What can you NOT Live Without?

Let me clarify this post right up front - this is not a deep post!  Just something fun I was thinking about recently.  Very simply, what things MUST you have to avoid meltdowns, breakdowns, or to just be happy?

Here are my top 10 things!

1) Ketchup - Ketchup has become a food group in our house.  My kids dip everything from cheese to fries to pancakes in ketchup (don't judge the pancakes - it is so much easier to clean up ketchup than it is syrup!).  I now make sure I always have one extra bottle on hand since my kids will eat ketchup with a spoon, as a vegetable :-)  The only good thing is my kids also like BBQ sauce and A1 but Ketchup is the first choice.

2) Hershey's Syrup - Yep.  Josh loves Chocolate Milk.  (Cocate Ilk).  It is not a good day when I run out of Hershey's Syrup.  Normally, he gets a glass for breakfast and a glass before bed.  The good thing is that with the Syrup, I control the amount of chocolate - recently, there were only drips left in the bottle, he saw me putting it in the milk and that was enough for him :-)  So yes, I can still fool him with "barely" chocolate milk!!

3) Tassimo Caramel Cappuccino - This is my drink of choice right now.  It is a sad day when I run out, which I do periodically.  No, I don't throw a fit but I do end up drinking an extra Pepsi :-) 

4) Pepsi - I hate when we run out of Pepsi.  I try to limit myself to one can a day, if that, but it is my go to drink when I've been working hard on something like cleaning :-) or when I just really need a break.

5) Pizza - Whether it be the stuff to make homemade pizza or some frozen ones - they are a life saver for lunch and a quick dinner.  My kids love pizza and often ask for it - it is so nice to have it on hand to be able to make what they want.  This isnt' a deal breaker, though, just something nice to have on hand.

6) Mac and Cheese - Enough Said.  Easy Peasy Meal!

7) Something Sweet - Don't care what; Frozen Yogurt, Mini Candy Bars, Cookies - just something to meet the need of that sweet tooth that hits at some point during the day.  Trust me, if I don't have something on hand, we end up snacking like crazy trying to "feed" the need and it isn't met so we snack on something else!! 

8) Pop Tarts - The kids eat one pastry for breakfast and Nate usually has at least one other one for a snack throughout the day.  If I don't have them and have to substitute cereal, I usually have two boys who lay down on the floor and tell me they don't want cereal until they get hungry enough to grab a snack cup :-)  I have learned that they do like Meijer brand poptarts (Darryl does not!) and they are less messy because they are dryer.  Plus they are cheaper so it is a  win-win!

9) Bananas - These are a deal breaker but when my almost three year old wants a banana, nothing else will do and we  have a meltdown.  Periodically Apples and "Fuit" (i.e. Strawberries) will replace bananas but he always goes back to those yellow fruits!!

10) Fruit Snacks - It is another one of those foods that if it is out of site it is out of mind but when it comes into their mind there is nothing that replaces that thought!  I try to keep a box on hand just to keep everyone happy.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't cave to my kids cravings - if we don't have it, we don't have it and that's life but, why fight battles you don't  have to fight, right?

Do you have a list of things you can't live without?

What I'm Reading

Welcome back to "What I'm Reading!"  I did not post last weekend for no other reason then I didn't have a chance :-) 

Over the past few weeks I've been reading an extended series by Lauraine Snelling - Red River of the North, Return to Red River, and finally Daughters of Blessing.   This is such a fantastic series that as I finished reading the last book in the Daughters of Blessing series, Rebecca's Reward, I went in search to see if there is more in this "family" only to discover that I'm not the only one who loves this little town!  Lauraine Snelling even has a blog that is called Postscripts From Blessing.  Guess what?  There is another series called Home to Blessing which continues the story of the family.  I'm already saving my pennies to be able to purchase the books in the series!  I just love these books!!!

As I finished up the above series I decided that I needed to start reading some of the books on my year end book list or I would have zero success!  This is a book I picked up as a new release at a great deal through another blog and I'm looking forward to digging into it.  I've only read the introduction and I already like the way Angie Smith "talks".  I love how she pointed out that when Satan asked Eve about the Tree in the garden, he didn't say "don't eat", he asked her if that is what she was told - he made her think, doubt, question.  Isn't that what we tend to do?  Get a shadow of a doubt and latch onto it.  I'm looking forward to actually getting into the meat of this book.   So for now, I'm going to focus on my reading goal and see if I can't get a few of those books marked off that list!!!