Finally I can post this!

It's a GIRL! Well delivery is the only way to know for sure but when we did the ultrasound we saw the 3 lines :) I gave my mom and Piggy's mom an ultrasound picture for their birthdays. I hadn't seen my mom in a while so I ended up giving it to her Christmas day. I know she reads here sometimes so I wanted to wait until she got her gift before I posted.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! I am about to upload Christmas pictures so I should be back soon!! :)

Oh My Gosh... It's SNOWING!!!

Here in south Louisiana we have SNOW. Not the normal 'Louisiana snow' *icy rain* but actual SNOW!!!!!!

On a different note, KK has been battling staph infections. Yesterday they decided to lance one to test it and see what the deal is. I NEVER want to have to do that again. He SCREAMED!!!!!! I've never had one but I'm sure it's painful. I should probably mention, it was on his bottom so sitting down was not a very pleasant task for him. After fighting to get his prescription filled we came home and I gave him some pain medicine. This is how he looked after it kicked in.

And to end this.. I am going have my ultrasound this afternoon. We are hoping for a GIRL!!!!

Menu Plan 12/08 - 12/12

12-8-08 Monday
Lunch: pizza rolls
Dinner: Baked Chicken (big batch)
AM Snack: fruit

12-9-08 Tuesday *Dancing*
Lunch: chicken nuggets
Dinner: leftovers
AM Snack: rice cakes

12-10-08 Wednesday
Lunch: Hormel cup
Dinner: pork chops (big batch)
AM Snack: chips

12-11-08 Thursday *Ultrasound*
Lunch: chicken noodle soup
Dinner: leftovers
AM Snack: fruit

12-12-08 Friday
Lunch: Hormel cup
Dinner: tacos
AM Snack: yogurt

12-13-08 Saturday
Lunch: leftover tacos
Dinner: Piggy's day to cook!
AM Snack: fruitcups

For more menu plan ideas check out Menu Plan Monday hosted by Orgjunkie.com!!

My 'Plan'

I've decided I want to try something for a few months. Instead of focusing so much on budgeting I am going to start focusing more on planning. I am hoping that by doing more planning other things will begin to fall into place. I realized that I was putting all of my effort into budgeting and getting good deals, etc.... BUT what good is a basket full of cheap groceries if you can't put them together with the things you have at home to make a complete meal!?!? We would end up having to go back to the store and in the end we spent more money that we would have, had I just planned ahead of time.



I am going to try and be more faithful to menu planning. I make the plan and I try to stick to it but for some reason by the end of the week it just falls apart. I am going to start planning breakfast, lunch, dinner, morning snack, afternoon snack, and something for Piggy to bring for lunch. Good luck to me!!! :)

Menu Plan!!

This is our tenative dinner menu for the week of Monday, December 1st through Saturday, December 6th. I'm still working on planning and sticking to breakfast and lunch planning. For now breakfast will be FFY (fend for yourself) and lunch will probably be leftovers from dinner the night before. I have also started sending Chet's lunch to work so he won't have to spend $$ on food everyday.

Monday: deer chili

Tuesday: crockpot roast

Wednesday: baked chicken

Thursday: porkchops

Friday: homemade pizza

Saturday: not sure yet, this is Chet's day to cook!

For more menu ideas check out Menu Plan Monday hosted by orgjunkie.com!

Where has the time gone?!

It's been so long since I've posted... Over two months. Between the morning sickness, and a few unexpected twists and turns I have been in a funk. I plan to start posting again beginning tomorrow night with my menu for next week.

I hope everyone had a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Is it over?

So... Any more hurricanes coming our way? My house is a disaster from packing and NOT unpacking. My stress level is through the roof and I am TIRED! I sure hope things quiet down for the season and I can try to get things back to normal over here! *whatever normal is*

Our Trip to Arkansas

On the way there:

An Old Bath House in Hot Springs

Riding the Duck in Hot Springs

We're Home!

We came home yesterday from our mini vacation in Arkansas away from Gustav. No flooding, no damage, AND our electricity never went out! I knew we should have stayed home!

So, am I the only person who is a little irritated with the weather people.. There IS more to Louisiana than New Orleans. And if you are going to only talk about that 1 city at least learn how to pronounce it correctly!!!!! Sorry, just had to vent a little.

I'll be back later to post a few pics. Now it is time to unpack!

Go Away Gustav!!!

Judging by the current forecast it looks like Gustav is headed our way. GREAT!! *sarcasm* Unfortunately, we live in a house that floods so we will be getting the heck out of here if it doesn't change directions SOON! No more posts from me until this thing is gone. I need to start packing and picking as much as I can up off the ground, just in case!

No Menu This Week

Okay, I know, I'm slacking already. No menu plan this week. I recently found out I am expecting #3 and I have HORRIBLE 'all-day sickness', so needless to say food is the farthest thing from my mind. Piggy is in from offshore so he will be on kitchen duty for the week!! Shhhhh!!! Don't tell him!! ;)

Crazy Week

Okay the week is over, all I can do is hope the next one isn't as busy. Piggy has been offshore for 11 days now. Of course he has to leave when we have lots going on.

Adi started dancing

and school last week.

KK has 'graduated' from P/T, now we only have to go once a month to make sure he isn't losing any abilities.

Oh, I almost forgot,

KK turned 2

and Adi turned 4!!! My babies are getting so big.

Menu for 8/18 - 8/22

Since Adi will be starting school later this week I really need to start meal planning faithfully. I am hoping it will ease some of the headaches (especially if Piggy follows it too)!

Breakfasts:
Monday - cereal
Tuesday - oatmeal
Wednesday - grits
Thursday - cinnamon rolls
Friday - pop tarts

Lunch:
Monday - hotdogs and chili
Tuesday - chicken nuggets & French fries
Wednesday - kids pick
Thursday - this is Adi’s first day of school. I will be packing her lunch for the first few days then I will try and ease her into eating school lunch.
Adi - ham sandwich, carrot sticks, grapes, juice
Home - grilled cheese, French fries, carrot sticks
Friday - Adi - PB&J sandwich, salad (her salad consists of just lettuce), banana, juice
Home - PB&J sandwich & grapes

Snacks:
Monday - sliced apple
Tuesday - I need something for on the go since we usually eat snack around 3:30 and we have to be at dancing for 4:00. Cheez-its
Wednesday - crackers with cheese
Thursday - celery with peanut butter
Friday - kids pick

Dinner:
Monday - sloppy joes
Tuesday - Tuesday’s will be crock pot night unless Piggy is off. Adi starts dancing this week and we won’t be getting home until around 5:30. I like to serve dinner between 5:00-6:00 depends on when Piggy gets home from work.
Crock pot meatloaf (http://www.a-crock-cook.com/crock-pot-meat-loaf.html)
Wednesday - left overs
Thursday - spaghetti
Friday - homemade pizza

For more menu planning idea check out Menu Plan Monday hosted by I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Trip to Wal-Mart

Today was my 'big' shopping trip for the month.

Here's what I got:

1 - gallon of milk $4.44

3 - 12pks Coca Cola products $3.98/ea

1 - box of poptarts $1.74

1 - 18lb bag cat food $10.98

1 - bag popsicles $2.50

1 - 5lb bag potatoes $4.47

1 - 1lb brown sugar ham $4.28

Total: $40.35

I also price matched a few things from the Super 1 Sales ad:

5 - 5pk Pillsbury Cinnamon rolls $.88/ea

4 - Pillsbury Garlic Breadsticks $.88/ea

4 - Pillsbury Crusty French Loaf $.88/ea

2 - 24oz loaves Sunbeam Bread $.88/ea

Total: 13.20

Grand Total: $53.55

I used the following coupons:

.55 off ham

3 - free 12 packs Coca Cola *from MyCokeRewards*

Total Spent: $41.06

Total Amount Spent in August = $42.30

Total Amount Left for August = $107.70

CVS 8/5

I went to CVS today to use up some ECBs that were expiring today.. Here's what I got:
1 package Pampers $8.88
1 20 oz Coke $ 1.39

I used a Pampers coupon for -$1.50 and used the ECBs.
I had to pay .93 OOP.

I didn't make anymore ECBS but I got diapers, something that I really needed!!!!
I also got 3 CRTs..:
Free CVS mouthwash
Save $4 on any Playskool purchase of $20 or more and
Save $1.50 on new Softsoap SPA body wash

Spent in August: $1.24

Menu Plan for the Week of 8/4 - 8/8

I'm a little bit late this week! This week for breakfast the kids will have their choice of cold cereal with milk, instant oatmeal or instant grits. I have been so tired lately and it's hard for me to get up in the morning to fix much else!

Monday - spaghetti pie
Tuesday - beef roast in the crock pot
Wednesday - leftovers
Thursday - BBQ pork ribs
Friday - Hotdogs & chili

For more menu plans idea check out Menu Plan Monday hosted by Organizing Junkie!

For some reason blooger won't let me upload the Menu Plan Monday picture SORRY!!

Grocery Goal for August

This month my goal is to spend less than $150 on groceries and household items. I will be taking a coupon class in September hosted by Carlie over at Why Ask Why. She has asked everyone to keep their receipts for the month of August. Here is what I have gotten so far:

1 loaf Evangeline Maid Bread = $2.69

2 Daily Advertisers = $1.25/each

Total including Tax = $5.31

I used a $5 RR that expired today and paid .31 OOP.

I wanted to get my newspaper at Wal-Mart where they are .99/each but by the time I made it to town there were no more.

Oh, and when I paid at Walgreens I also got a CRT for $3.00 of any 45ct Zyrtec... I think it may have been for the lady before me but printed after she left.

Back To School Bash

Today was the Acadiana Moms Back To School Bash! Of course Piggy had to do something unusual... Here it is:

Now I have a new nickname, The Duck Queen. Robbie is the Chicken Queen and we are the 'fowl sisters'.. Thanks again Piggy!!

Mom's Night Out!

A few weekends ago some of the Acadiana Moms got together at a local restaurant to take a break from the kids and of course GOSSIP ;)

A quick pic of all the moms.

The fried ice cream that took over 45 minutes to receive AND came in a to-go box.. Who gets icecream TO GO!?!?!

Wow, It's Been A While!!

It has been almost a week since I have posted anything... Last Sunday was my birthday, we brought the kids to the fountain downtown and let them have at it. We met Robbie and her crew there so Adasyn had someone to play with!

This is the cake Piggy got me for my birthday

KK at the fountain.

Adi at the fountain.

Adi & KK playing.

Adi & Hailey trying to catch the water... KK playing in the puddles.

Menu for 7/28 - 8/1

This week is pretty busy so our menu will be rather simple. Lunch will be made with whatever is on hand.

Monday:

Breakfast - cereal

Dinner - eating at parents house!

Tuesday:

Breakfast - muffins

Dinner - chicken fried rice

Wednesday:

Breakfast - cereal

Dinner - leftovers

Thursday:

Breakfast - cinnamon rolls

Dinner - meatloaf

Friday:

Breakfast - cereal

Dinner - Piggy's turn to cook I won't be home!

For more menu planning ideas check out Menu Plan Monday hosted by orgjunkie!

Frugal Friday

Why do I have such a hard time coming up with Frugal Friday posts?!?! I do consider myself 'frugal'.. I guess it's just hard to come up with something 'new', something people haven't read before!!

This is what I came up with: Laundry hahaha sounds interesting right??

We have one hamper in the bathroom, all of the dirty clothes are supposed to make it there. I do find myself doing a quick check of the house before I start a load though!

By the washer and dryer I have this 'thing' I'm not sure what to call it.. Maybe a tri-hamper, or a laundry sorter. One bag is for whites, one is for towels, and the other is for 'clothes'.

On the other side of the washer is my 'laundry station' The hamper holds all of the dirty bedding and there is a shelf behind it that holds laundry detergent, fabric softener, bleach, stain remover, etc...

After everyone takes their baths at night I bring the hamper into the laundry area and sort it. Most of our clothes get hung up to dry so I usually do that load at night before bed so they can dry overnight. I used to hang clothes outside but our landlord decided to put COWS in the field behind us.. Needless to say, our clothes started smelling a little funky!!! Now I have an indoor retractable clothes line that is strung across the laundry area. I hang the clothes up at night with the hope that they will be dry in the morning and I can take the line down! Also, I wash all of our clothes in COLD so there is no need to sort by color.

First thing in the morning, I start another load of laundry, I usually wash which ever bag is fullest! I am pretty good at getting the clothes washed, now if only I could get folding and saving down!!!

For more Frugal Fridays ideas click here.

Week of 7/21 - 7/25

It's summer and it's HOT!! Okay, I just had to get that out!!!

Monday:
Breakfast - cereal and milk
Dinner - BBQ

Tuesday:
Breakfast - pancakes
Dinner - baked fish

Wednesday:
Breakfast - cereal
Dinner - leftovers

Thursday:
Breakfast - waffles
Dinner - hotdogs and chili

Friday:
Breakfast - cereal
Dinner - the kids are going sleep at my moms and I'm going to MNO!!! :)

Frugal Friday

I have been trying to think of something to post for Frugal Fridays this week..... I kept going back to my Works For Me Wednesday idea... Soo.......... I'm sorry but I think it's a GREAT IDEA and I'm still so excited to learn this! For my Frugal Friday/Works For Me Wednesday idea click here!!!

For more Frugal Fridays ideas visit Biblical Womanhood!

Kitchen's DONE!

Okay.. I finally finished the kitchen!!! It took a while but I think it's as good as it's going to get!

I was hoping to put away the dishes before taking the picture but I knew if I waited 1 of 2 things would have happened.

1. I would forget OR


2. The kitchen would be destroyed again and I would NEVER get a picture!

So.... without anymore delay here is my cleanER kitchen :)

The pile of stuff on the cabinet all the way to the left is Piggy's.... It has been sitting there a while waiting for him to go through it. I moved all of the kids magnets to the side of the fefrigerator.. It looks so plain now, Adi says "It isn't pretty anymore" Anyways there it is.. I bet by tonight the 'short cabinet' will be covered AGAIN!

Works For Me Wednesday

We have lots of Pre-School workbooks around the house for my daughter. I love the concept but I don't like the fact that you can only do each page once the you are done with it. What if she doesn't understand?? I can't go back and help her redo it until she grasps the concept. I think I found the solution. Now, I can't take credit for the idea because I got it from someone else!!

All it takes is a big binder, a dry erase marker, and lots of page protectors....

You tear the pages from here:

And put them in here:

Now when your child is finished with the activity all they have to do is wipe off the page and it's ready for another try!!

Time for Cleaning!

So, I have decided to tackle this mess of a house we are living in. I had some inspiration from Strawberry Blonde at Shack on the Rocks.

The first room I will work on is my kitchen. It may take me more than one day to get everything in order!! I am a little embarassed posting these pictures but I figured maybe I can 'embarass myself' into keeping it clean!!

The 'short cabinet' as we call it is the catch all area for EVERYTHING!! It's the first available space when you walk in the house so whatever is in your hands usually ends up there. Oh, and I have to mention.. Don't you just LOVE the paneling!! Not me, but we rent so there's really nothing I can do about it! :(

No Yelling ~ Day 7

Okay so I'm a little late on this one too!! I made it an entire week!! I did much better than I expected but I hope to make permanent changes and do even better!!!! I would like to thank CajunChic for blogging about this, it really was a 'challenge' for me.

Menu Plan Monday

So... We got some shopping done!!! I wouldn't call it 'grocery shopping', more like meat and perishables shopping!

Here's what we got:
Hotdogs
Leg quarters
boston butt steak
porkchops
ribs
boneless skinless chicken breasts
beef roast
round steak
sausage
chicken tenderloins
ham
milk
eggs
cheese
bread
tortillas *I couldn't pass up this sale at Super 1*

We should be good to go for a while as far as meat is concerned. Some people have asked how we managed to go so long without grocery shopping. I have been stockpiling since about February. So I have quite a bit in the pantry. Also, we don't mind the storebrand for most items. A few months ago, Super 1 was changing its name brand from Better Valu to Food Club. All of the Better Valu products were 50% off! We stocked up on a lot of canned goods and other things that have a long shelf life.

Now, for this weeks menu plan I am going to TRY and do breakfasts and dinner. When Adi starts school next month we will have to feed her before school. Now, before I get CPS called on me lol I don't mind feeding my child breakfast...... But, when I was working and we had to be out of the house by 7am she ate at daycare. The bus passes around 7:15 sooooooo I'll have to have her up dressed and fed by that time. She's like me, neither of us like to eat first thing in the morning. I am guessing I will have to wake her up around 6:15 to give her time to get going then feed her after getting her dressed. Some of you may be saying 'duh, that's how it works!' but this will all be new to us! We are by no means morning people! Right now, Adi and KK go to bed between 7 and 8 and don't wake up until around 8am. She will be getting up almost 2 hours earlier! I can't move her bedtime any earlier so I hope things work out! Anyways, sorry for the tangent. I am going to try and start waking her up by 7:30 this week and I will progressively move that time up. Breakfasts will be simple.... I know there is no way I can fix a Five-Star breakfast that early!! :)

Monday:
Breakfast - Pigs in a blanket & fruit
Dinner - shrimp & butter sauce

Tuesday:
Breakfast - cereal & fruit
Dinner - chicken quesadillas

Wednesday:
Breakfast - oatmeal & fruit
Dinner - leftovers

Thursday:
Breakfast - cereal & fruit
Dinner - beef roast

Friday:
Breakfast - grits & fruit
Dinner - hot dogs & chili

For more menu plan ideas check out Menu Plan Monday hosted by OrgJunkie!

Just Some Thoughts.....

Okay, I'm not sure which word to use here... I learned/realized/accepted something.. I have a JOB. My JOB is to raise my kids properly and keep an orderly home... among other things.

Lately, I'm not sure if I have been doing these things to the best of my ability. With the no yelling challenge this week, I realized just how easily I lose it. And for some reason I also noticed that my house is a MESS!!! SO...... I think next week will be cleaning week! Time for some serious "summer cleaning"!

No Yelling ~ Day 6

Today wasn't that bad.. Definitely better than yesterday! The kids went to a birthday party with Piggy's mom so I had a little time to rest! I am mentally trying to go back through my day... I think the only person I lost it with was Piggy.. Does that count? lol

No Yelling ~ Day 5

Okay, I'll admit it.. Today was a total FLOP!! I think it's from the lack of sleep *I haven't had more than 1-2 hours sleep a night since KK's episode Monday night*. My nerves are shot and I can't keep my cool! I'm trying! I promise I'm trying!!!!!!



Hopefully tomorrow I will have better news................

No Yelling ~ Day 5

Okay.... I'll admit it, today was a total FLOP! I think it has to do with lack of sleep *I haven't slept more than 1-2 hours a night since KK's episode Monday night*.. I can't keep my cool anymore. I'm trying!! I promise I'm trying!!!

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have better news....................

My First Frugal Friday Post!!

This is my first Frugal Fridays post.

We have started picking fruits and freezing or preserving what we won't eat before it goes bad. We just started so we are still learning. So far we have a stash of blackberries and figs. Now, once the season is over we can just defrost and enjoy!!

For more Frugal Fridays tips hosted by BiblicalWomanhood click here.

No Yelling Day 4

Four days down 3 to go... Not that I plan on yelling constantly after the weeks over.. But, I at least need to yell into a pillow or something, just to get the stress out!

I managed to keep my cool today.. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as good!!!

No Yelling Day 3

Okay, so I am a little late getting this up. Yesterday was the worse day thus far. I really lost it when I was on the phone with the hospital trying to schedule KK's EEG. It was as though both kids knew I was having a really important conversation and decided to do everything in their power to prevent me from hearing!! After that incident the rest of the day went pretty smoothly.

Adi has been testing me daily by refusing to take a nap. I know she NEEDS one because by 5pm she is whiny and running into everything! When it comes time to take one though she can think of a million reasons not to stay in bed. By the time I get her to lay still it's time to wake up!!

Works for me Wednesday

If your kids are anything like mine they LOVE juice. There's a rule in my house, you have to drink a cup of milk with each meal if you want to have juice with your snack. I don't give them straight juice either... I cut it with water ALOT! My daughter is to the age where she gets upset if she sees me putting water in her cup before her juice. So..................... I bought 2 rather large pitchers. I take one can of Juicy Juice and divide it between the two. Then I fill them the rest of the way up with water. I make sure to do this when the kids are sleeping so they don't see!!! There you have it.... cut juice without the hassle!!

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit Rocks In My Dryer!!

Rough Night/Day

Last night was a pretty rough night, which translated into a pretty rough day today. The past few nights KK has been up all night long screaming and fussing. All this is coming from a child who LOVES his sleep. He tells us when he is ready for bed, we gives hugs and kisses, lay him down and don't hear a peep from him until the next morning.

Last night was particularly bad. Around 12:30 he started again, so I decided to try and sleep on the couch with him. All of a sudden he got really stiff and started twitching. He sleeps with his eyes half opened half closed so I am not sure if he was awake or not. I couldn't get him to snap out of it. Today I brought him to the doctor, I will be calling tomorrow to schedule an EEG later this week to determine if it was a seizure or not. I hope they can get us in quickly, I know I won't be able to sleep until I have an answer.

No Yelling - Day 2

Today was better than yesterday, even though we DID have to leave the house the kids were very well behaved. I only had to catch myself 1 time when I saw Adi intentionally pushing corn onto the floor. I know it wasn't that big of a deal but it still pushed my buttons. I despise having to clean my floors more than once a day!!

No Yelling - Day 1

Today was an okay day. We were able to stay home all day so that cut down on the stress level but I caught myself in 'mid-yell' a couple of times. I quickly changed my tone and thought of a different way to handle the situation. I also realized how quickly I resort to yelling, I feel like that is the only way my kids will listen. This week I will also work on our communication with each other and respect for one another.

I hope tomorrow is better. We have to venture out tomorrow morning to go to KK's P/T. Wish me luck!! :)

No Yelling!!!!

One of my online friends, CajunChic, invited her blog readers to join her on her attempt to not yell at all for an entire week. I figured, hey... I can give this a shot!!! I will update daily to let everyone know how I am doing, and as a way to hold myself accountable.

You can check out her post here.

Menu Plan Monday

Okay so...... I haven't been 'grocery' shopping since the end of May. Other than bread, milk, diapers, fruits and veggies we haven't gone!! Needless to say it's slim pickings!! This week we will try and use up what's in the freezer and I'll make a big 'meat' trip this weekend! :)

I have TONS of cereal so breakfast for this week will be CEREAL AND MILK!!!!

Lunch will be made with whatever is on hand.

Monday- baked chicken

Tuesday- porkchops rice & gravy

Wednesday- leftovers

Thursday- sausage rice & gravy

Friday- crawfish etoufee

Like I said it's slim pickings!! Hopefully next week will be better!!!!

For more menu planning ideas check out Menu Plan Monday hosted by orgjunkie.com!