2015 Planner

I am obsessed with lists and writing things down. I have been eyeing up the Erin Condren planner for about a year but I just can't justify spending the money. Now that I am staying home with my kids, I am trying to get into a more organized routine and thought a planner would help. I tend to be more productive when I have a lot of stuff to do. For example, while my hubs was away I worked full time, took care of 2 kids, trained for a half marathon, taught AWANA, attended small group and maintained my house and cooked meals (sort of!). Now that I'm staying home I can't even seem to get the laundry done or make a simple meal. What is up with that??? So in an attempt to be more productive I needed a planner :) I wanted something specific for my daily needs but that wasn't just a day planner. I wanted something more fun. So with the help of my computer handy husband, I created my own using free prinatbles I found online and creating some myself. I got the idea from the busy budgeter but I was able to customize it to fit my life and needs for this upcoming year! It cost me roughly $15 dollars, but was fairly time consuming to ensure I had the pages exactly the way I wanted them. I LOVE the final product, so much so, that I already started using it! Here is it: (the cover before it was bound at Staples)

I used a free cover print from this blog (Handmade Home)

I'm a big goal setter so I had to include the goal page found here (Living Locurto)

I added 31 days of prayer for your children as a daily reminder of things I need to clothe my children in prayer of that I can re-use for each month. (To show them Jesus)

And even though I'm expecting a new bundle of joy this year, I wanted to maintain a certain level of fitness and stick to a routine. I found a get fit goals printable that you can keep track of workouts in 12 week increments so I added 4 of those to the planner. I'm hoping between my planner, my fitbit and a future half marathon I will stay motivated throughout the year! (Design Finch)

Next comes a dates to remember page for all those important dates that I forget every year! Well not this year, I already have it filled out and ready to go! (DIY home sweet home)

Now on to the nitty gritty planner. Each month gets a 2 page monthly calendar spread. (Scattered Squirl)

The each month is followed by a weekly 2 page spread divided by Morning, Day and Evening with a notes column and space for meals in each box. My hubs designed this as I told him what I wanted. Isn't he AWESOME?!?!

• I had a blank page at the end of the calendar, so I added a Freezer Inventory. (DIY home sweet home)
• Next I printed 12 TO DO lists (front and back so its only 6 pages). This will be a master monthly list of things that need to get done that month but don't necessarily have a time frame. (ie: renew my OT license) (DIY home sweet home)
• Because I love to write things down and plan things out, I also included enough blank home school planning sheets for the rest of our preschool year. I did not include the fall since I'm not sure what we will be doing school wise. (Handmade Home)
• The back cover I had laminated and is printed with my weekly cleaning schedule so I can use a dry erase marker on it to check of my weekly cleaning list and not have to print a million copies. (Happy Money Saver)
• I had the 1st and last pages laminated and the whole thing spiral bound at Staples for about $8. I needed to buy thicker paper for this project with brought my cost up but I have plenty left to make more for many years to come. If you are wanting to make your own, I would recommend InkJet 98 Bright and 24# so the pages don't bleed or become see through when you print on both sides. I also had to buy a new ink cartridge but I was planning on it anyways since I print so many things for preschool. 

I love the way it turned out and I'm so excited for this upcoming year! Happy Planning!

Homemade Christmas Part 2

This post is all things homemade! To start out, my SIL asked me to make towel backpacks for her kiddos. I scoured Pinterest but couldn't find something exactly like what I wanted so I created my own design! Go Me! I bought beach towels and a coordinating hand towel and a washcloth in an accent color to make the pouch, straps, and outer pocket. now each kid can carry their own towel to the beach! I  had to kind of trial and error on this to get it the way I wanted it, but I love the final product! I plan to make a few more for my own kids and I when I do, I hope to write a more in depth tutorial on how to make one! But for now, here are some photos of the finished product!

This is a pic of the back including the straps

A side view, (you can sorta see the pocket in the blue color-perfect for sunscreen, waterbottle, book etc)

And here is the towel all laid out with a sunbather on it!

For  my next project, I wanted to make a sensory board for my son. So I headed to Lowes and purchased some fun locks, switches, mirrors, etc that I thought he would enjoy. I got the board at Michael's (with a coupon of course!). I painted it construction yellow and asked my hubby to attach everything in place.What boy wouldn't love a board like this?!

My niece was also having a birthday in December, so I saw these cute wooden peg dolls on Pinterest and knew she would LOVE them. Actually, both my children loved playing with them until I had to mail them out! They come in packages of two (1 boy/1girl) so I only made 4 princesses and came up with 4 male characters. There are tons of ideas on Pinterest as they are all the rage it seems! So you can be as creative as you want. I freehand painted these gems so I am SUPER proud of myself. I hope that my Niece really enjoys them!

I made Snow White. Rapunzel, Aurora, Belle, a Pirate, Doctor, Fireman, and Policeman

I chose princesses who were more moderately dressed since this gift was for a 2 y/o.

I also made each of my niece and nephews a wallet from this tutorial here. I added buttons to the outside after I took this photo. The picture is terrible but the I used a coordinating fabric for an inside pocket as well that I was able to use from my scrap fabric stash. 

And of course every little girl needs a purse to hold her wallet. So I made some of those too. I used the tutorial from here.

And I couldn't make a purse without adding a felt makeup compact! I pretty much made this pattern up as I went along but it's so darn cute!

And now for the adults, I found some super cute tea towels at Target for less then $2 a piece! Shhhhh! Don't tell. So I scooped up a whole bunch and turned them into aprons. Since when  I'm cooking, I always wipe my hands on the dishtowel, I though I just need an apron made from a dishtowel then I can throw it in the wash when I'm done! So all I did was add a ribbon to the top and viola! I have a cute apron, that also made for a great gift for my SIL's and friends! I unfortunately gave them all away as gifts before I could get a good photo. :(

And last but not least, I saw this idea for a busy bag felt pizza. I made a menu that was personalized to the kiddos I was giving it to. It was a little time consuming to cut out all the pieces, but it was very inexpensive and keeps the kids busy! And I made a coordinating bag to keep all the pieces together.

I hope you enjoyed all of my homemade gifts! If you like any of these or are interested in any of these items, please let me know! I'm thinking of starting an Etsy shop and need some encouragement to do so! :) Enjoy the last days of 2014!!

Homemade Christmas

So this year has been a little different. We are living temporarily in a different state, with only the bare necessities. We did not bring hardly ANY Christmas decorations and our budget did not allow for us to go buy new so this year has been mostly homemade. From gifts, to ornaments, to decorations on the house and mantle. It's been fun to come up with ways to make this place feel Christmasy without spending alot! So here's what we came up with: Our Christmas tree

It's starting to die and has lost its luster, I should have taken a photo when we first decorated it but alas I didn't. But here is one to prove that it was once green and lively and has been decorated by Mia using everyday things!

Consists of lights (I did bring those from home), a real Christmas tree (from Lowe's), homemade salt dough ornaments created and painted by Mia, additional ornaments including a homemade nativity and 3 wise men made out of Popsicle sticks, Dollar Tree Candy canes and a Star from the Dollar Tree. Grand total: $4 (excluding the tree-given as a gift!)
Here's an up close of Mia's Manger scene and three wise men (I can't get it to rotate, so you'll have to turn your head!)

Our Mantle:

Homemade Cinnamon gingerbread men attached to a Dollar Tree garland, homemade sparkle twine balls (I love how they turned out!)  and a music sheet wreath that I made at a craft and chat outing! Oh and a strand of lights from the Dollar Tree! I brought the stockings and PEACE blocks with us! Grand total: $2 Please excuse the giant Antenna! (That ugly thing makes it so we can get 2 channels! ugh! and the spots on the wall are where the owners need to paint. Funny you can only really see it in the picture!)

Outside:

I asked the person at Lowe's who cut our tree if I could take some of the Tree scraps. They said to take as much as I wanted! Score! So I made little swags out of the branches and added a bow! Grand total: $2 for bows!

This homemade Christmas has actually been fun, and on a side note: if I had brought my real ornaments, my son would have destroyed them considering he has tried to eat, remove, or break most of the ornaments we have on the tree. I will leave you with a cute picture of him 'helping' make the ornaments. He has no shirt on in the second one because he kept putting the dough down his shirt! Stay tuned for some fun homemade Christmas gifts!

Tear Jerker

This post will require tissues. You have been forewarned.

For the past 3 years we have walked alongside my mother in law, (known as Grammie) during her battle with ovarian and cervical cancer. She lost that battle on October 26, 2014. I want to thank those of you who have come alongside us during this journery and supported us and prayed for us. Your love and support have been amazing. 

I wanted to write this post as a reminder/look back/reference for our daughter and maybe it will help others who are dealing with the passing of a loved one while trying to explain it to a four year old as well. (Although I pray you never have to) My daughter and Grammie have been incredibly close esp for living so far apart. We have tried to be very diligent and forthcoming with our daughter regarding Grammie's passing while trying to be sensitive to a little heart. I have very distinct memories of my sisters birth/death and ensuing funneral. Although I'm not sure how much of it is true memory and how much is through stories/pictures I have seen and heard, I remeber wanting to know and understand every part of the process and the funeral director taking me aside to gently explain things in 7 y/o terms to help me process it all.So I wanted to document as best as I could Grammie's passing in the eyes of a four year old. We had prepped our daughter and ourselves as best we could, but you are never truly ready when it happens. When we told our daughter about Grammie passing, she simply accepted it as fact and went about her activities. She asked a few follow ups like, "Is she in heaven?" "Will I get to see her?" but mainly just accepted it but didn't seem to dwell on it. As time went on she started to ask more questions as her little heart and mind started to process it. Here are some of her questions and thoughts that she voiced to us and our responses:

Why do people cry when someone dies? (This took me by surprise, because I just assumed everyone was automatically sad when someone dies, but to her it wasn't necessarily something to cry about) I explained that people cry because they miss the person and are sad becuase they won't get to see them or hug them again until they get to heaven.

I made a comment to her one day about Gramie being able to see her, looking down from heaven at her. Her response, "She can't see me, I'm inside. She can only see me when I'm outside." hmm-this kid challenges my theology!

How do you get to heaven? An indepth conversation about how only your spirit/soul goes to heaven ensued (I described it as the part of you that thinks/talks/feels and then when you get there God gives you a new body to live in.) but that you body stays behind kind of like a shell. She wanted to know why you couldn't see someone go up to heaven but before I could answer she proceeded to say, "I think you just like blink your eyes and pouf! you are in heaven" Agreed little child!

In the coming days, as we prepared to head to NJ, she started to tell random people, "My Gramie died." In her sweet inncocence she did not realize that is a taboo thing to say, but I let her because I felt like that was how she was dealing with it in her 4 y/o way and she needed to tell people. She also made up a happy song about her Gramie being dead. Again in her mind, it was so matter of fact and so she wanted to sing about it. I so desperately want to hold onto her inocennce and her straight forward approach to dealing with death. So matter of fact and simplistc, not trying to sugar coat it so someone else doesn't feel uncomfortable.

When we arrived to my sister in laws home where Grammie had resided the last few years, we tried to prepare her that Grammie wasn't there anymore and her room had been changed. Her response, "I just wish Grammie could be alive for one more day, so I could play with her again!" Ugh! Me too, sweet child, me too! She pulls at my heartstrings!

As it came time for the party in celebration of Grammie's life, there was a time for toasts. We had asked ahead of time if there was something she wanted everyone to know about her Grammie. She didn't want to say it aloud but she typed it on the computer and her daddy read it to everyone. I don't have the exact words but it went something like this: "I love my Grammie so much, she is my best friend and we had a lot of fun together."

During that same night, the room had been filled with balloons, our daughter (with some help) collected most of those balloons and we went outside to release them. As the balloons were taking off into the night sky, she exclaims, "Is that the way to where Grammie is?" Yes my child it is :)

The day of the funeral brought many more questions and tough answers. Grammie was creamated but we did not divulge that info as we felt that would be too much for her to handle at that age. She was very intrigued by where Grammie would be buried. We showed her the spot, she wanted to know how they knew how big to dig the hole, we showed her the hole. She then asked, "Why do we bury people in the ground?" Bizare when you think about it, aside from the health reasons and the verse that states, dust to dust and ashes to ashes, I simply replied, "cause that's what we do."

After the funeral, Grammie's urn was brought to the graveside. It was a beautiful square white urn. She quietly asked, "How did Grammie's body get so small to fit in that box?" I said, "that is what size she is now that she has passed away." She then turned to Aunt Pammy, who was with Grammie when she passed and asked, "How did you know that she died?" When I heard that question, my heart stood still as I tried to wrap my mind around what she was thinking at that moment. It was like she needed confirmation that Grammie was really dead and that someone hadn't made a mistake. Thankfully, Aunt Pammy beautifully said, "She took once last breath, and that was it." And that was sufficent for her. As we were closing up the graveside portion, she started to cry and said, "When will I get to see her again and kiss her?" Trying to hold it together, I gently encouraged her to kiss Grammie now one last time. She graciously did and then proceeded to gather grass and leaves to cover her with so she would not be lonely. 

Typically, the mortician waits until everyone has left before they place the urn in the ground. However, our daughter needed a little more closure and wanted to see that Grammie was safe in the ground. Thankfully, Mr. Woodside obliged and allowed her to make sure she fit nicely and I told her, "Now Grammie is snug as a bug in there."

Grammie, had the foreknowledge to know that this day would come and she also had the insight to make a build a bear for her with 4 different voice recordings from Grammie.  Our daughter thinks this is great but I lose it everytime I hear her voice, esp the one that says, I'm in heaven now and Jesus is taking good care of me!

The saying that children are resilent is SO true and while this has been a trying, challengeing, heartbreaking experience, I pray that it is one that she looks back on with fond memories of her time with Grammie knowing that one day soon she will she her again in heaven. And I continue to rest in that promise and look forward to the day of being united with Christ and reunited with so many of my loved ones!

Menu Meal Plan

Here's whats for dinner!
Sunday: Crockpot Broccoli Cheddar soup with french bagettes
Monday: homemade Spaghetti and meatballs courtesy of my sister in law Shawn; leftover bagettes and light salad
Tuesday: Chicken fajita bake with rice
Wednesday: Panera mac and cheese and ham slice
Thursday:  Crockpot pulled chicken sandwhiches, french fries
Friday: out to Halloween party
Saturday: homemade pizza

Sunday: Tomato Basil Parmesan soup and grilled cheese sandwhiches
Monday: whole chicken in crockpot with sweet potato casserole  (from Miss Kay's cookbook) and oven roasted brussel sprouts with bacon
Tuesday: baked spaghetti squash with cheese and spinach
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: Italian chicken bake over rice with steamed vegtables
Friday: buffalo chicken ring with carrots/celery and ranch dip
Saturday: out to restaurant of choice or leftovers

A few other things we plan on whipping up for treats, and snacks:
Granola bars
Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
Cheerios breakfast cookies
Cinnamon banana bread
Creamsicle breakfast smoothie

I am really trying not to waste any of our food and with our upcoming move I am trying to use up things we already have so I don't have to throw stuff away when the time comes.

Preschool Circiulum

So I am assuming that most people don't really care about my preschool experience, but I am writing this more for my own reference in case I travel this path with future children. When I first started, we would go over the basics ie day of the week, month, bible verse, weather; but she wasn't really into it and wasn't really retaining any of the information. So I started incorporating songs into circle time and while she often huffs and puffs the tunes are catchy and she is learning/retaining more this way. If found this blog helpful and used most of her circle time ideas.
We start off singing our Good morning song and "This is the day"
Next come circle time activities including:
Days of the week: the tune of the Adams family
Months of the year: the tune of the Ten little Indians
Whats the weather: tune of Oh my Darling
We also review the date/year and season
We count starting 1-30 for September and increase by 10 each month til we get to 100
Then we sing some silly/active songs (ie head and shldrs, baby bumblebee) and I also try to incorporate a song related to our bible story and what we are learning about that week.

I like the flexibility of the way I have designed this year. Since we only do 3 days a week it allows us to  pick and choose which days we have school and allows us to do other fun things and not feel stuck at home. A few times we have only done 2 days due to our schedule/sickness/etc. Our preschool lasts anywhere from 40 min to 2 hours depending on the program and what we are doing that day/week. and sometimes little brother joins us and sometimes he just piddles around and plays or takes a nap.

Week 5: T is for Tent

This week we discussed Abraham and how he was constantly moving from place to place and his obedience to God is following not knowing where he was going. It's a story our family can relate to in the past year :) and of course we had to read our story in a princess tent.

We also sang Father Abraham and Little Cabin in the woods. I also started incorporating more writing, letters, and colors to our curriculum. I found some awesome workbooks for pre-k handwriting, numbers etc from the dollar tree and so she is doing a page or two each day as we focus on a particular letter and number each week. Here she is with her tent craft, she drew a garden, trees, sky and we added the tent.

We were planing to go camping at the end of this week, which would have correlated perfectly with what we were learning about but the forecast called for rain all weekend and I am just not that brave and don't love camping enough to do in the rain with 2 small kiddos. 

Week 4: Z is for Zoo

Week 4 was all about the letter Z so of course we read the story of Noah and the Ark and by the end of the week Mia acted out the story using her fisher price Noah's Ark set. We also practiced making the letter Z using animals

 And then we used these cut outs to make clothespin animals for our zoo

We also had to make some fun paper plate and toilet paper roll animals. My favorite is the octopus with the big eyes! 

 If we were still in Columbus, I would have taken Mia to the zoo this week. But the zoo here is less then stellar and more expensive then I would like to spend on a subpar zoo (I am kinda a zoo snob!) So we settled for making our own zoo out of legos complete with a watering hole for the alligator and hippo. We had so much fun working together and it brings me such joy to spend those moments with my kiddos.

Week 3 Letter A is for Apple

Week 3 was all about Apples! We read about Adam and Eve in the garden, studied Romans 3:23 "For ALL have sinned." I also expanded our circle time to include counting from 1-30 and increasing by 10 each month and more preschool movement songs trying to relate them to what we are studying. I am also going to try to start incorporating some math and biblical character traits that go along with our bible stories each week. For example, for September we have been focusing on Obedience and looking at how various people were obedient to God in the bible. We made applesauce, apple pie, apple stamps and dissected an apple to see the various parts of the apple. It was a great week. We are loving this curriculum and learning so much!

Travel expert

I am starting to think that I have become somewhat of a travel expert since I have now taken 4 round trip airplane rides with 2 kids and only 1 of those trips was accompanied by another adult (thanks Mom!). So I thought I would share with you some of my tips that I have learned the hard way in case anyone is thinking of traveling with little ones.
1) Car seats: There are many theories regarding car seats and do you keep them with you or check them with your baggage. I have done both and here is my preference, since I have two kids in car seats, I prefer to check the car seats with my luggage. Some airlines will let you do this without counting it as your  free bag. However, with Southwest it counts toward one of your free bags. My daughter car seat came with a carrying case that I saved for some odd reason (but has really come in handy) and for the infant car seat I bought a car seat bag from Buy Buy Baby
2) Stroller: Because I have a 4 y/o and 1.5 y/o I have toyed with the idea of double stroller vs single umbrella stroller. I have done both and have come to the conclusion that a double stroller is a life saver when traveling in an airport esp when you have a layover and have to change planes/terminals etc in a short amt of time. This has saved me! You can gate check the stroller upon entering the aircraft free of charge and they deposit it to you as you exit the aircraft. The double stroller is also great because you don't have to drag your 4 y/o through the airport or keep an eye on her when you know that she is sitting safe in the stroller and you can briskly walk or in some cases run to catch the next plane. And if you are lucky enough to have a decent lay over you can walk the children around until the little one falls asleep.

3) Mommy Hook: This has been a lifesaver not just in the airport. While traveling, I use this to hold my camera bag, my carryon/diaper bag, my daughter's book bag/carryon keeping my hands free for my littles and the stroller. Seriously, if you have kids you need to get this!
4) Seating choice: I always choose a middle seat and a window seat and here's why. The window distracts my older child for a little while, my younger child loves to open/shut the window panel. Seriously a good 20 min, of entertainment. I can also put the younger child down to move about a little between the middle seat and the window seat. Also, I always try to make light of the fact that I have two kids and comment to whoever chooses to sit next to us. They will usually say something like: "Do you mind if I sit here?' and I will respond, "As long as you don't mind loud children!" That way they have been warned. And sometime we get lucky and get the whole row to ourselves.
5)Entertainment on the plane: As I mentioned earlier, the window is a fine source of entertainment for toddlers along with the lap tray and the reading material in the seat back pocket. Even my 4 y/o will thoroughly look at the safety packet to review 'the rules'. Another thing that entertains a toddler surprisingly is the plastic cup they serve drinks in. I always ask for mine and my older child's with a lid and straw. It's impossible to keep from spilling while holding a toddler and dealing with an older child. My 4 /yo loves to eat the ice and my youngest loves to pull the straw out and put it back in. I thought this was a one time thing but we had two flights in one trip and both flights he played with his empty cup and straw for at least 20 min! It was awesome!

6)FOOD: People have differing views on this, however, after having several worst case scenario's on airplanes I have come to find it is best to have an arsenal of snacks on hand. My favorites are the mini kit-kats that come in a resealable bag because what kid doesn't like chocolate. They are small and soft enough for a toddler to easily handle and I don't have to keep open individual candy bars, Some others include goldfish, Twizzlers, cereal bars, and fruit snacks. I usually also have a bag of Swedish fish or M&M's stashed away for my sanity :) However, keep in mind that goldfish can be easily ground into the floor and apparently they don't have vacuums on airplanes! I always bring a water bottle for each traveler (empty of course) and once we are in the terminal I buy a huge bottle of water and divide it among the water bottles for the ride.
7)Extras: I have learned the hard way to always have a change of clothes for each traveler especially for mom :) If you don't have them you will need them! make sure you have extra wipes in case your child gets airsick on the lady sitting next to you!

I have traveled solo with kids enough to experience the worst of it including a screaming child for an entire 2.5 hour flight d/t bedtime, stopping the bottle and paci the same week we traveled. (not recommended) A nice stewardess even put lavender oil on me in hopes of calming him down and he finally fell asleep as we landed! Ha! I have been thrown up on along with the lucky girl who choose to sick next to me as we landed thanks to turbulence that made my 1.5 y/o air sick and even had the pilot trying to help me clean up the mess on me, the baby, the plane and the poor girls leather boots! I have been pooped on mid flight and had to change a diaper and clothes (his not mine) in the seat since we weren't permitted to leave our seats at the time.

Happy Travels!

Week 2 Letter G is for Garden

We did some prep for week two while visiting Grams and Gramps in Lancaster PA. Planning ahead I knew that we would be talking about the Garden and the creation story and creating this awesome Creation book. So while we were there, Grams and Mia went to a neighbors house to view the beautiful flowers and gather some seeds.

Then we headed to the lake to search for some feathers

And because Lancaster is known for their Amish community and my Gandpop drives them to work each day he was able to arrange a horse and buggy ride for us and his wife Martha gave us a tour of her AWESOME garden that I hope to replicate one day!

We had a great time and even Grandma came to visit from Ohio!

First day of Preschool

So, I am pretty sure no one reads this blog anymore since I haven't posted anything since January :)


Have you ever been asked to stop what you are doing and move across country to your sis-in-laws home to help with you mother in law who is deathly ill with one day notice for an indefinite amount of time with two small children? I have. That was 6.5 weeks ago. This chapter of my life has been the hardest and most challenging of my life but it has also taught me a great deal. I have also been able to experience things that most people don't and for that I am grateful. In order to establish some normalcy and routine for my children and because I am uncertain what the future holds, I started preschool with Mia in August while we have been staying in NJ. We are now in our second week but here is our first week and I "hope" to keep this blog updated to hold me accountable.

Our Awesome treasure map is courtesy of Aunt Pammy

God's Little Explorers Week One: 'X' marks the spot

Mia loved the treasure hunt and has since been on several more and now points out every X she finds when out and about

Practicing writing the letter 'X'

We also made an X-ray, learned about rectangles, GOD's word is our treasure and about days of the week.

So far she is loving it and I am loving teaching her and watching her little mind work and learn. So Fun! We are pretty much following the outline on God's Little Explorer's Pre-K curriculum with a few added activities and crafts. SO far we LOVE it. Next week is G, so get ready for some exciting fun in the Garden

Menu plan, budget, and resolution update

Here is the next two weeks Menu:

Monday: Southwest Chopped Salad (thanks to my friend Jen for the dressing recipe)

Tuesday: Baked Chicken and Rice (mom's recipe) with green beans

Wednesday: crockpot breakfast casserole

Thursday: Tacos

Friday: Homemade stromboli

Saturday: Stuffed Peppers

Sunday: Spaghetti with Salad and garlic bread

Monday: BLT sandwiches with veggies/dip and chips

Tuesday: Chicken Tetrazini

Wednesday: Max and Erma's Chicken Tortilla Soup (my sis-in-laws recipe-its delicious!)

Thursday: Leftover/grilled cheese and soup

Friday-out (Mia/mommy date)

My menu is two weeks because I am only trying to go to the grocery store once per pay period in order to stay within my budget of $100 every 2 weeks. For the first two weeks I came in at around $85 and we mostly stuck to the menu aside from when we fell sick and didn't eat much of anything. I am also planning to sell our freezer before we move so that means using up what is in there, which is also helping me stay on budget :) A few weeks ago I made a list of everything we have in both freezers and each time I use something I mark it off, that way I know what I have and what I need to buy. I also found out the movers won't move canned goods so I am trying to use up my stock pile there too so I don't have to waste as much. This week, after encouragement from two of my sister in laws I gave Aldi's a try. My previous experience was awful and have held it against the store ever since, but boy was I missing out! Aside from the ground turkey, baking powder/soda, 409, and yogurt I still need to buy I was able to buy everything else on my list at Aldi's for a whopping $33.40!!! WHOOHOOO! I was so excited I called my husband who thankfully was able to answer since he had some down time today to listen to my amazing story! So I will keep you posted on how we are doing with this and sticking to this budget. Just a side note, my kids go to daycare where lunch and snack are provided so those are meals I don't have to plan for and I try and eat leftovers or salad for my lunch which also cuts down on costs. As I start to use my freezer stock it will be interesting how I can manage to stay within my budget. If any one has inexpensive, fairly easily to assemble recipes I am always willing to try something new.

For my resolution update; for the most part I have been able to stick with my progress towards my goals aside from this past week where I pretty much took a hiatus from everything. But fear not, I have a plan to get back on track. My goal is to lose 18 lbs for March 25 when Patrick graduates. My reward for this goal is two-fold 1)get a hair cut (I have been dying to cut my hair short but refuse until I reach this goal) and 2)host a party of some sort (thirty-one, tastefully simple, jewlery party etc) to celebrate with my friends! I have also started reading a chapter a week (on Wednesdays) from Power of a praying parent and making that my focus pray of each week.

So in order to stay on track with my goals, here is my plan for this week:
Monday: Jililan Micheals 30 day shred 20 min workout video, 50 squats, Bible study
Tuesday: 30 day shred, 125 squats, run 2-2.5 miles on treadmill after work before picking up the kiddos
Wednesday: breakfast fast read ch.2 of Power praying parent and mediate/pray, 30 day shred, 50 squats, 30 min elipitical, AWANA
Thursday: 30 day shred, 2.5 miles on treadmill
Friday: 30 day shred, 145 squats, 30 min on elliptical if time after work before picking up the kids
I also plan to avoid snacking between meals as this is where I pick up alot of my extra calories!
Saturday: 3 mile run outside weather permiting, 80 squats
Sunday: yoga/stretch, 40 squats, church, small group

Hoping I can stick with this and using my husband suffering as motivation! I hope you all have a blessed and healthy week!

Week 1 in review

So my darling husband has been gone one week today. Whew, that was a LONG week, I am sure it was probably triple the length for him. Holding down the home front here in Ohio has proved to be a challenge this week. We started off Monday with Declan having a fever, going to the doctor, and coming with ATBs for an ear infection and three teeth popped through. Tuesday I awoke with a knot in my chest fully expecting a cold to follow and a clogged toilet for which I quickly learned how to use a plunger! By Wednesday, Declan and I were both coughing, snotty noses etc and neither one of us was sleeping very well and Declan was still having a fever off and on. He also decided eating was for the birds. Thursday, my health quickly deteriorated and by the end of the work day I felt like death and was running a fever by bedtime. By Friday we all had fevers, doctors appts and were found to have the flu, despite our vaccination efforts. My first week as a single mom can be seen as both a failure and a success. No housekeeping, cooking, or exercising was completed but we survived, all slept in the same room and watched lots of movies and are now coming through on the other side as we close out this weekend.
This week has taught me a few things: 1)I am stronger then I realize especially when I have the flu while taking care of two kids who have the flu 2)I really struggle with accepting help from others (why is this so hard?) 3) I have the greatest friends in the world who send their husband over with soup and all sorts of goodies that make moms and kiddos happy (ie tissues, cookies, crackers, and gatorade)
Here is to week number 2! May it be less memorable then the first :)

Happy New Year!!

Well 2013 was great, 2014 holds the potential to be even greater but is laden with lots of new changes, new places and lot of goodbyes! And as though changes are right around the corner, my hubby leaves a week from Sunday, I plan to use this blog as a way to keep my sanity and update family/friends as we embark on this new journey. With that being said, I have set some goals for this upcoming year and since I seem to hold myself more accountable when I write them down/post for the world to see, here it goes:

Sprirtual

1) fast and pray specifically for my children and their well being every Wednesday morning (I know personally the benefits of having a loved one pray continually for you throughout your life and the impact/implications it has had for me and I desire the same for my children-particularly for their spiritual well-being)

2) spend time daily praying and reading God's word (I am able to handle life's stresses when this is a major focus in my life)

Physical

1) train for and RUN a half marathon (I already signed up for one on May 3 so I am committed!)

2) return to pre-pregnancy weight

3)complete 30 day squat challenge (already 5 days completed!)

Financial

1) make a budget and stick to it (budget had been established)

2) pay off all credit cards before moving to Texas
3) live within our means in order to become a stay at home mom

MISC
1) be more organized
2) spend more deliberate focused time with my kids

And one of my main priorities this year: My family