Weekly Menu

So, last week my menu was absolutely nothing like I posted last week.  When I switched from the winter menu, well, I haven't been very excited about that I picked for the summer menu.  I did cook a ham in the crock pot last Sunday and then used the leftovers for some other meals.  We also cooked some pork steaks on the grill.

As looking ahead to this coming week I'm again struggling with what to cook.  Maybe I'm bored with cooking, I'm not sure, but we still have to eat so I still have to cook :-) 

Friday - Tacos :-)

Saturday - I'm not 100% sure yet . . .the boys and I may go to town so I can do a little shopping and then meet Darryl for dinner at Pizza Ranch.  Or, the boys and I may take China to get a bath at a car wash that has a dog bath too . . .and then have Darryl bring dinner home; or who knows :-)

Sunday - Mothers Day!  I've already put in my request for Steaks on the grill.  I'm thinking I'll just put some potatoes in the crock pot so they are ready after church, corn, because that is my favorite veggie, and crescent rolls.  I plan on making "Sin" for dessert - it's so yummy!

Monday - I would like my crock pot to become my best friend this summer.  I just recently "pinned" quite a few Crock Pot meals that looked good and a friend of mine commented on  Chicken Rice Casserole recipe that it was "Great" . . .so I'm leaning towards that one.  

Tuesday - Grill night!  Burgers :-)  I'm thinking some potato salad and fruit will go well with the meal.

Wednesday - Tonight is the boys first t-ball game.  We love sloppy joes lately so I think I'll make those and fries.  Simple but hearty for dinner.

Thursday - My kids will be gone and I have a meeting.  Darryl and I will have something simple - I may have him bring something home. (Like Adobe (Tacos) or Popeye's Chicken!)

Getting Things done

I spent most of April (and probably all of March!) not getting much done and here is the reason why:

 Do you see those empty pages in my planner?  I did not take time to make a to do list of any kind on most days.  There were a few weeks where I was sick with a cold that settled in my chest so I did as little as possible in order to avoid coughing but otherwise, well, I read a lot.  :-)

I'll say it over and over but, I'm a planner. I'm a list maker and an organizer.  It's why I still love a paper planner - so I can make a list and have it handy.  When I take time to make a to do list, I actually tend to accomplish close to 90% of what is on that list because I don't like NOT crossing things off throughout the day.  Sometimes I write the entire weeks goals out on Sunday; sometimes I write out a list for the following day before I go to bed and sometimes, while I eat breakfast, I write down what I want to do that day.  So, it isn't a matter of when I write something down but rather just the fact that it is listed. 

Oh, and I still love my Erin Condrin planner and am already saving my pennies to be able to buy this "splurge" at Christmas :-) It is one of those things that makes me smile and I make sure that at some point while at the Beach in the summer I take the "perfect" picture of the boys to put on the front of my planner that brings me joy all year long!

Teaching Tuesday - The start of our "Summer"

This week we are starting with the summer plans.  I'll have pictures, ideas and links to share next week. 

So, this week I thought I would share some photos from a recent field trip the boys took to the Kalamazoo Museum with their grandparents.

 Here Nate is serving as the waiter/cook at the diner and Josh is ordering.  These boys love to play restaurant so I'm sure they loved this!

 Jammin' with Grandma. 

 It's hard to see but Josh is doing the weather.  He loves maps and weather so this is right up his alley.  He watches the news in the morning for the sole purpose of seeing the maps.

Nate and Grandpa build a car and then raced it. 

I'm beyond thankful the boys have two sets of grandparents who love to do fun things with them.  It gives them great experiences at places that we don't always get a chance to take them. 

Things My Kids Say . . .and Do . . and just where they are at.

* The boys love cutting the grass . . . .with scissors.  Every single day this week they have been outside busily cutting the grass, blade by blade by blade.

* Nate got sick this past week and when Nate gets sick, he gets sick.  Poor guy.  He has a brother who loves him, though; Josh pulled Nate's dirty blanket out of their room and then kicked everyone out of the playroom as Nate fell asleep.  Yep, best friends.

* I would just like to reference that as of the writing of this post, neither one of my kids have lost teeth.  Nor do they have teeth that are even slightly lose.  I have a feeling they will lose teeth on the exact same day . . a year from now HA!

Family Fun - Easter Fun Part 1

Our Easter plans this year just kept changing.  We thought Darryl would be working but he ended up not working on Saturday because he wasn't feeling well.  We had made last minute plans to go to his moms house on Easter Sunday but he was so sick that we didn't go.  So in the end we were able to just hang out as a family and enjoy our normal traditions.

 On Saturday morning I took the boys to a fabulous Easter Egg hunt.  Yes, my kids were very underdressed for the weather . . it was 32 degrees and FREEZING but they had on shorts HA! 

 There were about 1000 Easter Eggs to grab and the boys took off around the outside of the crowd and got first dibs on the eggs.  They filled their buckets in no time!

 Nate, with his very full bucket, thanks in part to Josh.  Why?  When it was done, Nates bucket wasn't completely full and he got upset.  Josh said, "Oh, Nate, I have way too many" and started transferring eggs to Nate's bucket until Nate was smiling.  Josh loves his brother more than anything and hates when Nate gets upset!

 Josh showing off his bucket :-)

 On Sunday afternoon we decorated eggs . . ..science style.  We took baking soda and added just enough water and food coloring to make a thick "paint".  The boys then painted their eggs with the mixture.  Once done, they would drop vinegar on the eggs and which it fizzle!

 They loved it.  AND it made super awesome colorful eggs!

 By the time we got near the end, they had more fun with the baking soda/vinegar in bowls than they did with the eggs HA!  It was awesome and we will do this again for sure!

They eggs were awesome and the boys had fun (and I'm STILL getting baking soda off the table HA!)

Weekly Menu - A pretty normal week

So, AWANA is done . .. . and T-Ball is starting.  I was thinking that I didn't need "quick" meals now that AWANA was done but T-Ball practice started last week and games start next week (which means TWO nights out!) That's ok, it's good to be busy and we like introducing the boys to new sports.  We are kinda hoping they really like T-ball and want to learn and play in the future too. 

Here's the plan for the coming week:

Saturday - You know the drill . . .eat in or eat out but this is my night not to cook.  I'm thinking about possibly taking the boys into Home Depot in the morning to build something and then we'll spend the day in town before meeting Darryl for dinner. OR . . we might open up the camper and clean it out to get ready for camping.  It kinda depends on the weather.

Sunday - Tomato Basil Chicken, Salad, and Garlic Bread. 

Monday - Beef Tips and Noodles.  I like this recipe in the "summer" because I can brown the meat and than throw it all in the crock pot.  Salad and Rolls

Tuesday - Colossal Club Sandwiches, Corn on the Cob and Salad

Wednesday - This is grilling night :-)  What we grill depends on what is on sale when I shop - Pork Chops, Chicken, burgers or Steaks!

Thursday - T- Ball Practice day :-)  Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Salad and Garlic Bread will be a quick, easy meal

Friday - Tacos :-)

April Goal Recap and May Goals

It's time to do a litltle recap of the goals from April and talk about May.

April
In April I worked on deep cleaning the dining room and the boys room - wiping down baseboards, cleaning windows and dusting.  Darryl and I worked outside a little and put a new canvas on the boys tree house roof; he and the boys cleaned up all the sticks and stuff in the yard.  I also worked in the garage and got most of it cleaned up including getting rid of a metal shelf that was being held together by rust pieces HA!

We finished up our school year; I planned our weekly things for the summer and have everything in manila folders ready to use.  I am working on ordering school books one book at a time.  Organizing is still in the works of both the stuff we are done with as well as the stuff we are still using.

I didn't touch anything scrapbooking related but my goal is to focus this summer on getting current.  With school done, I can put some stuff away and set up a small scrapbooking area in the dining room so I can work on it daily.  It's important to me to get as current as possible.

We are just about 5 weeks away from our first camping trip.  I have been spending about $10.00 a week to stock up on stuff for camping like snacks and paper products.  I've planned our basic menu for each trip (we eat the same thing almost every time HA) so I can get what we need when it is on sale.  Now I'm working on activities to do while we are camping.  Last year I took some specific things for crafts and fun to kinda break up the day.  Plus we took our Kids Bible and did a lesson on Sunday morning with a little craft. 

I did a few other things but that's the basics.

Here's what is on my radar for May:

Home
My goal is a little different this month.  Instead of specifically focusing on one room, I'm trying to get through all of the rooms and hit the stuff that only gets done once or twice a year like wiping down baseboards and trim, washing windows and going through every drawer, box, bin and container.   This isn't just true for the upstairs but also the downstairs.  As I finish the basic clean up/re-organization in the basement I then need to go back through every bin and clean out. Again.  I do this every few years and I'm always amazed and how much stuff I get rid of when I go through bins.

School
The focus is again different right now.  First and foremost I have to get our curriculum ordered as quickly as possible.  I'm starting with the core subjects so that I can get lesson plans done.  I learned last year that homeschooling two kids is different than planning lessons for 30 kids :-)  When I taught in a classroom I only planned one week at a time because we never got through the lessons planned.  Teaching at home, we almost always get through our lessons for the week so I can plan the entire year.  :-)   

I will be attending a homeschool conference this month too.  I'm looking forward to learning and to actually being able to handle some curriculum and look through things I've picked out - who knows I might find some fabulous deals too.

Scrapbooking
I have one main goal this month - to completely put together the graduation album for my nephew.  If I can complete is album by the end of May it will be the first time to ever have it done earlier than the night before it was "due" HA!   I would also like to gear up for my Summer of Scrapbooking by getting my supplies ready!

Camping
We'll be camping this month!  So, I have to open the camper, clean it out and pack it for the summer with the basic supplies.  Our first camping trip is literally 10 minutes from home so we'll be able to run home if needed to pick up supplies.

Holidays
I should say that our Easter was great.  I've made a few notes for next year as reminders for planning but I was really happy with what we did this year.  I need to still make notes/ideas for Christmas and Birthdays now that we are on the downside towards both of those things again!

Just one Thing
I need to rework my list for this to focus on some key things.