determined to make the best of it!  If I can keep a good attitude I am positive I can make it through.  There will be lots of prayers this year, but I know the prayers I've made already are helping so much!

So today I am grateful for my job and for my new students.  I think we're going to have a pretty awesome year!

Head on over to Heavenly Homemakers to see what everyone else is grateful for today!

Until next time,

Menu Plan for the Week8-6-11

Back to school week is here!  I have been working a bit in my new classroom and it is beginning to feel more cheerful!  We were able to get the boys a few things for back to school, so I am feeling pretty ready.  Hopefully I can get everything finished before we have our "meet the teacher" night.  Busy days, but that's okay because I like to be busy!

Remember it's the last day to try to win something from Amy's Monkeys!  Head on over to Frugal Granola for the giveaway!
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Here is what we have planned to eat for this week:

Breakfasts: Cereal, Oatmeal, Biscuits, Muffins, Pancakes, French Toast, Waffles, Fruit

Lunches: Ham or PB & J Sandwiches, Meat and Crackers, Leftovers, Fruit or Veggies, String Cheese, Hard Boiled Eggs, Granola Bars, Fruit Leather, Homemade Chewy Bars

Dinners:

Sunday- Leftovers

Monday- Breakfast for Dinner

Tuesday- Keilbasa, Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus

Wednesday- Leftovers

Thursday- Pulled Pork, Corn, Salad

Friday- Pizza, Salad

Saturday- Grande Nachos

Find more menu planning inspiration at Organizing Junkie.


Until next time,

Little Things Count

As we've been on this journey of only one income we have done many little things to make every dollar stretch as far a possible.  We didn't always have super self-control when it came to our spending, but you should see us now! We have chosen to trim away little things here and there to help us make our money work for us.  These are just a few examples of how little changes can add up to nice savings.

We do not have cable or satellite TV.  I know, it's hard to comprehend in this day and age, but it's true.  We actually canned the satellite before K lost his job.  I mean seriously do you really want to pay for commercials with questionable content for 20 minutes of every hour?  Not us.  For a long time we just used Hulu to catch shows on the computers.  Since K is a computer guy our TV screens are hooked to the computers in the house, so it is pretty convenient for viewing.  At Christmas we decided to get on Netflix.  It has been awesome.  Even with the price increase in September we will still be paying about $60 less than the basic satellite plan.

During the summer I have rarely driven the car.  We ride bikes when we can to run errands.  K and the boys rode their bikes to school last spring and plan to continue to do so this fall.  If it were practical for me to ride my bike to school I'd do it to, but 50 miles a day would be a bit much!  When we do drive we really try to link the trips and make the most out of every mile.

Going out to eat is pretty much nonexistent.  We just can't justify the cost when we know how much making something similar at home would save.  I really enjoy cooking and benefits we see in making things from scratch are worth the bits of extra time some things may take.  I keep a well stocked pantry, so even crazy days can end with a good dinner.  K and I try to keep each other on track.  Sometimes we'll get $6 pizza, but even that anymore is rare.

We've gotten away from paper towels and napkins.  Even before the job loss we had stocked the kitchen with rags and cloth napkins.  We simply grab a rag to clean up a mess or wipe down the counter and throw it in the wash.  Since I was washing towels anyway there is no noticeable increase in laundry.   We went from buying a big package of paper towels every month to buying one about every 5-6 months. 

I also started making many things at home rather than buying them in the store.  We have been using homemade laundry detergent and vinegar to wash our clothes for about a year now.  At about $6 for 5 gallons of detergent and about $1.70 for a gallon of vinegar, I'd say we're saving at least $20 a month on just that stuff!  Counter cleaner, window cleaner, and Chewy bars are other homemade savers in our house.  Not only are they better for us, but I know the cost is about half or less what I was paying for the pre-made versions.

We are making do or doing without.  We have started to think more creatively when we want to do something around the house.  If we can't find something we already own to meet a need then we wait until we find what we need at a yard sale or one of the thrift stores around town.  Sometimes a little creative thinking solves a problem without spending any cash.  It has been a good exercise in teaching us patience.  No more running to Target to grab something. 

These are just a few little things, but when you put them all together it saves us quite a bit.  Maybe some of you have some other ideas to help stretch those dollars.  Let me know what you do to make the most of your money!

Until next time,