tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20014727707451199942024-03-13T23:00:15.739-07:00A Single Moms LifeSharing the ups and downs and adventures of everyday life as a single mom!rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.comBlogger251125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-463191029208124152013-09-29T10:30:00.003-07:002013-09-29T10:31:04.812-07:00October 2013 MenuOne way I know to really help our budget is to cut out eating out. With our schedule this requires meal planning. I have a gazillion things pinned on Pinterest so I decided to make use of my pins to plan our October Menu. I have planned breakfast, lunch and dinner for weekends and just dinners for week nights. <br />
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In addition, I will pre prep food for lunches for the week for the 2 girls and myself. My youngest son eats hot lunch at school. Some will be leftovers from the night before and other options will be salads, sandwiches and whatever else we can think to make on the weekend to make things easier for the week.<br />
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The menu. This menu starts with Sunday September 29th and goes through the end of October. If you are interested in links to any of the recipes for menu items let me know and I can get them for you!<br />
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S: Sliders, fries and veggies w/ ranch<br />
M: Hamburger helper, green beans<br />
T:
Breakfast for dinner (Eggs Benedict)<br />
W: Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole,
roasted broccoli<br />
Th: Gnocchi Chicken Soup, crackers<br />
F: Slower cooker
balsamic pot roast, fries <br />
S: B- Cereal or bagel, L- Sandwiches or cup of
noodles, D-sub sandwiches & chips<br />
<br />
S- B- Eggs/hash browns, bacon, L-
Sub sandwiches & chips, D-Crockpot sweet garlic chicken, rice, veggies<br />
M-
Mongolian beef, rice, stir fry veggies<br />
T- Homemade pizza, salad<br />
W- Crispy
chicken wraps, veggies w/ ranch<br />
Th- Italian wedding soup, hm biscuits<br />
F-
Crockpot brown sugar balsamic glazed pork tenderloin, ranch potatoes and roasted
broccoli<br />
S- B: Pumpkin cinnamon rolls w/caramel frosting, L: Hamburgers &
fries, D: I am fixing dinner for several couples going to the homecoming dance
need to find out what they want.<br />
<br />
S: B-Biscuits/gravy, hash browns,
L-Swirly dogs & chips, D- Crispy cheddar chicken, pasta side and
veggies<br />
M: Skillet chili mac, corn<br />
T- Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green
beans<br />
W- Copycat Panera Broccoli cheese soup, hm biscuits<br />
Th- Crockpot
pineapple chicken, rice and veg<br />
F- Hm pizza (this may change to eating at the
game I am signed up to work concessions this night)<br />
S- B-Breakfast puffins,
L- Sandwiches & chips, D-sub sandwiches & chips<br />
<br />
S- B-Eggs
benedict casserole, L- Sub sandwiches & chips, D- Crispy chicken tortilla
roll ups, chips<br />
M: Baked parmesan paprika chicken, ranch potatoes and
broccoli<br />
T: Cheesy taco crescent calzones<br />
W: Chicken wild rice soup<br />
TH:
Crockpot broccoli beef, rice<br />
F: Hamburger French dips & fries<br />
S:
B-Hash browns, eggs, bacon, L: Sandwiches & chips D- at my parents for my
moms bday dinner<br />
<br />
S: B- at my parents house, L- CORD, D- Grilled flank
steak with gorgonzola cream sauce, baked potatoes and veggies<br />
M: Fettuccini
Alfredo, garlic bread<br />
T: Tacos<br />
W: Potato cheese perogi, veggies<br />
Th:
Halloween not sure what the plan is yetrachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-84984542001846688842013-09-29T10:27:00.001-07:002013-09-29T10:27:08.049-07:00Starting A New October 2013Yes once again. Starting over. I seem to do that a lot with this blog. But that is ok. Right?? :)<br />
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I have made a decision to start the Dave Ramsey financial plan as of October 1st. This will implement some big changes for our family. Some I know won't be comfortable. Such as giving up my Pumpkin Spice Latte addiction at Starbucks. BUT it is time for me to get focused and on track.<br />
<br />
So here we go! <br />
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rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-13174157585678159852013-07-14T09:41:00.001-07:002013-07-14T09:41:24.422-07:00Keeping It Real and Getting Back OntrackI once again have fallen off not only the blogging bandwagon but also the frugal bandwagon and I need to get back on track. So here I ago!<br />
<br />
I have been thinking I need to get back to blogging, not that it does much for anyone who reads it but it will help me keep myself accountable. I can hope too that maybe someone will read it that will find encouragement, tips or ideas that will help them as well. <br />
<br />
A few months ago a friend of mine started a challenge on Facebook of "keeping it real" with our status updates and it was a big eye opener. I know I for one am guilty of posting status updates that show the best parts of our lives. Our big accomplishments, proud moments, achievements and such. However, we don't post about the parental failures, bad hair days or the nights that our kids eat ice cream for dinner because we don't have the energy to stop them. We see parents around us that seem to have it all together and are the perfect parents and wonder why we can't accomplish those same things. Over a few weeks time, the posts were a true reflection of who we all were as parents and it was AWESOME. We got to see that none of us are perfect, we all have our flaws and received validation that it is ok for the kids to eat ice cream for dinner once in a while, we have all been there done that. <br />
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One area though that people tend to NOT keep it real is in regards to finances. I too am guilty of this. It is so easy to agree to do things we cannot afford to do because we don't want to miss out. I have friends who live in all different financial situations. However, what happens is the "keeping up with the Joneses" scenario where people try to keep up and match someone else's lifestyle that they cannot afford. This is an easy trap to fall into and one we must avoid. I was talking with a friend the other day and mentioned that finances were tight and this was a month where there was going to be more month than money. She spoke about some of the financial troubles they have had as well. It really got me to thinking, why don't we keep it real when it comes to our finances? From telling others no to a night on the town we can't afford to telling ourselves no to the purchase we are thinking about making. Why is it so hard to be upfront and honest in this area of our lives not only with others but with ourselves?<br />
<br />
I decided I need to take a very serious look at my finances and some of my decision making. Maybe posting here will help someone else do the same and "keep it real" in their own lives. A friend posted the link to a great article a few days ago Asking "Does this purchase support my long term goals?" Here is an article that discusses just this : <a href="http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2013/07/ask-yourself-this-one-question/" target="_blank">ARTICLE LINK</a><br />
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Do you keep it real when it comes to your finances? Are you as frugal as you should be? Are there areas where you want to cut back but are not sure how? Maybe its time to check that out and find a way. Maybe its time we all start "keeping it real".rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-44186091942193690392013-01-06T14:53:00.002-08:002013-01-06T15:14:17.956-08:00Meal Planning Yes You Can!The thought of meal planning, cooking ahead etc. is terrifying to many. I often hear excuses (from myself included):<br />
<br />
"I don't have the time"<br />
"I don't know where to start"<br />
"Is it really worth it?"<br />
<br />
YES it is worth it and you would be surprised just how little time it takes! I decided to challenge myself today and see just how long it would take me to do some prep for the week. I spent exactly 1.5 yes one and a half hours including clean up. Here is what I was able to accomplish:<br />
<br />
* 2 dozen banana muffins<br />
* 1.5 dozen cinnamon rolls (not from scratch)<br />
* 3 dozen chocolate chip cookies<br />
* 1 batch PF Changs Lettuce Wraps<br />
* 1 batch Maui Chicken<br />
* 1 pan of rice<br />
* 1 meatloaf<br />
* 2 loaves of bread (they are rising just need to bake)<br />
* fixed lunch for 4 STARVING (yes they thought they were starving) children<br />
<br />
By multi tasking and clean up as you go, meal prep can be quick and easy. Here is how this broke down:<br />
<br />
* Step 1: Mix up the banana muffin batter. Bake the first batch along with the cinnamon rolls. While these are cooking go onto step 2.<br />
<br />
* Step 2: Brown half the chicken (doesn't need to be cooked through) and then put it in the crock pot for the maui chicken. Start browning (and cooking through) the rest of the chicken and move to step 3.<br />
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* Step 3: Assemble the Maui Chicken in the crock pot. I used frozen peppers & onions I had in my freezer from over the summer. The crock pot will now do the rest of the work.<br />
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* Step 4: Take the muffins and cinnamon rolls out of the oven and put in another batch of muffins.<br />
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* Step 5: Start a pan of rice.<br />
<br />
* Step 6: Dice up veggies for Lettuce Wraps. I don't like mushrooms and didn't have water chestnuts so I diced up carrots and cabbage. I also mixed up the stir fry sauce. Remove the chicken from the pan to cool and toss in the veggies to saute.<br />
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* Step 7: Take muffins out of oven to cool.<br />
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* Step 8: Mix up cookie dough and start first dozen in the oven.<br />
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* Step 9: Chop up the chicken and add it back to the veggies along with the stir fry sauce. Turn off burner to let it cool. Turn off rice to cool.<br />
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* Step 10: Mix up and shape meatloaf. Put it in the freezer (uncooked) for later this week.<br />
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* Step 11: Finish baking cookies while cleaning up the dishes.<br />
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* Step 12: Start yeast water for bread and fix lunch while that proofs.<br />
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* Step 13: Finish mixing bread dough and let it rise.<br />
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* Step 14: Package up muffins. Half go into the freezer and can be pulled out later in the week. Put the cookies and cinnamon rolls in airtight containers.<br />
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* Step 15: Package up Lettuce Wraps/Rice and Maui Chicken/Rice in divided containers to use for lunches this week. <br />
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* Step 16: Bake loaves of bread right before starting dinner. I will need the oven to cook part of dinner. This way one loaf can partially cool so we can enjoy it with tonight's dinner.<br />
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* Step 17: Take a basket of goodies to the neighbor (Cookies, muffins and some bread) its always good to share with others!!!!<br />
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This may seem like alot of steps but trust me it all went very quickly. No special skills are needed just a few simple recipes and a desire to save money and be prepared for the week! <br />
<br />
What are you doing to be prepared for your upcoming week? Do you have questions on where to start of what does/doesn't work? Please let me know!rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-39094019576965173632013-01-05T20:53:00.001-08:002013-01-05T20:53:30.724-08:00January 2-5th, 2013Eventually I will get up to blogging every single day, but it appears I am not there yet. It has been a great first week of the new year. Lets see how we did:<br />
<br />
Grocery shopping: I managed to stay out of the store all week! I went today to do our grocery shopping for the next week and spent a total of $120.42 which leaves me with $279.58 for the rest of the month. <br />
<br />
Eating out/Coffee: I am excited to say that the ONLY eating out done this week was today by my youngest son for FREE. He had a McDonalds coupon for a free happy meal that was set to expire before the end of the month. I packed my lunch to work every day and made my own coffee YEAH!<br />
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General Spending: The only spending done this week was yesterday for my daughters permit (yikes), and today for groceries, youngest sons haircut, shavings for our chickens, gas for the car and some general household items (batteries, lightbulbs and tp). I managed to stick to the lists on each item!<br />
<br />
We did try several new to us recipes this week that were a huge hit! I linked to a couple in a previous post but these were also a huge hit!<br />
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<a href="http://www.chompify.com/2012/04/cracker-barrel-chicken-dumplings.html" target="_blank">Cracker Barrel Chicken & Dumplings</a> (I started with premade broth from our freezer-made from the free to us turkey, this saved a TON of time. I also used all purpose flour because thats what I had on hand)<br />
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<a href="http://www.therecipecritic.com/2012/12/ranch-chicken-enchiladas.html" target="_blank">Ranch Chicken Enchiladas</a> (I made these with leftover turkey in our freezer from the free to us turkey)<br />
<br />
Both of these recipes reheated well as leftovers for lunch the next day.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow I will be doing a little cooking and crafting and will be back to share more information!!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-79543618381631599922013-01-02T08:01:00.000-08:002013-01-02T08:01:05.939-08:00Jan 1, 2013What a fabulous day for the first day of a new year! While the weather was cold and frosty, the sun was shining and it was beautiful. One of our favorite places to spend time as a family is at the beach. My youngest son would spend all his free time there regardless of the weather. Because of the sun yesterday that was his automatic request lets go to the beach! At first I said no its too cold, then I thought, why not? We have gloves, hats and the time. So off to the beach we went! We didn't spend hours there like we do in the summer but we walked the beach and collected rocks and seashells and made memories. <br />
<br />
Did I accoplish my 4 F's for the day? <br />
<br />
FAITH: I spent time in the morning looking for an online devotional website and found one that I really like. I took time with the devotion and time with God. <br />
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FAMILY: We spent quality time at the beach yesterday (the two younger kids and myself) and I spent time with the older two watching a movie at the end of the day. I introduced them to one of my favorite movies of the 80's :).<br />
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FINANCES: Yesterday was a no spend day. We went out and about and didn't eat out or stop for coffee (one of my weaknesses). We were good stewards of our money.<br />
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FRIENDS: We spent time making cards for friends to help brighten their day and thank you cards for Christmas.<br />
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I also spent some time on a "use it up" project. I had a shirt I LOVED the color of but it had a grease stain on the front making it unwearable in public. I took that shirt and made it into a scarf! I used the pattern found here: <a href="http://margoiscrafty.blogspot.com/2011/01/t-shirt-scarf-tutorial.html" target="_blank">T-Shirt Scarf Tutorial</a> and I love the way it turned out. Here is a picture of my beautiful daughter modeling it :)<br />
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I also tried a couple of new recipes for dinner that were a huge hit! </div>
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<a href="http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/bbq-potatoes" target="_blank">Roasted Potatoes</a><br />
<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/garlic-roast-chicken-with-rosemary-and-lemon-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">Roasted Garlic Chicken</a><br />
<br />
The potatoes I cooked in the oven and the chicken I omited the lemon because I didn't have any. I had roasting a turkey on the menu BUT I ended up cooking one last week and well, the kids didn't want turkey again. So I improvised with what we had on hand.<br />
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It was a good first day and a great way to start off the New Year!!<br />
<br />
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rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-15917925470484044402013-01-01T10:42:00.002-08:002013-01-01T10:42:21.768-08:00Setting the Pace for A New Year
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This last weekend at church we were blessed with a host band
for worship. As they were preparing to play one of their songs for us, she gave
a little background on how the song came to be. How we are all, as a society so
busy and in a hurry. She shared how she is always tripping or running into
things and she realized it’s because her mind is always two steps ahead of her
feet and related that to how we tend to live our lives, especially when it
comes to our faith. We are always two steps ahead of God, we need to slow down
to be able to be in the moment and hear what He has for us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This testimony and the song REALLY touched me. How often am
I not “in the moment” and am worrying about what I need to take care of next?
How many times am I in too big of a rush to stop and listen and wait to see
what is going on NOW. Even in the small things like reading my devotions this
morning. I caught myself reading but skipping ahead to the next paragraph with
my eyes. I forced myself to stop, start over and stay with each word. Letting
each word sink in and reach my heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The focus of the devotion: </span><strong><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">His ways are higher than
our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts,</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">(Isaiah 55:9 NIV). I MUST and WILL remember this going forward.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had lunch with a good friend Sunday and she asked me what
my New Year’s resolution(s) were. I told her I wasn’t sure I hadn’t finalized
my LIST yet. Yes my list. I am a total list person including my resolutions. I
could make a list of 50 things I want to do this year without batting an eye or
thinking that was overkill, and yes, I had one started. But I have decided to
simplify it. Yes there is still a list, but it is much more focused. My New Year’s
Resolutions are the 4 F’s.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">FAITH: I will work on strengthening my relationship with
Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">FAMILY: I will make sure to include more QUALITY family
time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">FINANCES: I will get on track with my finances and become a
better steward of what God has provided for us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">FRIENDS: I have some truly amazing friends and I need to
spend more time with them. This year we will do so!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wish you all a fabulous New Year. I look forward to
sharing tips, ideas, recipes and new ways we find to be frugal through this
blog. Not sure if anyone will read it but it will help keep me on track and
accountable! Here is to a FABULOUS 2013!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-67873162108334486102012-12-28T14:51:00.004-08:002012-12-28T14:51:59.573-08:00Menu Plan January 2013As we set off into a new year, I want to refocus on menu planning. Having a plan saves money, time and stress. I am less likely to grab pizza on my way home when I have a meal planned out and the items purchased. I will stick to once a week grocery shopping which helps reduce extra spending by grabbing extras every time I go to the store.<br />
<br />
I have a plan for dinners. Breakast in our house during the week is always something quick. I do cook a family breakfast on the weekeends but always have the items on hand for that unless its something special. The kids eat lunches at school and I will pack leftovers, soup or salads to work for my lunches. <br />
<br />
I did make out a 3 meal plan for now until the first though. With all 5 of us home for 4 days straight meal planning is a MUST.<br />
<br />
29th: <br />B: Cinnamon Rolls<br />L: Pizza rolls & salad<br />D: Soup &
sandwiches<br /><br />30th:<br />B: Waffles & eggs<br />L: Pizza casserole<br />D: ??
something from the freezer<br /><br />31st: <br />B: Donuts (free from bread
outlet)<br />L: Spaghetti and hm French rolls<br />D: Appetizers to celebrate new
years<br /><br />1st:<br />B: Biscuits & gravy<br />L: Layered Enchilada bake<br />
<br />
1- Turkey Dinner (turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing etc)<br />2- Cracker Barrel
Chicken & Dumplings (Made with turkey)<br />3- Ranch Chicken Encheladas (made
with turkey)<br />4- Hamburgers & fries<br />5- Chicken & cheese lasagna
roll ups and salad<br />6- Ham, scallop potatoes and veggies<br />7- Spaghetti,
french bread & salad<br />8- Meatloaf, mash potatoes and veggies<br />9- Taco
soup<br />10- Tacos<br />11- Pizza<br />12- Hamburger french dips, french fries<br />13-
Roasted chicken, mash potatoes and veggies<br />14- Pasta carbonara, french bread
& salad<br />15- Smoked mozzarella stuffed meatballs, rice &
veggies<br />16- Tuna noodle casserole<br />17- Pork carnitas & rice<br />18-
Philly cheese steak sloppy joes, roasted potatoes and veggies<br />19- GAME
NIGHT-POTLUCK<br />20- Pepper steak, rice<br />21- Spaghetti, french bread &
salad<br />22- Chicken cordon bleu with parm dijon sauce, rice and veggies<br />23-
Tomato soup & grilled cheese<br />24- Tacos<br />25- Pizza<br />26- Steak, baked
potatoes and salad<br />27- Roast, baked potatoes, veggies<br />28- Pasta with
chicken sausage, peppers & escarole<br />29- Kahlua pork, rice and
veggies<br />30- Perogi casserole, salad<br />31- Nachos <br />
After I do the grocery shopping for each week I will post that as well!rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-39170228019171401312012-12-28T14:46:00.000-08:002012-12-28T14:46:29.784-08:00Back to BloggingReally, my lat post was in JUNE? Time to get back on track. I love the start of a New Year. So many options and a fresh start. That is one thing I plan to do with this blog, get going again and back on track with meal planning, tracking my grocery spending and frugality in general. <br />
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2012 was a whirlwind year. I went from being a full time student to being employed full time again. I love my job and work with an amazing crew. However, it was a large cut in pay so finances have been even tighter than they were before. The kids are invovled in even more activites which = more $ out the door. <br />
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Its time to get creative and get back into focus! rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-56337529103635587342012-06-09T20:56:00.002-07:002012-06-09T20:57:40.918-07:00Grocery Shopping/Menu Planning Week of June 10thWe are working on using up some things in our freezer & pantry so that I can restock it with fresh. I also still have quite a bit of produce left from last week to use this week.<br />
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Total spent $56<br />
$1.77 Shredded cheese<br />
$1.98 Gravy Packets (2)<br />
$3.94 Milk (2 gallons)<br />
$3.78 Butter (2 pounds)<br />
$1.98 Ketchup (2)<br />
$.89 Conditioner<br />
$2.98 Diced ham<br />
$2.89 Tortillas<br />
$4.30 Pork Chops<br />
$4.84 Chicken drumsticks<br />
$6.63 BS Chicken<br />
$3.78 Tilapia<br />
$2.99 Basil<br />
$2.98 Arugula<br />
$.68 Lemon<br />
$2.78 Cauliflower<br />
$1.25 Cabbage<br />
$3.98 15# potatoes<br />
$2.50 Parmesan Cheese<br />
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DINNERS:<br />
S- Crispy Balsamic Chicken, Roasted Cabbage, Potatoes<br />
M- Out for our teams soccer party<br />
T- Chicken drumsticks in crockpot, rice a roni, salad<br />
W- Potato Soup & biscuits<br />
Th- Pork Chops, Rice & Roasted veggies<br />
F- Roasted chicken, mashed poatoes/gravy, green beans<br />
<br />
BREAKFAST: <br />
Pancakes<br />
Eggs/Turkey Bacon<br />
Muffins<br />
Bagels & fruit<br />
Cereal<br />
Smoothies<br />
<br />
LUNCHES:<br />
The kids eat at school<br />
I will pack leftovers or salad<br />
<br />rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-26472709849461630952012-06-09T20:30:00.001-07:002012-06-09T20:30:13.892-07:00Getting Back on TrackWow I cannot believe I haven't posted since February! Our life has been so crazy since then with kids activities, work etc. I have really slipped from my organized and on track self and really need to get back to it. We finally have a free weekend this weekend and that is exactly what I am doing. Getting caught up on housework, paperwork, menu planning, grocery shopping, errands and quite a few things on the back burner, like this blog post. I am setting a goal for myself to post at least twice a week starting NOW!<br />
<br />rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-53062341367785433632012-02-26T11:29:00.000-08:002012-02-26T11:29:48.377-08:00Week of 2/26-3/3Its hard to believe we are coming up on March so quickly! As is the norm in our household, last week brought some huge changes. I am reaching the end of my pre requisites for the LPN program. The wait list for the program itself is now at 24 months, which means I need to go back to work. I am not giving up on the goal of finishing the LPN program, its just not something thats going to happen anytime soon due to the wait list.<br />
<br />
I started applying for jobs the week before and got an interview right away. Last week I was hired and started my new job. I am loving it so far and honestly its really nice to be back to work. This last week was a challenge though, as I was still finishing clinicals. It made for long days, leaving home at 7am and not getting home until after 10pm. Add to that a cold and sinus infection and by Friday I was done in for. This week I will finish up clinicals and take the written final for the NAC class and its onto full time training for work! <br />
<br />
To get us better organized I have put a chore chart back in place. I also have some amazing friends who have stepped into help with getting kids where they need to be and helping with child care. I cannot thank them enough!!<br />
<br />
Onto this week! The menu is planned, chore chart is made and we are set to go!<br />
<br />
Dinner menu:<br />
S- Stuffed shells with sauce (freezer meal), green salad and hm french rolls<br />
M- Tuna Casserole (freezer meal)<br />
T- Tacos<br />
W- Garlic lime marinated pork, cilantro lime rice and veggies<br />
Th- Garlic lovers roast beef, mashed potatoes, oven roasted cauliflower<br />
F- Pizza<br />
S- Subway after church<br />
<br />
Lunches: I will pack leftovers from dinner the night before or soup/sandwich.rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-69799976526998518592012-02-21T06:51:00.000-08:002012-02-21T06:51:14.419-08:00Menu week of 2/19-2/25Week 1 of clinicals was a success. Now, onto week 2. This week again was a little weird. Monday was my youngest daughters 11th birthday. She and I went out of town to a friends so most of our meals were on the go. The other kids were scattered (one at cousins, one at birthday parties and one at home). I made the mistake of not planning the menu before going shopping yesterday but think I did pretty good on the fly this week.<br />
<br />
Dinners:<br />
M- Fondue (cheese fondue w/raw veggies, apples and french bread), chocolate w/strawberries, bananas and marshmallows. (Daughters bday dinner)<br />
T- Taco soup<br />
W- Ruben sandwiches and spaghettios (oldest son is cooking) I will pack LO taco soup<br />
Th- Zupa Toscana Soup<br />
F- Pizza for the kids, I will pack leftoversrachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-43106527826558276332012-02-12T10:11:00.000-08:002012-02-12T10:11:40.027-08:00Menu Week of 2/12-18This week is a little different for us. I am starting my clinicals for the NAC course this week which leaves my oldest to fix dinner 2 nights this week. I also need to pack my dinner/snacks with me so I have to prepare ahead of time. <br />
<br />
Breakfast Options:<br />
Cereal (Special K, Cheerios or Rice Crispies)<br />
Eggos<br />
Eggs/Turkey Bacon<br />
Smoothie<br />
<br />
Lunches:<br />
*The kids will have school lunches. <br />
*My oldest will be eating at home (he gets out early for Running Start). He usually has leftovers, salad or a burger.<br />
*My lunch focus this week will be on salads with protein. I will cook up extra steak, chicken and hardboiled eggs to have on hand for those. I am also going to thaw a freezer meal of white chicken chili I receive din our last swap and will use that for lunches and some dinners for myself this week.<br />
<br />
Dinner:<br />
S- New York Steak, brussels sprouts and sweet potato. I will fix burgers for 3 of the kids they don't care for steak.<br />
M- Tacos for the kids at home. I will pack white chicken chili and cut up raw veggies.<br />
T- Crockpot Santa Fe Chicken, Rice and raw veggies with LF ranch <br />
W- Tomato Soup and grilled cheese for the kids, I will take leftovers from Tuesdays dinner<br />
Th- Asian Glazed Chicken, rice and broccoli. <br />
F- We are scattered this day. The kids are all doing something different for dinner. I am going to pack leftovers from Thursday. <br />
S- I will be eating at a scrapbook crop and the kids are having pizza.rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-5749195176244595342012-02-06T06:46:00.000-08:002012-02-06T06:46:26.966-08:00Menu Plan Week of 2/5-2/11Most of my recipes this week (and most weeks) come from <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/">Skinny Taste</a> I LOVE this website. The recipes are healthy and family friendly. The nutrition information is posted as well as the WW points are already calculated, could it get any eaiser?? I think not :).<br />
<br />
Breakfast options:<br />
Cereal (Cheerios, Special K or rice crispies), fruit<br />
Yogurt/fruit<br />
Eggos with peanut butter/fruit<br />
Bagel with lowfat cream cheese<br />
Eggs w/turkey bacon or turkey sausage crumbles<br />
<br />
Lunches:<br />
The kids eat lunch at school. I pack my lunches on days I have class.<br />
This week my lunch options:<br />
<br />
Butternut Squash Soup<br />
Sandwich and veggies w/hummus<br />
Leftovers from the night before<br />
Salad with grilled chicken<br />
<br />
Dinner:<br />
S- grilled New York Steak, roasted veggies and sweet potato<br />
M- Baked Chicken Parmesan, Whole wheat pasta w/sauce and salad<br />
T- Taco soup in the crockpot<br />
W- Turkey meatloaf, mashed cauliflower, steamed broccoli<br />
Th- White Chicken Chili and cornbread<br />
F- Pizza and salad<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"></blockquote>rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-69289498074147838802012-02-06T06:36:00.000-08:002012-02-06T06:36:26.269-08:00February 6thWell, sometimes the best made plans just don't work out the way we intend. That is a common occurrence with me and this blog LOL. It has been busy busy and it sort of fell by the wayside. Quick recap:<br />
<br />
Things are going very well. I am taking 16 credits this quarter, on of which is the NAC class. I will be starting clinicals next week and am nervous but excited. This is my last pre req before the nursing program! A big change is that I have rejoined Weight Watchers. I am tired of being overweight and do not want to be a "fat" nurse. I have made a commitment to myself to change my life this year.<br />
<br />
I started WW a few weeks ago and am already down almost 8 pounds. No it doesn't seem like much but to me it is. I am not focusing on the scale as much as knowing I am changing not only my life but that of my children. We are all eating healthier, focusing more on exercise and learning PORTION CONTROL! <br />
<br />
I signed up to do the St Pattys Day Dash in Seattle with my best friend for my birthday in March. I will walk it this year and my goal is to run it next year. I have never done anything like this before and am nervous but extremely excited. <br />
<br />
Meal planning has become even more key for us now. I have to plan ahead so that meals are healthy and that we have what we need on hand. I hope to get back to posting/sharing what we have discovered recipe and food wise, and healthy changes and habits we are developing as a family. <br />
<br />
The kids are doing great. School is keeping them busy as are their extracurricular activities. Spring sports will be starting up again soon and then it will be all out insanity in our house! LOVE IT!rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-91497997090281794562012-01-05T08:07:00.000-08:002012-01-05T08:07:16.041-08:00Grocery shopping and menu planning Week of 1/1/12The first half of this week was meals from things on hand. I did our grocery shopping yesterday for the rest of the week and a little bit of stock up. We are trying to focus on eating healthier which means more fresh fruits and veggies which sadly are expensive this time of year. <br />
<br />
Menu:<br />
Wednesday:<br />
B: Eggs/turkey bacon or cereal<br />
L: At school for kids, I had a sandwich<br />
D: Stuffed peppers for ODS and I and tacos for the rest (using the same mix of taco meat from the freezer)<br />
<br />
Thursday:<br />
B: Pancakes/turkey bacon or cereal<br />
L: At school for the kids, out with a friend for me or salad at home<br />
D: Cod, brussels sprouts for ODS and I and tacos with leftovers for the other kids<br />
<br />
Friday:<br />
B: Cinnamon rolls <br />
L: At school for kids, salad for me<br />
D: Homemade pizza<br />
<br />
Saturday:<br />
B: Biscuits and gravy, eggs<br />
L: Homemade soup and sandwiches<br />
D: Subway after church (we just get the $5 footlong sandwiches no chips or drinks)<br />
<br />
Groceries purchased:<br />
Fred Meyer $69.26<br />
<br />
4- Special K cereal $10<br />
1- Store brand Rice Crispies $1.99<br />
2- pancake mix $3.98<br />
Raw sugar $3.09<br />
Half & half $1.79<br />
3 shredded cheese $6.50<br />
2 OJ- $5.00<br />
4 bagged salad kids $4.00 (wish these would last longer they are on sale for a great price)<br />
brussels sprouts $3.38<br />
6 grapefruit $2.00<br />
3 green bell peppers $2.04<br />
mandarin oranges 1.07<br />
9 yogurt $3.00<br />
sour cream $2.00<br />
Bacon 1.56<br />
cod 3.89<br />
2 whole chickens $9.71 (.88#)<br />
1 gallon milk $2.59<br />
<br />
The chickens went into the freezer for future use. I also placed an order with Zaycon foods for 40# of boneless skinless chicken breast that will be here later in the month at $1.69 a pound. <br />
<br />
See how others did at the <a href="http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/">Grocery Cart Challenge</a>rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-52984099675081405022012-01-03T09:12:00.000-08:002012-01-03T09:12:45.791-08:00Photo of the Day (Days 1-3)I am following the list found here <a href="http://www.fatmumslim.com.au/2011/12/photo-day-challenge-january-2012.html">Photo A Day</a> that I found on Pinterest. <br />
<br />
Day 1: A photo of myself<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kE-K-r98gp8/TwM2gu8DpuI/AAAAAAAAAlE/dKJDlFXd0KA/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kE-K-r98gp8/TwM2gu8DpuI/AAAAAAAAAlE/dKJDlFXd0KA/s320/002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Day 2: Photo of Breakfast (Mango Chobani , turkey bacon and coffee)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r4osFXiBtLU/TwM2wqcT42I/AAAAAAAAAlQ/J34aOREoEvU/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r4osFXiBtLU/TwM2wqcT42I/AAAAAAAAAlQ/J34aOREoEvU/s320/013.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Day 3: Something I adore (Our kitty Houdini)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zU7Qw_Jo7BE/TwM3AIZGtFI/AAAAAAAAAlc/8lsT2kuoJqo/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zU7Qw_Jo7BE/TwM3AIZGtFI/AAAAAAAAAlc/8lsT2kuoJqo/s320/015.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-50729319821465665362012-01-02T20:04:00.000-08:002012-01-02T20:04:40.356-08:00January 2ndHappy Monday! Hard to believe today is the last day of Christmas vacation. Tomorrow is back to the daily grind and crazy schedule that is our life. As is tradition, today was a day of cleaning and decluttering in our household. Thankfully, this year it wasn't a huge process. While we did put together a few bags of things to take to consignment, we are finding we are "collecting" less and less junk. This is a good thing!<br />
<br />
After decluttering my bedroom closet it was time to tackle some frugal activities. I am really wanting to make sure to use things up and have little to no waste this year. Food can be one of the biggest wastes in our house which is expensive. Tonight's dinner consisted of Chicken Pot Pie, Salad and apple pie with whip cream. 98% of what I used to make tonight's dinner was free to us and the rest was reaching its expiration date in our fridge. The next project to tackle was a stack of ripped/torn jeans. These were not jeans to be mended but rather to be taken apart. I had planned to make a denim quilt for Christmas 2011. I had collected free to me ripped jeans all year, and they were still sitting on a shelf collecting dust. Today I cut them apart and now have a box full of denim fabric strips ready to cut into quilt squares.<br />
<br />
Now we are ready for the week, I think. The new quarter brings a new schedule and a new routine for us to get used to. Ready or not, here we go!rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-80750118141438259962012-01-01T09:17:00.000-08:002012-01-01T09:17:33.049-08:00HAPPY NEW YEAR Bring on 2012Happy New Year! I am so excited for 2012 and what it will bring. Last year was such a roller coaster full of changes for our family. I sat down this past week and wrote out my resolutions for the year and really thought about what I want to focus on. What changes do I want to make to better things for our family as well as help our budget. I think I have come up with some great ideas that I can follow through with and stay on top of. <br />
<br />
Here are my resolutions for 2012. I decided to make a list of 12 :).<br />
<br />
1. Prayer and devotion time daily.<br />
<br />
2. Gym 3 x per week.<br />
3. Eat healthier as a family.<br />
4. Stick to our budget and reduce extra spending.<br />
5. Working on handmade Christmas 2 items per month.<br />
6. Implement a regular family game night each week.<br />
7. Dinner at the table as a family 3 times per week.<br />
8. Keep my blog up to date.<br />
9. Learn one new skill per month.<br />
10. Be more positive and thankful in the way I think, speak and act.<br />
11. Keep in better touch with friends and family via phone and letters NOT FB or email.<br />
12. 2 Random acts of kindness per month.<br />
<br />
I have decided to take on several challenges through various websites that I follow as well such as the Photo a Day Challenge and I am joining a Biggest Loser Challenge that a friend is putting together. <br />
<br />
So we are off and running! I look forward to posting regularly to this blog to hold myself accountable and hopefully share some great tips, ideas and projects along the way. Speaking of projects....have you discovered Pinterest yet? If not, check it out! I have saved a lot of recipes and craft projects already that I look forward to trying and sharing my successes (and failures) with you all here (I know you are thrilled right LOL). rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-66496200457741999702011-12-27T07:15:00.000-08:002011-12-27T07:15:37.380-08:00December 27th- Christmas RecapThis Christmas has been a bit out of the ordinary for our family. Our Christmas vacation started off with both feet running. My youngest sons birthday party, my daughters Christmas dance performance and my ex husband coming to visit the kids all fell on the same day. That was day 1 of vacation. Day 2 brought another dance performance and kids spending more time reconnecting with their dad, and day 3 again more reconnecting time. Day 4 (Tuesday) brought the kids leaving with their dad at 3:30am to head to Idaho for Christmas. I was so excited for them to spend time with him and his family. <br />
<br />
I had 5 whole days to myself. I was bored by the afternoon of day 1 LOL it was way too quiet! I wasn't sure what I was going to do with myself over those 5 days. However, the week before I had found out that we had lost a good high school friend and classmate. In a class with only 29 students this hits very hard. I decided that I needed to spend those 5 days reconnecting with friends and just visiting. Wednesday many of us made the 4-5 hour drive to attend Daves service. It really didn't seem real until we were all there together in the same room saying goodbye to one of the funniest people I have ever met. We all spent that afternoon crying, laughing and sharing great memories. We reconnected with each other over beer and pizza, something Dave would have loved. <br />
<br />
The rest of the week was quiet and I had a lot of time to think, reflect and just be still. Something I never do. I had a movie night with a friend, dinner with former co-workers, sushi with a couple of other friends and got some craft projects finished. Christmas Ever I volunteered at church and attended a beautiful Christmas service. Sunday, Christmas Day, I went to the city and spent the day with my best friend and her family. I was able to see her beautiful new home and precious time with her that we don't often get with our busy schedules. Monday morning I was up early and making the drive to pick up the kids. They had such a fabulous time and had many stories to tell. We drove to my parents house and did Christmas with my family. My oldest son met us there, he had been at his dads all week having a blast jamming on his guitar and writing music, along with working for my parents and earning money. <br />
<br />
Now we are back home. Its 7am and everyone is sleeping, except for me. My oldest son should be home in a couple of hours and we will do Christmas here at home. I am so very thankful and feel so very blessed this holiday season. Thankful for our many family and friends, the opportunities the kids got last week to be with family and experience new things. And for myself, the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and just be still for a few days. <br />
<br />
We hope you all had a fabulous holiday weekend full of laughter, love and great memories!rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-12297062744419085752011-12-19T10:07:00.000-08:002011-12-19T10:07:07.177-08:00December 19th-Long Update-**sigh** I really never intended to stay away from this blog for so long. I have missed blogging, and being organized, and sleep.....the list could go on and on. I took a condensed A&P course Fall Quarter. Full A&P 1 and Full A&P 2 condensed into one quarter. If you are ever considering doing that....don't do it. The last couple of months have been extremely difficult. The amount of hours spent on school and studying has been overwhelming, BUT I am so glad that the class is done, I earned a solid grade in the class and can now move onto my very last pre requisite in winter quarter (along with a couple of other classes). <br />
<br />
Now we are onto Christmas vacation. This year, ours is a bit different. The kids are going to be spending the first half of the vacation with their dad! He has been here all weekend spending time with them, reconnecting and celebrating our youngest sons birthday as well as getting to watch our youngest daughter dance. He and the kids will head out bright and early tomorrow morning for Idaho. <br />
<br />
That leaves me with 6 days of no children!! This is the first time in 4 years I have gone more than 48 hours without the kids here. However, I am ready for a little break and so excited for the fun they are going to have!! <br />
<br />
I am going to spend this time deep cleaning my house, finishing up some projects, visiting with friends I have not spent time with lately and just RELAXING. I am also focusing on getting back on track with meal planning, organization and budgeting as these have gone out the window lately.<br />
<br />
The kids are all doing great and enjoying school. We have had performances for each of them this week for either music or dance and they have all done fabulously! I am one proud mama!!rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-79064559281529389712011-10-31T07:04:00.000-07:002011-10-31T07:04:49.889-07:00Menu Plan and Grocery Shopping Week of Oct 30thI have been horrible about menu planning and actually cooking the past few weeks. This week I am determined to get back on track. Here is our menu plan and the grocery shopping the kids and I did yesterday.<br />
<br />
Dinner menu:<br />
Sunday: Tacos<br />
Monday: Chicken pot pie<br />
Tuesday: Zuppa Toscana Soup and french bread<br />
Wednesday: At sons soccer party<br />
Thursday: Spaghetti, french bread and salad<br />
Friday: Hamburgers and french fries<br />
Saturday: Subway after church<br />
<br />
Groceries purchased:<br />
2-2 liters of soda $1.58<br />
3 boxs ceral $8.97<br />
hot sauce $1.49<br />
Shredded cheese $2.50<br />
Hot pocket $2.50<br />
Taco shells $1.99<br />
spanish rice 1.59<br />
2 boxes eggos $2.98<br />
fajita seasoning .89<br />
chicken broth 2.99<br />
milk 2.59<br />
tortilla shells 3.89<br />
seasoned ground turkey 1.99<br />
ground beef 7.33<br />
kale 2.49<br />
bananas 1.92<br />
apples 1.89<br />
<br />
Total: $50.61<br />
We had alot of leftovers from last week and the weekend that will be incorporated for lunches as well as parts of the meals planned for the week. I will also end up picking up a couple more gallons of milk later in the week.rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-3921491151940852922011-10-31T06:57:00.000-07:002011-10-31T06:57:08.195-07:00Struggling to find BalanceThe past 6 weeks have proven to be some of the busiest and most challenging weeks I have ever faced. With an heavy class load and 4 very active children I have barely found time to breath, and I have been getting by on very little sleep and large amounts of caffeine. However, I found that I was slowly drowning on the to do lists and places to be. I found myself in tears more often than I have in the past few years. I wasn't quite sure what to do, how to fix it or make it better. For the first time in a very long time, I felt out of control, unable to keep up and actually started forgetting things that needed to be done.<br />
<br />
I feel very strongly that going back to school is Gods plan for my future. I feel in my heart and soul that this is the right path not only for me but for my family at this time. However, I had lost sight of the fact that I needed to put my worries, stress and fears in Gods hands and let Him guide me down this path. I had let go of the sight that God will provide!!<br />
<br />
Last weekend our Pastor gave a sermon titled <a href="http://cornwallchurch.com/Media/SermonArchives/ItsAllAbouttheApps/BeautifulDay.aspx">Beautiful Day</a> (the link is a recorded video of the sermon). The sermon was about Sabbath, taking a day of rest. During that entire sermon I felt as if he was talking directly to me, it was such a smack up side the head. I have been so go, go, go, do, do, do that I haven't taken any time to rest. I had THOUGHT about it, but then felt I couldn't because I would fall further behind. Our pastor challenged us to implement a Sabbath at least thru Thanksgiving. Even during the sermon I kept thinking to myself, how will I do this? How will I find the time and not fall further behind? He shared the scripture in Mark 6:31 which says: "<em>Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."</em>. I realized, how could I NOT do this. It is what God wants for us, what he has instructed us to do in the bible. Even God did this as we were shown in Exodus 20:11, "<em>For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy".</em> If God felt it important enough to take a day of rest, why would we ignore that in our lives?<br />
<br />
So I accepted this challenge to implement a day of Sabbath. We attend church on Saturday night. That next day, we went to my parents house for the afternoon to celebrate my moms birthday. Nothing fancy, no prepared meal just sandwiches so that we could all rest and visit. There was no fuss over cooking a big meal or the clean up. The kids took their pumpkins with them and spent time carving pumpkins with their cousins. For those few hours, everyone was relaxing, resting and feeding our minds and hearts with fellowship. I discovered that by taking that day away from the hustle and bustle of our schedule things were OK! I put my trust in God that He would provide. This weekend, we did the same thing. Sundays seem to be the best day for our family to set aside but your Sabbath can be any day of the week. Yesterday we went and had family pictures done (our appointment had been scheduled months ago). We had a fun time with the pictures and then came home and spent a relaxing/lazy day at home. It was perfect. No running around, no to do list just time with each other and REST.<br />
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I encourage you, if you have time, listen to the sermon that I linked to. Then find a day each week to be your Sabbath if you don't already. We all need time to rest our mind, body and spirit!rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2001472770745119994.post-84568622116370155882011-10-08T08:39:00.000-07:002011-10-08T08:39:55.738-07:00Quick Catch UpI had originally hoped (as usual) to keep up with this blog, posting regularly. BUT, I have not found a way to fit it in with our new insane schedule. So here is a little "recap" of the past few weeks. <br />
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School is going very well for the kids. My oldest daughter has found that high school is much more overwhelming than middle school. With sports, band and school work she has been on the go much more than she has been used to. That said, she is adjusting and handling it very well (most of the time). My oldest son is attending high school classes and Running Start classes at the college. He is having to prioritize, manage his time and really focus on staying on top of things. He has been doing very well with this so far! <br />
The younger 2 kiddos are really enjoying school this year. They both have great teachers and a fun group of classmates. <br />
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My classes have been much more intense that I had originally anticipated. The Condensed A&P class is extremely fast paced and alot to learn in a short amount of time. I have been functioning on very little sleep for the past few weeks. My day time hours are packed with school/homework/studying and then evenings are packed full of kids activities, more homework and studying. I thank God daily that coffee was created!!<br />
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I have been doing very well with taking my lunch with me daily and not purchasing lunches. While we haven't had "fancy" dinners, we have been cooking dinner at home and not eating out. My menu's have been simple, with one to two crockpot meals per week. I am excited we are getting into "soup" season, as soup and sandwiches are a quick and easy dinner for those busy nights!rachelghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00369833820260241925noreply@blogger.com0