Weird Hair

It is amazing how many silly things Joshua can do with this crazy ball!

More of the good stuff!

I am waiting up right now for my oldest.  Michael started a new job today and some how got out the door without his wallet or keys to the house.

I don’t even care that I should have been in bed an hour ago.  I am so thankful he’s home for the next 3 months.

Life is going to be different.

1.  More stuff—There is a desk in my garage that needs to find a home in this house!  So far there is a place but no time to move it.  A job for tomorrow.

2.  More miles—Maybe it is time to trade our old suburban in for another smaller car?  Here the story of my big love affair!  I need to remember this each time I fill up these days!

3.  More music—I love to listen to my kids play the piano.  I have missed Michael’s songs.  He plays different ones than the girls.  It just stops me in my tracks when he plays, In Christ Alone, which is one of my favorite songs of all time.

4.  More late nights—We seem to talk more & stay up late when he’s home.  I don’t really care.  What is sleep anyway?

5.  More flexibility—who showers when? who does what chores?  It all will take a bit more flexibility!

6.  More food—My little guys don’t eat as much.  I don’t worry about having “extra” sides at the meal but after just a couple of days I can see I need to be putting bread, fruit etc on the table a little more!

7.  More photos--I realized that I don’t have a bunch because he’s only around on the weekends!  Gonna have to fix that!

8.  More laundry—hmmm what day will we fit him in to our laundry rotation?  

9.  More FUN!  The more the merrier!  We have plans for camping, games, bike rides & who knows what else this summer.

10.  More awareness—As with anything you take for granted, when it is gone then you treasure it more.  I am going to treasure every moment, every hug, every smile & every “I love you” in the next 3 months so that I can store them up for when I need them.

Freezer Orange Pork Chops

I love this recipe because it is easy to prepare & throw in the freezer when you find pork chops on sale.   Definitely one of my favorite freezer meal recipes!  Don’t leave out the shallots—they are great mild flavored onion.  This is good in the oven or the crock pot.  One of the favorites around here! 

Orange Pork Chops--Serves 4-6 depending on how many chops you cook!

4-6 boneless pork chops (1-2 pounds)

1/3 cup orange juice

1 shallot, chopped

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 T soy sauce

Place desired amount of pork chops in a quart size freezer bag.  Add all other ingredients & seal.  Freeze.

To Cook:

Thaw.  Place entire continents of bag in a medium baking dish.  Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.

OR

Thaw.  Place entire continents of bag in a 4 quart crockpot.  Turn on low & cook for 4-5 hours.

Enjoy!

Strategic Shopping My other Job

A friend of mine asked to take lessons when she read my status on Facebook last week about only paying $17 for $71 for groceries. That made me laugh because I just follow several deal blogs & do what they tell me! 

Here is my routine!

1.  I buy two St. Louis Post papers & one local paper every Sunday on the way home from church.  (My kids love this because they get to read the comics—family tradition here)  This costs me about $5.  If I use just 5 coupons I will break even.

2.  If I get the time on Sunday, I flip through the coupons & take out & clip any I KNOW that I will use.  If not, I will do it while watching a movie one night that week.

3.  I combine the coupon inserts.  That way I have the same coupons together.  Notice I am not clipping at this time.  I also throw away all the non coupon(ads) pages from the inserts to reduce the bulk.

4.  What is left of the inserts gets put in my coupon binder.  I mark on the front of the inserts the dates so I can easily find a coupon I need(based on the date).  Helps my poor eyes not have to read the fine print later.

5.  Locally, there is a free paper that is delivered on Wednesday evening.  When that arrives in my drive way I look through the ads for items that I feel are good deals.  I frequent several stores—Schnucks, Gerbes, Mosers, Hy-vee, & Aldis.  I also go to Target & Wal-mart on less frequent occasions.  I also keep a price book to help me with knowing if a price is a good deal.

6.  When I find a good deal I circle it in black sharpie so it really jumps off the page at me.

7.  Thursday morning I make a weekly deals round up page from the black circles(idea from Life..Your Way) so I can see easily what I am shopping for when I go.  I also mark down any coupons I know about that match up on this page.  I check The Savings Jungle to see if she’s found a few more good deals & mark those down on my page.

8.  I check my Menu Plan to see what I am going to needfor the the next 7 days and add any ingredients that are needed.  Fresh fruit, vegies, bread, & milk get added here too.

9.  Lastly I really looks to see what stores have the most deals.  I might go to just one or two.  Gas prices factor in to this decision. 

We have piano lessons on Thursday so I hit the stores that are on the way & closest to that.  I shop while the kids are at their lesson so I am using my time wisely.  We are also out on Tuesdays so I can go to the other stores then if I decide it is really necessary.

10.  After my round up page is created I gather the coupons that I need from my binder or my clipped coupon stash(this travels with me).  I don’t take my big binder with me to the store.  I also print a lot of coupons off the internet and I store those in my traveling stash.

11.  Now I am ready to shop.  I take along my list & my coupon stash every time I go in to town because you never know when you might have time to swing in a store.

All these steps have evolved and are still evolving today.  I am sure a year from now I will have found something new or better to use.  So take what works for you and leave the rest!  But I hope this helps you save money & find a little more wiggle room in your budget!

Mom Adventure

Okay I am going to be a bit self centered here for a minute. 

Being a mom is a 24/7 job & everyone is going to recognize that tomorrow.  Even Steve said last night—hey you want to go get flowers for your Mother’s day gift this weekend? (He knows what I like!)

But on Monday when no one is paying attention that is when being a Mom is hard.  Every moment has the opportunity for chaos, crisis & battle.

Right now I have one in the bathroom avoiding the dishes, one asking to use the pile of books I am sorting for towers for his army guys, one who is playing rag time music with all her soul & the oldest is across town somewhere at the University.  I’ve been sorting books today because the shelves are overflowing.  It is a bit of a walk down memory lane.  So many favorite books!

How many times did I read Go Dog Go or Goodnight Moon when they were little?

Now they read to themselves.  Occasionally we still will read aloud(need to get back to that!)—whoop rambling there.

I think the hardest part of being a mom is the day to day battles.

Toys on the floor, bed, stairs, etc

Selfish attitudes need correcting

Everyone needs help at the same moment

Kids are constantly hungry

I am okay with that.  It makes me weary by the time bed time rolls around but it is a good weary.  20 years ago when I signed up for this adventure I really had no clue what I was getting myself in to but the joy that has come along with the battles has been worth it.

Snuggles, hugs, sloppy kisses

Giggles, sharing hearts, jokes & family sillies

Moments when time seems to stand still when we walk, talk, work & play together

Sometimes I lock eyes with a child & it gives me chills because I know what they are thinking.  We are a close family and I love that.

I wouldn’t trade a minute of time that I have been blessed to spend with my children.  They have taught me more than I knew was possible.

This journey isn’t done and I am anticipating the the next adventure around the bend.