Menu Planning update

As most of you know we are in the process of moving again. We moved into our current house temporarily while we sold ours and purchased another. So needless to say with two moves in 2 months and it being summer menu planning has kinda gone out the window. We should be in our new home by the end of the month and I can not wait! I am ready to get back to my routines and menu planning is one of those routines.

One of my goals this summer (yes I have summer goals...its an OCD thing) was to have on paper 30 meals. Well, I have been keeping a list of meals that we like and when I sat down and counted it up and I have 37 meals! That's more than a month and with leftovers and ordering out on occasion and those rare nights when I am the only one home I think I have 2 months worth of meals with no rotations. Between menu planning and stockpiling my groceries I think that I will really see a huge difference in my food bill.

I've been doing the coupons and stockpiling and some menu planning but I think having 6-8 weeks worth of meals is now going to drop my bill even lower. I am ready to get moved and get back to a normal life. Or at least my version of normal.

What about you? Are you a menu planner or a dinner on the fly mom? Or do you fall somewhere in between?  What are your biggest dinner challenges? What are you doing to help with those challenges?

WFM Wednesday 7/11/12

Today's Works For Me Wednesday is all about grocery shopping. I took the time and made a pre-filled out list and broke it into sections. I have a space to mark down the amount of each item we need and I put a C next to the item if I have a coupon. I keep a highligher in the kitchen so the kids and husband can just highlight what we need or what they want. I also have a  blank space to write in items that I may need just on occasion or if I am trying a new recipe and need a rare item. I like having this already pre-printed....it makes it easier to read rather than my kids horrible spelling. (Or my husband's...lol) And I can update the list as needed too. Below is my master grocery list. I put mine in excel form. Do you use a pre-made form or write it down or do you have it in your smart phone or ipad?

Master Grocery List
Produce		Snacks		Ethnic Food		Condiments		Cereal
Potatoes		Cookies		Refried Beans		BBQ Sauce		Oatmeal
Onions		Graham crackers		Taco Shells		Mustard		Cherrios
Lettuce		Popcorn		Enchilada Sauce		Mayo		Fruit loops
Carrots		Chips		Salsa		Relish		Grits
Bananas		Gum		Soy Sauce		Ketchup
Apples				Rice		Salad Dressing
Grapes				Taco Seasoning		Vinegar
Tomatoes		Canned Goods		Pizza Sauce		Syrup
Strawberries		Sp. Sauce		Pepperoni		Honey
		Corn
		Baked Beans
		Tom Sauce		Meat
		Tom paste		Ground Beef		PB Aisle
		Tom soup		Chicken		Peanut Butter
Breads		Green Beans		Stew meat		Nutella
Breads		Canned Beans		Lunch meat		Jelly
Flat Bread		Mushrooms		Pork Chops
Rolls		Rotel		Pork Loin
Hotdog buns		Cranberry Sauce		Bacon
Burger buns		Tomatoes		Hotdogs		Frozen Food
Tortillas				Smokies		Ice Cream
		Dairy		Sausage		Veg
		Milk				Waffles
		Butter				Pizza
Beverages		Eggs
Juice		Yogurt		Baking Aisle
Soda		Am Cheese		Flour
Lemonade		Cheddar		Sugar		Household Goods
Coffee		Mozzarella		Brown Sugar		P Towels
Tea		Cream Cheese		Powdered Sugar		T. Paper
Wine		Velveeta		Yeast		Tissue
		Coffee Mate		Pudding Mix		Bleach
				Cake Mix		Dish detergent
Canned fruits				Choc. Chips		Foil
Applesauce		Pasta		Fluff		Baggies
Peaches		Spaghetti		Pam		Dish soap
Raisins		Mac & cheese		Oil		Trash bags
				Olive Oil
				Brownie Mix
				Garlic

Summer Schedules

    This summer is the first summer in six years that my oldest hasn't been in summer camp. This means I have both girls home ALL DAY LONG. Which means my house is a constant disaster in the making. I try, really I do. I get up in the morning and straighten up and pick up throughout the day and at night before bed but I swear I am just spinning my wheels.

    Now I have tried so many things. Flylady, lists, schedules, yelling...wait...I can't admit to yelling on a blog can I? Anyway, nothing seems to work. Also depending on what I do during the day with the girls sometimes I am to tired to pick up in the evening, which just sets myself up for disaster tomorrow.

    Whats a mom to do?

    Seriously? What should I do?

    Right now I am thinking I should just let go and let God for the state of my house this summer.

    Thoughts? What do you do in the summer time if all of your children are at home?

WFM Wednesday

My Works For Me Wednesday post today is about my snackbox in my vehicle. I briefly mentioned it in my last WFM post so I thought I would go a little more into it today.

Its not much really but I get so many comments on it (positive and not so positive) in real life I thought I would blog about it. (Because that's what bloggers do right?)

Anyway all that it is, is a plastic shoebox sized tub with a lid that I got at the dollar tree. Yes folks, I shop at the dollar tree. Anyway in it I store snacks like granola bars, cereal bars, individual chip bags, and other non melting snacks (today it was 115 degrees in the truck at 6pm) and I also have some juice boxes in there. Its under the front seat and pretty much stays there. At least once a week I refill and rotate drinks as needed. But usually come Friday its in need of refilling.

The reasons I have this are plentiful but mainly I am cheap and my kids are ALWAYS hungry. They both have fast metabolisms and so they constantly snack. I want them to have healthyish options that don't break my budget. Also I have been known to dip into it when running around and hungry.

Another reason is you never know what might happen. Recently there was a very bad accident on a bridge and cars were trapped for seven hours. HELLO?! You on a bridge for seven hours? What if you have kids? People laugh at my snack box and laugh at my anal retentiveness and OCD but trust me, you want to be in the car with me when you are stuck on a bridge for 7 hours. I know you won't starve to death but you won't kill your kids because they are crying because they are hungry.

I urge you to make a snack box and keep it filled and put it in your vehicle. Its to cheap not to do.

What works for you?

Monday Monday

   So its a new week. And what did I accomplish last week? Not much of anything really. I got some stuff done but not really. Ever feel like a hamster in a wheel? I think that's what all stay at home moms feel like in the summer. Every day we just spin our wheels.

   I got my husband to work on Wednesday. And now we've discovered that he is probably going to be gone 3 months. Yep. Fun. It is what it is. Then Sunday was our 12th anniversary. We've only spent, I believe, 4 together. I remind myself that marriage is not about the one day but all the others in between. We can celebrate being married any day. (But part of me still wanted him here)

   I don't really have to much planned for the week. Play date for the youngest, Zumba, pool and oh yeah....more cleaning and going through boxes getting ready for our next move.

   What are your plans for this week? How are you surviving summer so far? Do you too feel like a hamster in a wheel or is that just me?

WFM Wednesday- Clean Vehicle

One thing I like to do that helps my life run smoothly is keeping our vehicle cleaned out. Is it perfect? No, but we can all ride in it comfortably. I follow Flylady and one of her habits is Clean Car Friday. So most Fridays I go out an pull out all unneeded items and return them to their rightful homes. I also take our snack box and refill it with snacks and then I grab a wet washcloth and wipe everything down. If I am out and about I try to pull into the carwash and vacuum it out. It takes only a few minutes and the benefits are huge. I also try to fill up the truck and check the tire pressure. Total time is 15-30 minutes depending on if I fill it up and vacuum.

To give you an idea of what I do here's my list:

1. Grab empty laundry basket and pitch everything that doesn't belong in the truck.
2. Grab empty shopping bag and place in it all trash. Place additional bag in vehicle for during week trash.
3. Return things to rightful spot. (Umbrella under seat, chargers in console, etc)
4. Bring in laundry basket and snack box. Refill snack box.
5. Replace snack box and take wet rag and do a quick wipe down of everything.
6. Vac, gas and tires if going into town. If not I will wait till I do.

This plus using pockets of dead time to clean helps keep my vehicle looking nice. (Pockets of dead time is my term for when I am waiting in the car for a child. I will do a quick pick up of trash and take the microfiber cloth I keep in the truck and wipe everything down)

Do you have a clean vehicle routine?

Sum sum Summertime

    Well I hope you all had a great weekend! For Fathers Day we took the kids to the pool and then to McDonalds. Yep....living the life people.....don't hate. After we just hung around the house. Big fun!

    Now that we are somewhat settled in our temporary home I am planning on getting back to the gym. I got a new schedule and marked off water aerobics and the dance type classes. I also joined a weight loss group with my church. I think the competition will do me good. I like competition. Actually I like winning but I am not supposed to say that. (But I like winning....shhh)

   I need to get things back on track. I need to menu plan again. Little different this time as I will be trying to use up my stockpile. After moving it once I want to move less this time...lol. I also need to get back on cleaning schedule and get things purged. We should be moving right before school starts and I want to be on track. Both girls will be in school this year and Becca has been promoted to the advanced karate class and Carson wants to do both dance and cheer leading next year. And she wants me to be cheer mom. So getting organized this summer is a must if I want to add all that to my plate.

    What about you? How do you spend your summers?

Happy Father's Day

To all of the Fathers out there....either by birth or by choice I want to wish you a Happy Father's Day! What are your plans for the day?

A Moving Experience

As you may or may not know my family just moved over Memorial weekend. Let me tell you, its been an experience. I have not really moved to much. Moving out of my parents house wasn't hard because I didn't have much. Then when we moved into our first and second homes we still didn't have much. But after 6 years and 2 more kids living with us we seemed to have acquired MUCH junk. We did not pack the way I wanted but I have now come up with a plan for our next move....in 2 months. Most of our stuff has stayed packed as this is a temporary move. When we move anything that we need absolutely will have a red dot placed on it. That would be food, china, & clothes. Then things we need after that will have a blue dot. Computers, DVDs, entertainment items. After that we wrote on the boxes what they contain.

Now while still here I will be purging. I love freecycle and hope to get rid of a ton of item. Maybe a garage sale at our next home too. I want to embrace the minimalist lifestyle...lol....well at least stand near it.

Have you ever moved? Got any tips, tricks or advice?

Husbands

Let me ask a question? Is my husband the only bull in the china shop???

To clarify…..if I am still asleep…..mind you its 6am not 8 or God forbid 9am my husband will be as loud as humanly possible all the while claiming he is trying to be quiet. He will repeatedly come into our bedroom and “looking” for something in the bathroom. So I finally say I’m up….what are you looking for and he says never mind I found it and he holds up his razor!

Cue exploding head!

Did I forget to mention the kids were at my parents?

Well…..two were the 40 year old needs to go next time so this momma can get some sleep.

So, is my husband the only one like this?

I'm baaaaccckkk!

So we moved. And let me tell you how exciting that was…….cricket……cricket……yeah…not exciting at all.

We just moved to the next town but you would think with the internet we moved 27 towns away. We even moved to a bigger more populated town. But can you believe that it took a week….yes SEVEN days to transfer internet service? I didn’t establish new service…..I transferred existing service. And let me tell you, the dude was mad that I didn’t want the $150 monthly package. But…..that’s another blog post there.

I can not believe how much junk we had. And I discovered men and women move differently. As I was leaving stuff behind to be thrown away, my husband packed it up. So now, I not only get to unpack I get to throw away. And the best part? We are doing this again in 2 months! Yes, this is temporary while we purchase our new larger home. So we are only unpacking what we need. No knick-nacks allowed.

At least I will know to schedule a transfer a week in advance…..ugh….help me.

Summertime in the South

In the South summertime means many things: tans, going on the river with friends and family, crawfish boils and of course allergies. Yes, all that sunshine means our grass grows exceptionally fast so that means nearly everyday someone in the neighborhood is cutting the grass. And how lucky am I that one of the 101 things I am allergic to is grass. (For the record I am also allergic to hay, pollen, cats, dogs, long haired animals, oak, pine and dairy products) When my alergies flare up my new weapon of choice is Claritin.

Claritin is a 24 hour pill that combats my allergy symptoms. For me those include itchy face and eyes, sneezing, runny nose and generally a bad mood. My eyes also swell shut sometimes. Claritin knocks all of that out of my system and leaves this mommy a non drowsey non itchy happy camper.

Have you tried Claritin?


DISCLOSURE: I am a part of the Claritin's Moms Crew. Claritin sent me samples of their product to use as I see fit but I was not monatarily compensated. All opinions expressed are my own.

Spring Cleaning

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. This week is our spring break here. I have a few projects to tackle at home like decluttering & deep cleaning. Also now that we have another family member living with us we have had to rearrange bedrooms. Basically I moved the soon to be 4 y/o in with the 12 y/o. Neither are to happy as one lost privacy & the other lost a place to play with her toys.

Also I am giving my coupon binder a major overhaul. I plan to (hopefully) post pictures of the finished product.

Anyone else have any spring cleaning goals they are working on this week?

This week

This week I plan on being busy as next week is a school holiday.

Today I plan on volunteering at my youngest's school. We are making shirts for their Mardi Gras parade on Friday. They will be the Krewe of Polka Dots. I think the kids will have a lot of fun with it. Tuesday I have some major shopping to do as there are quite a few deals out there. I spent some time yesterday planning these out. Wednesday & Thursday I hope to get some freezer cooking done & Thursday afternoon we have girl scouts & our cookies should be in. Friday morning is B's parade then this weekend I have to take C to a slumber party, B to a gymnastics party & fit in girl scout cookie booths at some point.

Interested to see how much actually gets accomplished. One can dream right?

Resolutions

As December winds down and Christmas draws to a close I like most of you I am sure find myself thinking of how to make next year better than the one that is ending. 2010 was an interesting year to say the least. I watched my children become a year older, my oldest went from elementary into junior high school, my baby not only started school but thrives there, and my husband became temporarily (thank God) unemployed. He is back to work now which is good but timing as always has a way of biting me in the rear & he will miss Christmas again this year. I have done good on some of my goals. We have whittled down our debt by paying off 2 credit cards & paying down another. But this still seems to be taking a toll so we have decided to make bigger changes. We stopped paying Child support in April so now we have some extra room in the budget to start snowballing things. We've also decided to give up tv beginning in January. Next will be our landline in Feb & reducing our cell phones in Feb too. I also have my van up for sale and if all that goes as planned we can put close to $700 more a month to our debt. I know the mortgages won't get paid off sooner but I am not concerned with those. I just really want to pay the credit cards off completely.
Also, I'm coming up with a new business venture which may allow me to keep the van & to have it pay for itself. In the new year I will be a personal grocery shopper. I even have my first client lined up. I think this will be a great idea. I am really excited. I think there are people who will pay a reasonable fee to have someone do their grocery shopping for them.
I don't really have any resolutions....I am not saying I am resolved to be/do this that or the other but I do have goals which I will be writing up for another post & I will be printing them & posting them in my home to help hold myself accountable. I look forward to announcing wheneve a step has been accomplished towards my goals.

Do you have goals or resolutions for 2011?

My love hate relationship with Menu planning

Ok....I menu plan. Now I've said it & most of my friends will either look at me as if I am some weird Martha wanna be or that my anal retentiveness has been kicked up another notch. Or maybe both. I hate to menu plan but I do it b/c it saves money, helps me grocery shop & saves money in the long run. Now...I am not a menu Nazi. Sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes stores have coupons or sales which change my plans or sometimes I get sick & the hubs is gone & I let the kids eat cereal or raman noodles.



I like to have pretty much the same thing every week. (Stew on Sundays, spaghetti on Wed, etc) Its usually b/c of how my week goes. We have a church function on Wednesday nights so I can make the spaghetti sauce in the morning. I just make it fit my life.



Now the hate part. I really hate having my life dictated to me but....I really like only really having to think about dinner once a month. I love that I can look at my list in the morning & know that everything I need is right there. No last minute trips to the grocery.



I hate those trips. I go in for one or two things & walk out $100 poorer. So I menu plan & I coupon & you can think I am weird that's ok. I still like you...lol.

My Day

This is a list of all the items I try to get accomplished daily. Truthfully it falls apart after dinner due to the baby not being on a better bedtime routine & a husband that is not always home. So I'm working on it. So here is my P.O.D.A. or parade of daily activities.

· MAKE BED
· CHECK CALENDAR & EMAILS
· EAT BREAKFAST
· START LOAD OF LAUNDRY
· SWISH & SWIPE BATHROOMS
· UNLOAD DISHWASHER
· BEGIN DINNER
· SWIFFER LR & KITCHEN
· REBOOT LAUNDRY
· OPEN MAIL & FILE
· EAT LUNCH
· FOLD & PUT AWAY LAUNDRY
· CHECK DINNER PROGRESS
· TAKE OUT TRASH
· SET TABLE
· EMPTY BACK PACK & CHECK HOMEWORK
· EAT DINNER
· KIDS IN BATH
· LOAD DISHWASHER
· PUT UP LEFTOVERS
· CHECK TOMORROWS SCHOOL LUNCH
· PACK BACKPACK- HOMEWORK SNACK WATER MONEY
· CHECK TOMORROW’S SCHEDULE
· LAY OUT CLOTHES
· START TO DO LIST
· PACK DIAPER BAG IF NEEDED
· PLUG IN ELECTRONICS & FLIP BREAKERS
· FINAL WALK THROUGH
· SHOWER & READY FOR BED


Special to do’s
· Monday- Mop
· Tuesday- Purge Fridge
· Wednesday-Trash to curb
· Thursday-Clean out Car & purse/diaper bag
· Friday- Bill pay & reconcile checkbook

That's it...thanks for reading.

Where did my money go???

It been one of those weeks.

You see we live on a budget and this month a couple of credit card bills were paid twice due to some misunderstandings between my husband & the credit card companies. So we are short about $600. Ugh. At least I have some items stockpiled. I do need to get a few items still. I really need wipes & want to make my own so I have to see if I can pull it off buying the start up stuff.

Also I had planned on making my own laundry soap but again start up costs. Oh well.

As for my goals I have started up a to do list for the day, gotten a schedule set up for day I am home (which are most) & finished my coupon book & mostly done w/ household notebook. I really need to get the kitchen in a better working condition.

I also want to start making my own bread when DH is home. I still must buy some bread for C's school lunch as she informed me nobody brings homemade bread sandwiches. Ok whatever. It will still save money when he is home. I usually eat last night's dinner for lunch.

Well that's been my week thus far...interesting I know. Be on the look out for my PODA to be posted. Thanks for stopping by.

What have I been doing all week.

Good morning. I know its been a while but its been so busy. First my husband returned home the Thurs. before Easter then well Easter & currently I have both kids home with sometimes a spare. Our district lets school out Good Friday & the week after Easter. Also we had to finish up our taxes. I work 2 home based businesses plus my husband has one then last year I was still working as a Realtor which means a 1099 & my husband works off shore which means a W2. Needless to say tax time is ugly. We are not really happy w/ the other person at that time. Then my computer had crashed last month (no back up) & I lost ALL of my financial stuff plus we couldn't import last years info. Then I thought my DH had them but no such luck. So off to the bank I went to get copies of our statement. (Now not going paperless I want them mailed to me) Of course I had to jump through hoops to get them all to get my DH's proof of a $700 school he attended. So now our taxes we completed by the 14th. Yeah!!

Now my DH has broken the news to me that he has to go to yet another 2 schools. One is next week & that one is $600 & the other one will be maybe next hitch in & that one is $1200. Luckily his company agreed to pay for the $1200 one. Would prefer them to pay for both but at least its an education right off.

How am I coming on my goals you ask? Well I made a coupon book & have been pretty faithful about them. I am also almost done w/ my household notebook. We are getting a refund this year and besides a couple of purchases (new work boots for DH new flash drive for me) we are applying it to our debt. Slowly but surely chipping it away.

I am really wanting to do a giveaway but I want more followers. I think I will do one when I reach 10 followers. So if you are just reading this please follow me & tell your friends.

Hope all is going well in your lives


The Semi-Single Mom

Random things

Just some random facts about me to somewhat introduce myself.

1. My middle name is Love.
2. I am married
3. I have 2 daughters & 1 stepson
4. My husband & I have been married since June 24, 2000.
5. This is my first real blog
6. I have myspace, facebook, twitter accounts.
7. I love to read
8. I don't mind housework but hate taking out the trash
9. I love my kids but don't want more
10. I'll do anything for a friend or family member
11. I enjoy church (most of the time)
12. I hate it when men at church think women are inferior...I am a lot smarter than a good majority of our men
13. I rock out in my minivan when the kids aren't with me
14. Sometimes I hate driving a minivan
15. I love the town I live in most of the time
16. My oldest thinks I'm a dork
17. I often want the power to turn back time
18. I'm often scared that something will happen to my husband when he's gone but I try not to let him know.
19. I like things to be organized
20. I did not vote for Obama & do not trust him
21. I am very protective of my children & family...do not cross me on this
22. I go to church twice a week most weeks
23. I think that even though I can open my own door the man should still make the attempt.
24. I like to watch Seinfeld.
25. I watch way to much TV