Menu Monday

Okay, I wanted to make this a "real" blog, and try to keep up with it regularly, but if I'm going to do that, I think I have to have a theme for each day so I can keep focused and on track. So, as boring as it is, I am going to do a Menu Monday.

Let's be honest. I have my entire February menu planned out. I'm detailed like that. But instead of boring you with the entire February Menu, I will just bore you with the 7 for this week:

Monday - Apricot Chicken, rice & broccoli

Tuesday - Italian Chicken Wraps & cranberry slaw

Wednesday - Spaghetti with homemade meat sauce, garlic bread & veggies

Thursday - Rachel Ray's Cheese & Macaroni & peas with onions & bacon

Friday - Baked Potato Soup with breadmaker rolls or bread

Saturday - hamburgers on the skillet, potatoes & veggies

Sunday - baked buffalo wings, chips & guacamole, and sub sandwiches

Should be some yummy stuff! Maybe I've inspired you to experiment with a few menu items. Did you know that planning your menu ahead saves time and money! Really! If you don't already plan ahead a week at a time, give it a two month trial. Plan your menu either based on some of the items you have in your home that you know you need to eat soon, or based on what's on sale at the store. Or you can just plan based on what you think you are in the mood for. Even if you plan each day, you can still change the days if your mood changes. Then decide what you need for each meal and get it all in one shopping trip instead of having to run to the store several times during the week. Plus, if you know ahead of time what you want, and you need to pull something out of the freezer, it will be ready for you to cook at dinner time and you'll be ready with ingredients and defrosted food, and you'll be less inclined to run out for fast food or a dinner out.

I am willing to share recipes!

Lemon Bars

I made Lemon Bars tonight because Andy loves those kinds of dessert. I decided that we'd give that to the kids for snack tonight, but I didn't think that Delaney and Zane would like them. I was pretty sure that Ryan would like it.

The kids had their showers and then I dished up the lemon bars for the kids. I heard Zane and Delaney discussing whether they would like it. Then they went for it. They took a bite at the same time. Both of them groaned, and Delaney started saying it was awful. She made some fake retching sounds (which she picked up from her brother) and held her hand by her mouth as she ran to the trash can and spit the piece in the trash. She came up saying, "That was DISgusting!" And various other negative comments.

Zane took his bite and promptly spit it out - right on top of his remaining piece - so we couldn't salvage it and save it for his dad. He also described it as disgusting and terrible and the worst thing he ever tasted.

Ryan came in and sat down to eat his lemon bar. Zane and Delaney both told him how awful they were and that he was going to hate it. Ryan took a bite, made a hmmmmm sound as he contemplated what his taste buds were telling him about the dessert, and he put his hand out and gave me a thumbs up.

These kids crack me up!

The One Year Bible

I'm 40 years old, I became a follower of Christ when I was only 5 years old, and I had never read the bible from cover to cover. I've attended church a majority of my life, with the exception of my 20's when I rebelled. I knew all the bible stories, and I've gone through plenty of bible studies and listened to hundreds of sermons where I've read portions of the bible. I've attempted to read through the bible, and I started in Genesis at one point, and I never finished. Then a few years after I attempted that, I completed a Beth Moore Bible Study that went through Genesis and some other books of the bible, so I at least finished Genesis. But I still couldn't get myself through the entire thing.

About a year or two, someone at our church brought in a large bookshelf, and filled the bookshelf with books and indicated that all of the books were free. After a while, a new bookshelf was brought in and the books were placed on that. I have occasionally gone through the shelves and found books that I thought might be interesting, and I have brought them home. Some I just browsed, and some I did read.

Then last year I brought home the NLT version of the One Year Bible. It was probably in March or April that I brought it home. I started to read it, although I started earlier than the date that was on the calendar. I read a couple days and then skipped. But I didn't want to miss out. At one point, I was a month or two behind, so I decided instead of trying to catch up all at once, I would read two days at a time until I caught up. So, I finally did catch up.

I also found the bible online in a blog format that would post on my google reader, and if I didn't do my reading earlier in the day, I could check from my computer or my phone and it would have that day's reading. It's right here if anyone that reads this is interested: http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/oneyearweekly.php

Well, I finished through December 31st on December 31st. But I still have January, and possibly some of February to go through, so I'm starting at the beginning until I start to recognize the parts that I've read before.

So, I finally will be able to say that I have read the entire Bible cover to cover. And I have to say, it was a lot more interesting than I expected!

Wishing Wednesday

Yesterday I went to pick Delaney up from Preschool and I took a look in her school bag and found her tuition envelope. I pulled it out and said, "Oh, you just have your tuition envelope today." She did something similar another time. She said, "Mommy, I want to make a wish again." (tuition = to wishin') And she told me some things that she wished for.

So, it got me thinking. If I want to make this a little more of a "real" blog, I should come up with some topics. So on Wednesday I want to list something I wish for. I could probably write a list that goes on and on, but I have plenty of time, so I will limit it to one.

So, continuing on with my resolutions post, I wish my home was more organized.

And since I don't want my wishes to just be futile wishes, I am going to attempt to do something about it. I listed two things that I should get rid of to give away for free today. Hopefully they will get out of my house soon, and I'm on my way.

Resolutions..... and a lot of blathering

I've been seeing a lot of information on different blogs that I read that relate to New Year Resolutions. I've been checking them out and trying to figure out what kind of resolutions I want to make. Some years I've made resolutions that I haven't been able to keep. Some years I've made resolutions that are basically of things I already do, but I wanted to make an attempt to be more consistent, but they weren't really challenges.

This year, I've come across a couple of blogs that deal with saving money and managing time. Two things I would like to definitely work on! With our limited budget, I need to really look for good deals and especially find ways to cut costs on meals. But some of these blogs delve into deeper issues than I've never thought of making goals in the past.

One blog asks questions that help you develop goals on personal growth, physical health, marriage & family life, goals for your children, money matters, and relationships outside the home. So, now I'm feeling extremely inadequate in my idea of what a resolution is supposed to be.

I would love to have an organized home, where I have a place for everything and everything in it's place. I would love to be one of those moms that gets up before her kids each morning, gets a chance to have my first cup of coffee, get some bible reading in, and get myself dressed and cleaned up before I even have to get my kids out of bed. But I'm a night owl, and I don't know if it's in my body chemistry to even do such a thing. Everyone has gifts. One of mine is supposed to be organization. But I keep reorganizing my organization and I'm never happy with the level of organization I have.

But, I did come across FlyLady years ago, and I am not on the FlyLady bandwagon in full force. But I've added things here and there, and I've developed some good habits over the years, so I am a little bit more organized, but not nearly as much as I would like to be.

And since getting married and having kids, exercise was something that got lost in the early years. A few times over the years, I tried to get back into an exercise routine, but they fell to the wayside. A few years ago, when we moved into our new house, I started walking Ryan to school and was walking a couple of miles each day. We did this until it got too cold out. I eventually stopped walking, but in the spring I picked it up again. We had an elliptical machine that we had bought several years earlier, but I rarely used it. I wanted to do something while I exercised. And I didn't really want to watch my shows on TV while the kids were up, and with an elliptical, I couldn't really read, because I bounced around too much. So, I never used it. One day, I realized that I can walk and read at the same time. So, I convinced my husband that we sell the elliptical and get a treadmill. So, we found a treadmill. I used that a lot. I walked almost every day on the treadmill, often for an hour a day, but I was still not seeing results. I eventually started a couch to 5k program, because being a total non-runner, I knew I had to do something, and that was the only way I was going to be able to get my weight-loss jump started again. I kept up with it pretty well, except for a short time when I got sick, and I stopped for about a month. I started back on the couch to 5k and then I got a letter for Bally's, which I had a membership to, but had let lapse. It allowed me to start back up for $99 for the entire year. I couldn't let that deal slide! So, I renewed my membership and started going back to the gym. I went for 4 months, about 4-5 times a week. They had free childcare (part of the membership that I had purchased as a lifetime member when I first got my membership in my early 20's), so I would drop Zane off at Kindergarten, head to the gym, drop Delaney off in the childcare, and get my workout in. Sometimes I would shower there, and sometimes I would wait until I got home. After a while, gas prices began to rise again, and I realized that I was spending almost $75 a month in gas if I drove 5 days a week. And it took me about 25 minutes to drive there and another 25 to drive back.

So, in April, I looked into the gym near my house. The price of the membership plus the childcare - which is extra there - was less than what I would be paying in gas if I went 5 days a week. I did a cost analysis (finance is another one of my gifts) and I found out that despite the fact that I had paid for the year dues, I would save money to sign up for the gym near my house, and I would get an hour of my life back because the gym is only 5 minutes from my house. So, I switched. And I would drop Zane off at Kindergarten, then I would drop Delaney off at the childcare and go work out for an hour or more. I was doing really well.

And then I decided to try a class. They had a class schedule and I wanted to try Zumba. I think that was the first class I tried, and I loved it! So, I started going to more Zumba classes. Then I decided that I was having so much fun in Zumba, I wanted to try out some of the other classes. So, a few months after I started doing classes, I found out which classes I really wanted to go to during the day and which classes I could go to in the evening. Now, instead of trying to fit the gym into my busy schedule, I fit my busy schedule around my gym classes. And I can just drop in for half an hour or an hour to do something at various times, instead of having to travel so far and feel I need to get in at least as much time as it takes me to drive, which was making me feel guilty for leaving Andy alone with the kids for two hours or more if I decided to go in the evening or something.

Monday I try to go to Spin, Tuesday I go to Zumba, and if I'm really ambitious, I can fit in a 9:00 class of Power Yoga (I've only gone to one class so far, and I like it! But I don't always fit it in my schedule), Wednesday, I have Turbo Kick while the boys are at Awanas and then sometimes I can stick around and do a little more Zumba, although I have to stop at 8 to pull Delaney out of childcare and bring her upstairs, and then I have to leave early so I am at Awanas in time to pick up the boys. Then Thursday I have my Body Blitz class, which often leaves me sore until Sunday. Friday's is another Zumba class, and I make that 2 or 3 times a month. Saturday I can go to a Hip Hop Hustle, which is a lot of fun, but I think I've only made it to one or two classes, because I like to sleep in on Saturday. And since I am usually at the gym 5-6 days a week, I often let Saturday be my rest day. Then on Sunday, there is Zumba at 1. Sometimes I don't get home from church in time to get there, but when I can, I go. I have to say, it's really invigorating to be able to plan my schedule around my gym time. And it's nice that there are a few other classes I can go to in case I really can't make my favorite times.

So, wow. That really kind of went off on a tangent. I still have exercise as a goal. I wish the exercise would pay off and show in a nice new shape for me, but I am going to have to make bigger changes in other areas to see that, I believe. This 40 year old metabolism does nothing to help either. I did lose about 15lb. this past year. I got stuck and then over the holidays I went back up about 5-6lb., but I am back down almost to my lowest again after tracking calories and adding about 20 minutes of exercise after my classes in less than a week. So, even though it's not a huge goal, and will not get me to where I want to be, even seeing another 15lb. this next year would be nice!

But, I have written down some other goals. Things I think I can do this year. They aren't big life-changing goals. Just things I want to get done to help me get closer to being organized. And I'm already doing the gym thing, so I want to stay on track with that.

1. I have been keeping journals since Ryan was a baby. I type them up in documents, but in the beginning, I mostly had posts that I printed out from message boards I participated on. I found a place that I can download documents to, and get books printed for about $20 a book. Not a bad price! It will be a little pricey to get all of them done at once, but one day I'll be able to. For the time being, my goal this year is to get all my journals typed up and put in this program so I can order the books when I'm ready. Luckily I only have to do fewer than 3 years. And I know that some of those years I didn't write every day. Then I have to transfer it to the program, and I'm set. Going forward, I hope to be able to update the program on a monthly basis and order one after I've finished the year in the beginning of the following year.
   
2. I love being organized, but I am not creative. I like to take pictures, but I do not scrapbook. I have a place where I like to make photo albums called Picaboo. They have a program that allows you to create the albums, and I can use their templates for photo layouts, or create my own. They also have a huge amount of backgrounds and I can make the page background match a color on a photo as well. I've been working on these for a while, and I have several years worth in my program. I have been keeping up with them since I started, but I have a bunch of years that I need to go back and finish. So, I have to finish up the second half of 2010 (June - Dec) and then I am working on the previous years. I do have several years done already, and some in an old format. But I'm getting there. I probably won't be able to buy them until all 3 kids are in school full time and I am working, but it's a much easier way for me to preserve my photos, keep them in a format that looks nice, and is something that the kids can pull out and look at whenever they want.
   
3. I have too much clutter in my house and I want to be organized. I have clothes that the kids have grown out of that I want to sell, but I don't have the time or the actual organizational skills to properly get everything moving. I should just pack it all up and give it away. But things are tight, and I could use the money for new clothes for the kids. I also need to throw more things away. I'm not a horder, but I still have trouble getting rid of things. I am trying to be better about this. So, my resolutions in this area are to finish listing what I can on CraigsList and Ebay, but one of these days, I'm just going to have to start getting rid of stuff. So, the other part of this resolution is to start getting rid of things - give it away or throw it away. I don't know why it's so hard. I need to make a resolution to start being generous. But I'm afraid I won't have the money to spend on new stuff. But when Andy and I are able to go through things together, I get a little better about giving stuff away. One of these days, everything will be cleared out and I will have a place for everything and everything in it's place.
4. I need to work on getting healthier snacks in the house. We have fruit in the house and some fresh vegetables. We do eat veggies with dinner every night, and sometimes in the day. But I need to incorporate more. I need to figure out yummy and easy ways to do this without busting my budget. I think it will help me reach my weight loss goals easier.
5. I want to read more again. I do a pretty good job of reading in the summer, but I want to do it now. Maybe I need to add that 20 minutes after my classes just so I can get some reading in. LOL
6. I had another one, but I went back up to read through what I wrote, so I forgot. Maybe I'll have to add to it later.
   

This got a lot longer than I ever intended. I just kept letting the thoughts flow. One of these days, I'll have a real blog. One that might be interesting for people to read. For now, it's more for me. But if anyone read it, I hope it wasn't a total bore.