Weekly Menu

Last week I was kind of scrapping the bottle of the barrel (or fridge and freezer) in order to use up leftovers and other stuff that has been sitting around in the cupboards for awhile. (That sounds appetizing!) As we enter December, my goal is always to keep meals simple and well planned.  We have fun activities to do whether at home or out and about - I try to avoid random eating out because it "eats" up the grocery budget faster then, well, groceries!

I'm using the menu from Confessions of a Homeschooler as my inspiration.

Friday:  Tonight is our local Christmas Parade and lighting of the tree.  I always struggle with dinner on this night because  we have such a little amount of time to eat between when Darryl gets home and when we need to head downtown.  So, speghetti and breadsticks is the plan!

Saturday: We have a busy day with practices and then a concert in the evening.  My crock pot is my friend today.  Pulled Pork BBQ, Mac and Cheese and Baked Beans

Sunday: Today is my "cheat day".  We are heading to get our Christmas tree after church so we will stop at a fast food place in town before traveling on to the Christmas tree farm.

Monday: Breaded chicken, Carrots and Peas, crash potatoes

Tuesday: Chicken Quasidillas with a salad and guacamole.

Wednesday: Pork Roast, Sweet Potatoes, and green Beans.  Darryl is taking the boys on a field trip today so I'm going to enjoy the smell of the pork roast in the oven all afternoon!

Thursday: BBQ Ribs, Corn, and Mashed Potatoes. Tonight I'm heading to a Christmas tree so, again, the crock pot will keep me on track today so we can eat dinner before I head out.

A little Blog Inspiration - Confessions of a Homeschooler

One of my all time favorite blogs to read and follow is :

It is through Erica's BLOG that I have found amazing teaching resources that I've been able to use over and over again with my kids.  I recently noticed that the preschool the princess attends uses Erica's preschool curriculum which is a pretty big deal.  She also offers great videos and sells amazing resources based on her knowledge she has gained through the years she has homeschooled each of her kids.  I feel like she makes my homeschool live a little easier. 

One of the extras that she does each month is posts a menu.  Within the menu are links to many of her meals so you can even find the recipes.  I've made many of her recipes and they are always good (simple and good - that is a great thing!). 

Well, in December her menu also includes crafts and activities to do with the kids too - a triple bonus! 

If you are looking for some meal and planing inspiration - just click HERE.  Trust me, I plan on using her monthly menu to plan our December meals to keep my life so much more simple!!

I'm still here . ..

I have blog post ideas to post about but it just seems I haven't had a chance to actually write them! 

Right now I'm focused on planning our December - what to make, what to do, and how to wisely spend our shopping money!  So usually at night, I'm doing a lot of planning and not a lot of writing!  The good news is that soon I'll have a bunch of recipes, crafts, and great ideas to write about!

So, for now, enjoy all of the Christmas lights - they are one of my most favorite parts of the season!

Our Week in Photos #22

And just like that Thanksgiving is over.  We've had a wonderful start to the Holiday season and I look forward to sharing all of our adventures with you over the coming weeks!

 After the event at the library with building bridges, the boys put together this huge bridge using straws and connections.  it was the entire length of the living room. 

 Saturday we had a quiet day at home.  We don't get days like this very often.  Josh was in his glory because the cat actually sat with and/or on him most of the day.  He's been dreaming of this moment for a long time!

 On Monday, the boys participated in a "Mystery Dinner" at the Library.  Nate was "Mikey the Millionaire" and Josh was "The Robot".  Yes, those are their costumes.  So, now you understand why I buy their Halloween costumes every year  ;-) HA!  They really had a great time and got into the whole idea of the mystery!

 Thanksgiving was a beautiful day.  My mom and Darryl's dad celebrated with us.  We watched Football, ate a great dinner, and enjoyed being together.  As is always true at the holidays, my dad's presence was missed but I'm thankful for the family that was able to be together.

 We ended our evening playing games :-)

On Friday, we enjoyed going to see a fabulous Christmas Movie.

This movie was just amazing.  It was so well done and the story was really as close to the real Christmas story as they could get.  I was very impressed.  You know it is good when my 7 year old leans over and says, "Mom, lets buy this movie!"

 And this is the next movie on our list :-)

After he movie we came home to do some yard work.  Yes, this is November 24th.  Nate is in a tank top and shorts and yes, we are really mowing the grass.  Crazy.  It was 60 degrees.  With the help of my mom, we cleaned up the garage, got all of the yard stuff put away and did a little yard work.  It was a great day! 

Thanksgiving Craft - Accordian Thankful Book

I shared the other day one craft we did in our last week of Friday School and now, I want to share the other.

In my searching of Pinterest (My favorite resource for all things related to teaching co-ops!), I came across an adorable Thankfulness book on Teachers Pay Teachers and knew I had to do it. 

This little accordion book is perfect for any kid from preschool through upper elementary.  For my class of 6-7 year olds, I premade the books by folding the paper, cutting out the turkey head and feathers and stapling it all together.  I was concerned about running out of time.  Depending on age, the kids could complete the whole thing on there own.  The printable comes with a cute poem as well as "I am thankful for . .. ." pages that get filled out and glued on each page.  This would make a great writing assignment for older grades or, as my class did, they can draw pictures on his card showing what they are thankful for as well.

You can find the full printable HERE.

Our Week in Photos #21

We had another great week with some new experiences and everyday fun!

 On Saturday, the 11th, Josh had the opportunity to participate in a choir for 3rd-6th graders through the Michigan Music Educators Association.  It was a great chance for him to work under and be taught by a choir director and learn songs to sing with other students.  As homeschoolers, sometimes it's experiences like this that help create something new for students to use as learning tools.  He seemed to really enjoy it and we were super, duper proud of him!

 Another first - the boys got invited to their very first real friend birthday party.  They even got to dress up. We pulled out their costumes they wore in the Christmas program last year and transformed them into Knights.  We even had nerf swords!

 Josh playing one of the games.  This particular friend is actually a good friend of Nate's but I was thankful that they invited Josh too. :-)

 Nate found this helmet at his friends house and added it to his costume.

 Nate and his friend, the birthday boy, sitting in the "Kings Throne".  They boys really did have a lot of fun.  I am thankful for great experiences!

 Nate is really into games right now.  At least one night a week he will start pulling out games for us to play after dinner.

 Speaking of heartwarming moments - this is a first.  Both boys picked out books at the library but Nate, well, he picked out some "chapter" books.  Nice thick books.  After AWANA, I found Nate in the playroom . .. READING!  On his own.  Who cares that they are Pokemon books written in comic style - he has a bookmark and everything.  I've been waiting for my kids to start wanting to read!

 On Thursday, we attended the Library homeschooling hour and the boys learned about bridges and then got to try creating their own out of Popsicle sticks.

 Josh's bridge. 

Nate's bridge. 

Weekly Menu - Thanksgiving

Amazingly, I stuck to our menu last week.  I made some new recipes that were actually pretty good.  I'll be sharing those in the coming days!  As we look forward to the coming week, we have Thanksgiving to look forward too!  I keep telling myself to keep it simple!!! Here's the plan for the coming week :-)

Friday - My original plan for tonight was leftovers.  But, considering the fact that the large bowl of leftover soup slipped out of my hands when I was putting it away on Tuesday night and splattered all over the kitchen, well, I don't have much for leftovers!  I know we have some things and I'll just try to supplement with favorites like Mac and Cheese :-)

Saturday - Amish Baked Chicken, Buttered Noodles, and Carrots

Sunday - At the writing of this I have decided if we are going to our church Thanksgiving dinner.  If we do, I'll take a salad and either rolls or a dessert if not, Pulled pork BBQ at home with fries.

Monday - The Kids have an activity at the Library which includes pizza so I think Darryl and I will have leftovers from the weekend.

Tuesday - Sweet and Sour Meatballs over Baked Brown Rice and Green Beans

Wednesday - It's the night before Thanksgiving and all through the house, not a person is cooking  . .not even ME HA!  I always try to make something simple because there is so much prep/cooking going on that I don't want anything extra. This year, we will have TACOS!!  I can actually prep everything for the tacos early in the week, making it even easier on Wednesday!

Thursday - It's Thanksgiving!  Here's the basic plan.  Turkey (of course), Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Sweet Potato Casserole, Green Bean Casserole, Cooked Carrots (I have a few recipes I'm dividing between), Mac and Cheese (Nate's favorite Thanksgiving food!), Cranberries, and probably some good rolls and flavored butter.  As far as dessert - I know for sure I'll make my favorite Pumpkin Pie and then I have about 20 different desserts picked out and I need to narrow it down HA!  Now, to keep it real, until I actually go shopping, this menu could change (that's for my mom's sake - this is not set in stone!!)