Thursday

Did I tell you about my wonderful day on Thursday? My parents came to town :) They live about 1 hour away and we do actually see them a lot, but it never seems like enough.

Me, my mom, my dad, and Maggie ran errands all day. We headed to Menards... my mom's new favorite place ever! Picked out some new lights for their kitchen. Went to Hobby Lobby (my personal favorite) and my dad bought me two new rubber stamps. I miss shopping with my dad. Then, a quick stop at Target for toilet paper. We had packed a lunch so we just ate in the car in between stops.

Then we picked up Michael from school. Michael really wanted to show Grandma and Grandpa his classroom and introduce his teacher to them. He was so excited to show them everything.

Then we all headed out to Okemos and met up with Jamie to show my parents the building site. We gave them a tour. Very fun and exciting for all of us. It looks smashing!

Then, my parents treaded us to dinner. We actually went to Cracker Barrell. I think I've eaten there 2 or 3 times. It was very very good. I was stuffed! I guess that's what chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and mac & cheese will do to you :)

It was a great day with my parents. With Michael in school full time it's been harder to figure out how to get together, but we make it work!

Another Morning

Yup, I'm awake again all by myself. I'm sure God is trying to tell me something but I just haven't stopped long enough to listen. It's really a blessing to be on the first floor of our house... alone. It's quiet. I made some tea again and I've been puttsing on the computer.

I'm thankful for this kind of start to my day. It's been a tough week with the kids. I'm tired of being around them. I love them to death, don't misunderstand me. But, I feel a little whacked out right now and I feel like I just need some space. So, thank you Lord for two quiet mornings in a row!

We've got quite a nice busy weekend ahead of us. Last night we went over to some friends house for a cook out. Jamie had been working with them on their landscaping all day so he was a bit pooped out. But, it was nice to have some mommy discussions and eat food that I didn't have to prepare. It was good!

Tonight we're going to a Lansing Lugnuts game with another family. Jamie can get free tickets from Great Lakes Christian College where he teaches Hebrew (the language, not the book) every other semester or so. It's a nice little perk that they offer for staff and faculty. The Lugnuts are actually going into the playoffs so it should be a fun game. Also, they have fireworks afterwards. Yea, my favorite.

Sunday, after church, we're having a get together at my sister-in-laws house. It's a family renuin of sorts. Jamie has an aunt and uncle that live in Negaunee and a cousin and her family who live at the Sioux. Also, another cousin and his family who live... hm, not sure where nowadays. She's from Japan so they've moved back a forth a bit.

Anywho, our weekend will be filled with good friends and family, baseball, fireworks, swimming, and yummy food!

People's Choice Award

We had a chili cook off today after church. It didn't seem that big of a deal to me at first until Friday night when I got the official rules emailed to me. One of the things that stuck out to me was the presentation. So I tried my hardest at that, knowing that my chicken corn chowder/ chili wasn't that exciting. I had a lace table cloth and used my good china to serve my chili to the judges.

Well, they judged the chili's and then everyone else had a chance to taste them and vote for their favorite. I didn't win according to the judges, but I one the People's Choice Award! Woo Hoo! My prize was a pepper mill. I've always wanted one and have never gotten one. I love it!

Here is my prize winning recipe... I've always wanted to say that about something I've made :)

1 can cream of celery soup
1 can milk
1 cup cooked chicken
1 cup chunky salsa (mild is what I use)
1 cup canned corn (usually one small can)


That's it.

Can you believe that I got the most votes!?! It cracks me up.

Freezing Eggs

Yup, I froze some eggs*. My mom and dad came up for a visit today... it was a splendid time by the way. My mom had found 2 dozen eggs for only $1 each at Kroger. So, being the nice mommy she is, she gave them to me.

Well, the expiration date was today.

I checked a few web sites online about freezing eggs and found that it's very possible to do so. I cracked two eggs, slightly stirred them to break up the yolk, poured them in a zip lock bag, and repeated about a dozen times. I had first tried putting one egg in a ice cube tray but the eggs were too big and overflowed.

I'll have to let you know how it works out when I go to bake with them.

*In case there is some sort of confusion... I was freezing chicken eggs.

The Munchies

Maggie just asked me if she could have a snack. I said yes. After listing off a few choices such as a granola bar and dry cereal she quickly ran to the fridge. After a few minutes of scouring around in there she proudly held up the container of baby carrots. She cheered when I told her she could have those for her snack.

I love it that she made that choice all on her own. Maybe I'm not such a bad example after all :)

Pop Free

I thought I'd give you a little update... I was pop free on Monday and Tuesday!

I feel pretty good. The other good news about that is I didn't replace that 'treat' with something else. Actually, maybe I did. I've been drinking hot tea. I have my little 'tea time' twice a day. I like it :) And my water intake is so much that I have totally lost count.

I feel lighter all ready! A little bloated, but definitely healthier!

Downsizing

Ok, here's my pop strategy that I've been mulling over the past couple of days. Brace yourself, I'm going to honest with you all. Be nice to me :)

I like the bubbles of pop. I think I like the caffeine. I don't grab one because I'm feeling low on caffeine. It's really for the sugary taste (fake sugar in my case) and bubbly feel. It's usually the first thing I grab if I'm thirsty, hungry, or hot. I'm picky about my pop. Not really the brand, but the flavor. Vanilla is my favorite. I have to drink it from a can. I don't like pop that is even slightly stale. Most of the time I don't finish the can because it's gotten too warm or has lost it's bubbles.

Each week I buy a 12 pack of diet pop. This costs between 3-4 dollars. I consume all of this and sometimes more a week. So, about 3-4 cans a day. Which brings the rough total to $24 per month. We recycle the cans regularly. I tried recycling the box but there is not a place around here that takes box board that is specially treated to go in the fridge. (Actually, I'm going to call around at our other centers nearby and see if it's different.)

Since I don't think it would be a sure thing to just quit cold turkey I'll start small. I'll buy a 2 liter. They cost about $1. It's very cost effective for the amount, and it's only one thing and it it recyclable. Only buy this on Friday's and when it runs out, it runs out. I probably won't drink it all because I hate flat pop. Cost per month about $5.

Next, I'm going to have tea time each day. Making sure I don't become an addict to caffeine. I'll aim for drinking probably 2 cups a day, morning and late afternoon. Maybe even be so frugal to using the same tea bag. I'll have to test that one out. Tea is great in compost, so I'll hook up with my mother-in-law and get that going. The box it comes in is recyclable. The plastic outside, I'll have to check on that.

I just bought two boxes of tea today at $1.59 each. They each have 20 bags in them. I'd love to switch to loose tea eventually. It's very cost effective and very low in waste. Plus? They have those awesome tea pots that I've always wanted. So, even if I had 3 per day (not re-using them) it would cost $7.20 a month.

That's a big cost difference! Oh, and of course, a better health choice :)

#5 - Reduce weekly grocery costs

I've decided for the next two weeks or so to keep track of how much I'm spending on each meal that I make. Sound tedious? It is. But, I think I need to do that in order to really visualize my spending. I can easily look up how much I spent at Meijer each week. But I want more than that. I want to see how much it takes to feed my family a meal.

I figured after a few weeks worth of meals I'd be able to see which meals are less expensive yet filling. I can adjust my meal planning after that. I'm going to pay more attention to each and every item that I purchase. Is it for a meal or a snack? Can I make it cheaper myself? Yes, sometimes I can. Are we eating more food simply because it's in the house? You bet. The more cereal we have in the house the more we eat it.

I have a spreadsheet that I started about a year ago with lists of foods/brands and their costs. I list out the price at Meijer, Walmart, and Kroger. I even fill in if I found it on sale. It is not a complete list. I don't have every price down for every store. I usually fill it in after I shop. But, I'm going to work harder at looking at it and seeing if it's worth splitting my shopping trips with a few stores.

Included in my spreadsheet is a section where I've begun to track each meal. To my surprise, homemade pizza is actually less expensive than our Little Caesar's $5 deal. Who knew? And, it's a lot less fattening! I don't have a goal for how much each meal should cost. I'm hoping to get a better handle on that after the trial period. But, so far it's been between $2.95 and $4.95 to feed all four of us. Although, I haven't made a 'normal' meal yet. It will be interesting to see how that changes.

Some sites that I like to browse are:
www.hillbillyhousewife.com - Great site for simple recipes for convenience foods.
www.miserlymoms.com - Another great site for recipes and great simple money saving tips. The book is great to flip through too. That's where I started a few years ago.

a first for us

Christmas afternoon we headed to Livonia. We met at my sister and brother-in-laws. We ate a wonderful meal of bbq ribs and cheesy potatoes (we're known for our non-traditional holiday meals!). We opened presents and hung out. It was a lot of fun! The kids had so much fun together.

The day after was... eventful. Again, I'm terrible at recounting stories, but this has to be shared with you all!

My parents have a stationary baby gate in their home. It has two sides that are attached to either side of the doorway and in the middle is the gate part that opens and closes. Michael, my super smart 6 year old, was holding himself up using the two sides and swinging? forward and back. Well, apparently he wasn't sure how to stop himself and fell face down on the ground. Right onto the bar that stabilizes the whole unit.

The blood... oh the blood. I almost threw up and Jamie almost passed out. It was crazy gross. Jamie and my mom and my brother took Michael to the emergency room. He had a few cuts inside his mouth and a few little ones on the outside. He ended up getting a few stitches in the corner of his mouth. And, three of his bottom teeth were loose. Overall he was pretty ok.

I had to take him to an oral surgeon the next day about his teeth. There's still a little bit of concern. One of the loose teeth is a baby tooth, no biggie. But the other two are adult teeth. Their roots have not been established. So, he's been on soft foods and has to go back later this week for a check up.

He's doing great now (Jan 1). The swelling on gums is completely gone and his stitches are healing very well. We'll find out Thursday how his teeth are holding up.