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!

Look What I made!!!

It's called a korker ribbon! I'm proud of myself! lol