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What type of Mother Hen Are You?
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Meal Plan Monday Week of Feb 11, 2008

I read this often on other blogs, posted by women much more organized than me.

So I start thinking, why can't I spend a few minutes planning out our meals for the week. I'd then be able to create a shopping list (gasp! I never have a list lol) and buy JUST what I need for the week. Plus any stockpiling I need. What I've noticed tho, I don't buy a lot of the things other people stockpile so I don't keep a lot of food around comparatively. Plus having a plan for meals will help me when I just stare into the fridge wondering what on earth I am going to make.

Since I am still home on adoption leave, let's plan it out by meal..
* I am editing this as I go so I'll have an accurate listing of what was successful and what wasn't! *
Monday
B - Oatmeal and apples (pantry)
L - peanut butter and banana sandwiches (pantry)
D - Chinese - Dad's treat

Tuesday
B - Cheerios, milk, bananas oranges (pantry & fridge)
L - Hamburger and cole slaw (fridge)
D - Salmon, rice and a veggie steamer Hamburger helper Stroganoff with ground beef and peas(freezer and pantry)

Wednesday
B - Oatmeal and apples (pantry)
L - peanut butter and banana sandwiches (pantry) cabbage and ham
D - Hamburger helper Stroganoff with ground beef and peas (buy frozen peas) Salmon patties, rice and a veggie steamer

Thursday
B - muffins sweet potato waffles
L - bean burritos (buy tortillas, salsa and cheese)
D - Talipia and peas (freezer, buy veggies)

Friday
B - Oatmeal and apples (pantry)
L - leftover stroganoff and peas
D - 10 bean soup Baked chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes

Saturday
B - french toast (pantry)
L - leftover bean burritos
D - leftover 10 bean soup chicken tacos

Sunday
B - peanut butter and jelly toast (pantry, buy preserves)
L - Salmon and green beans (freezer and buy green beans) chicken stir fry
D - small batch of chicken spaghetti

I've obviously bought a chicken that I want to use this week :) I've already browned and frozen the ground beef I was going to use so it won't go to waste. I also browsed the net to find recipes to fancy up what I was going to make.

Snacks include grapes, popcorn, crackers, grapefruit, oranges, dry cereal and cookies.

Here is something to keep in mind when reading my plan. One, I am not a picky eater, I could eat peanut butter everyday. Two, neither is the baby. Three, the baby eats an adult sized portion of food at most sittings. Four, I am going to try very hard to just cook what we'll eat, I hate throwing out food.

Oh and Five, the baby goes to town on grapefruit, funny huh? I am also trying to clear out the pantry and freezer.

I spent $33 at the grocery store planning out the meals for this week and some for next week. I got...
an 8 pound spiral sliced ham
5 pound bag of potatoes
2 pounds of grapes
12 cans of diced tomatoes (15 cents each with coupon)
tortillas
flour
shredded cheese
salsa
blackberry preserves
3 pounds of various frozen veggies
I am just missing milk which I buy at a different store and I might need 2-3 more bananas this week. When I came home I found that Dad had given me an 18 pound bag of grapefruit that was $6 at Kmart. What a deal!

Sunday Update

Well I had a cute picture of the baby crushing her vtech piano but deleted it - oops!

Instead let's talk about her birthday! She got cute toys as pictured in the other post but check out the clothes! My Mom's first cousin (so is that my second?) went to the Carter's outlet and got the cutest clothes! She said she'd get something for the baby and I was thinking cool, a sleeper, she needs those. Um NO, check out these outfits! She said they went nuts because her grandkids are all boys. I love love love it all, Carters stuff is my favorite :)

All in 18-24 month styles (all cut very big) that she'll wear in the fall. And she looks so pretty in purple, I can't wait!

I also got this super cute stuff from my friend Laura and my SIL Kathy. Check out the coat, it is reversible! The zipper is ingenious on it, the pull tab loops around the top so you can flip it either way. Shoot, I should of taken a picture of the zipper! :)

Check out the hat! And Minnie Mouse, cute huh? :)

And look what mama got the baby :)

I don't want to keep talking about all the new stuff until I address some of the old stuff. I am a packarat (nice to meet ya). On my things, I tend to keep them even if they are worn out and way past their prime. Tonight I gave myself permission to get rid of stuff. And 90% of my room is going into my yardsale. I want X number of outfits that all match and x number of shoes to go with it. No more pieces and parts. I look at the baby's clothes and they all match, why can't mine? So on my quest to fix my clothes (thanks to Dad's Christmas $$) I have purchased shoes! FIVE pairs of shoes! Woohhooo! Look how cool I am? Two I got at the mall, three I bought online :)

I don't want you all to think I am abandoning my cheap frugal ways,I am just finally getting organized :)

Happy CNY!

Tonight was our annual Chinese New Year party at the Y. It has really grown over the years, there were so many tables I didn't bring in the walker. She seemed to enjoy herself and she proved me a liar by being a really good baby the whole time. Much thanks to all of those who put the time in to make it a grand party!

Hmmmm hmmm noodles!


Lookie at me! Happy all night!
And lookie at my fab little coat that came in today. Mama wishes she had checked the mail before the party!

Ok that is it for now. Tomorrow we'll have some fun pictures, we are going to a farm to see new baby lambs. Doesn't that scream photo op?

Night night!

Friday Update

Ok, so I am trying to figure out what is wrong with the baby.
Fever? nope
Teeth? not that I can tell
Tummy Ache? not that I can tell
Gassy? nope
Hungry? nope
Itchy? nope
Cranky? good lord yes. What a crankbutt she's being. Now don't get me wrong, some of it is REALLY good. If I leave her sight she cries. Hoooray! But when I hold her too long, too short, too tight, too loose, talk too quiet, too loud, too silly, too serious she cries too. I am going to have to make her a "Little Baby Crankbutt" tshirt. Sheez!

Tomorrow is our Chinese New Year party! To be politically correct it is more like the Lunar Year yada ya, but our group is the China group so there! The baby will be wearing the teal silkie outfit with butterflies and her black squeaky shoes. I am going to take her walker so she can run from one side of the gym to the other. People are gonna hate me teehee

I went to CVS finally. Did I mention I was sick with something viral then caught a cold? That really slowed down my CVS shopping! I got messed up tonight when one of my coupons wouldn't work then I put the wrong tooth stuff on the counter and got all out of whack. I had it beautifully orchestrated to pay less than $2 oop and get ECBS back. Instead I paid more, but did recover that cash in the form of ECBs so that is ok.

Transaction One:
3 Crest Pro Health Rinses (my fav)
1 Crest Pro Health night toothpaste (I have a coupon to mail off this receipt to get a free one woot!)
1 Oral B toothbrush
2 eyeshadows
1 nail clipper
-----------$6.12 OOP

Transaction Two
4 Colgate toothpastes
3 baby aspirin
-------$.31 OOP

Totals to date:
Cost of Goods: $505.15
Out of Pocket: $50.71
ECBs to spend: $20.37

Interesting how my OOP seems to run about 10% of the sale price on the goods. I still have a few monthly deals to do and I'd like to get one more eyeshadow. We'll see how that works out.

Thursday Update

Kissy Face! (I thought it deserved its own post hehe)

Shangrao SWI, Jiangxi

Shangrao SWI, Jiangxi - The roads are blocked due to fallen trees. Very cold. They've been without water and are trying to care for 260 children, 136 of them under 3 years-old. They reported that their area is a real disaster, with no electricity or water supply. Another round of snow is expected on February 10th. The director has asked for warm winter clothing and quilts for the children.

If you have some cash to spare, please click on the mouse above and donate $25.
Natalie is from the Shangrao SWI!!

Tuesday Update

I get so tickled at the baby when she talks, which is 99% of the time. She really carries on when I change her diaper..sometimes I feel like it's "Good job there mama, nice folding technique" and sometimes its like "good grief, she's changed me several hundred times, can she not velcro me straight?" lol

It is hard to get the talking and laughing on video. She just started doing the big laughs, they come from the very tips of her toes and leave her out of breath. It is the cutest thing!


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

I was able to capture a little bit of jibber jabber on video but she heard me walking up to her door. Darn squeaky wood floors! You can't really hear it on video. I am going to try to get a better one in the morning. She is the happiest baby in the world in the morning!

Talk to you all later :)

Did you know this?

You should take your lint filter trap do hickie out of your dryer and run it under hot water. Does the water pool up on top of it? That means your dryer sheets have been coating the screen. This causes a buildup of exhaust heat in your dryer and could lead to problems. A simple solution is to wash your screen with a dishwashing detergent like Dawn (that has a degreaser) then watch the water go through with no issues!

I have several more tidbits that I'll share as I go, I thought that one was pretty good. No water went through my screen at all before washing it!

Sunday and Money Update

I got knocked over by the crud Saturday night so I spent 99% of the time at the baby's party on the sofa. She had a good time tho, check out the pictures :)

My last night as an 11 month old!

Elmo!
Elmo scared me!

Oohhh ponies!

My vtech piano!

Puppy!

Natalie cracks me up, she talks all the time. It is all gibberish, I am trying to catch some on camera, it's hilarious!

I've been tagged on Common Sense with Money too! What fun! I am suppose to:

Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
Open the book to page 123.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the next three sentences.
Tag five people.

Ok here goes...
Mix the peanut oil, garlic, soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, and pepper to taste. Add the sesame seeds and mix well. Pour the dressing over the salad, cover and set aside in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours and preferably overnight.

From Favorite Chinese Dishes by Parragon Publishing Group :)

I'll admit, this is one of the few grown up books I have in the house right now. I goodwilled all my paperbacks and most of the books around here are for 2 year olds :)

I will tag...

Ozimum, her blog is called Australia to China :)
K, her blog is called Mother & Daughter :)
Girlville, her blog is called well, Girlville :)
Kim, her blog is called The Journey to Megan Jean :)
Angie, her blog is called Hold on, My Heart's Giving Birth :)

Post back when you've finished so I can see what you wrote :)

Sunsilk Freebie and other general ramblings

Go to: http://www.sunsilk.us/samples.php

Sign up for their free samples then print out a coupon. It is good until June, I bet CVS or Walgreens will have a deal on it before then.

I have restarted my Walgreens deals for the month. I did January's deal at the last minute and got 5 boxes of tissues for $8.97. I then turned in the deal and got $11 credited to my gift card - score!

Then they had the $5 off of $20 coupon for the 31st. I of course forget to bring my $11 GC and pay for everything out of pocket. I got the 5 minute energy shots, another speedstick for men, another fructis and a clear lipgloss that is a lip plumper. I also got a box of cereal for $1.99. with the coupon I paid $16.92. I will get $20.31 credited to my card.

There are two things I like about Walgreen's deals. One, they only happen once a month. I LOVE CVS but it wears me out. Also, Walgreens often runs specials on milk and cereal that is less than what it is at any store, including Walmart. So I feel like I can use my GC money for something practical if I want.

Oh and something else, the cereal comment made me think of this. My Walmart has boxes of Total cereal on sale for $2.50 a box. There is a $1 peely on it. So $1.50 for Total, that is a good deal!

I have to run to the clubhouse and take inventory for the party tomorrow. I have cooked 6 pounds of roast and I have another 6 pounds in the works. I don't think the whole 24 pounds will make it to the party, that is a LOT per person. For 30 or so people I think I will do 16 instead, it cooks down some and you loose some weight because of the bone. Plus I don't want 8 pounds of leftover BBQ in my freezer lol

Friday Update

Scooter is one! Her party is Sunday, I will have lots of pictures :)

We spent the day eating and shopping. Well actually eating, shopping then eating again. She had noodles from the Chinese buffet today (and they forgot to break them in two before cooking them and they were literally 2 feet long, why didn't I have my camera?) and then we went to the mall. Just so you know, there isn't a size 12 or 18 month winter coat ANYWHERE. She is popping out of her size 12 month china coat (which is cut small) and the next size up I have for her is 24 months and it is huge. So I put the huge one on, it's better than popping out of the other one! Then we went to eat tacos with more family members. No wonder the child is growing so fast, food, lots of it!

I also got her two pairs of PJs, a froggie nightgown and a carters footie sleeper in a lightweight fabric. Both size 24 months. I seem to find all kinds of stuff in the wrong sizes! But they are adorable and she'll need them in the next year. At 75%, I decided to get them :)

We also went to the consignment store in hunt for a coat in good condition. Zero coats there too! But I did take advantage of the $1 sale, all pink and white tags. I got a fantastic new looking pink shower curtain, I really like it. It is cream and pink stripe for the main body and there are bubble baths on the valance type thing across the top. All my towels are pink now and I've had my current curtain for 5 years (do I get bonus points for that?) so to get one I really like and would of paid *gasp* ATLEAST $6 for (ha) was just a buck! - makes me happy!

I also found a lot of stuff for Scooter at the sale but let me vent for a second. All you fat women out there, why aren't you consigning your clothes? I am a big girl who will buy your stuff if you will just put it in the stores for me to buy. Okie back to scooter. She got 6 different pieces of clothing! A pair of Children's Place jeans with crocheted squares on the bottom in a size 18 month, a pair of denim oshkosh overalls in a 2T, a baby Guess denim dress in a size 12 months (a big 12 months) that she can wear now, a size 18 month Halloween shirt, a pair o baby gap jeans with red heart stitching on them (cute!!) and a pretty 18 month pink onesie with roses on it :) Each a buck! The best thing about consignment stores is that they quality check the clothes and you don't have to worry about holes or stains. All these pieces have no fading and look new. Score!

Mama also cashed in and broke the budget on Feb 1 woohoo! lol I've not bought myself anything for awhile now. I got two pairs of shoes (woohoo, I have big feet and it is very hard to find shoes!) for half off. Both are Sketchers, one is a fancy ballet and the other is a mary jane. I feel sooo cool! I also got a pair of bedroom slippers (ok, so that's not as cool) and a sweater for the spring. Now why they had 3/4 length sleeved sweaters on clearance 75% off in Feb..who knows. It's turquoise tho and $10 so I am happy.

Do you know what else I can't find for Scooter? SHOES. Why are they all size 5's? And why are all the little shoes white? I need brown shoes, Carla was smart enough to get Tia brown squeaky shoes. I felt like crud and couldn't think well or I would of gotten more pairs of shoes in brown and black. Oh well.

Ok, I think that is it for now. I made the classic mama mistake of not doing laundry for two days. Of course that is all it took for the back of the kitchen to be overrun with laundry. So instead of going to bed, I have laundry to do. Pooooor me!

Thursday Update

I am pooped so I am just going to post a few pictures. Tomorrow is scooter's birthday and I am going to take her to the mall (ok that is more for me) and someplace where she can eat pancakes. I think a trip to Ihop is in the works :)

Lunch! I strip her down to her diaper and slippers then pin a towel to her. She is way past the bib stage when she feeds herself. She really likes things like this especially with carrots in them.

Playing with her ponies. Won't she be happy to see mama's collection My Little Ponies (yes, I am a big goober). I am going to put them in her playroom as soon as it is a playroom and not a junk room.

He said this then she said that...hello are you listening to me?
(she was dragging her toys out the door today!)
A baby for my baby!

night night!

Wednesday Update

Oops, I forgot to do an update!

Everything here is just normal. Got to love it! I have some cute Thursday pictures to post for tonight :)

Tuesday Update

Today was just a good day overall :)

Scooter had an ophthalmologist appointment today. It was the quickest visit ever, they dilated her eyes and just made sure the insides of her eyes looked ok. They do! When she is older she'll have a real eye appointment. I think this appointment was set up because the bridge of her little nose is so flat. From some angles she looks cross eyed but that is really common for Chinese kids. He also said that her upper eye lids would be less puffy as she grew, that was just baby puff. Her upper eyelids did concern me some, my family has a problem where our eyelids get stretched out or something and they are lifted by cutting in the fold. Scooter doesn't have a fold and I don't want to artificially give her one. So good news about her eyelids (eyeballs too!)

I am really in my groove with the crockpot. The baby LOVES beans. They are the perfect bite sized food and they are nice and mushy. She just plows through them, it's so cute! I had a DUH moment today. Instead of making one big pot of beans and seasoning mine every time, use the two smaller crockpots that I was given that I've never used. So I made two different kinds of beans, one for me, one for her. Mine has those white beans, taco seasoning, tomatoes, a lot of Tabasco, ground beef and a little bit of cheese. Hers are milder, white beans, ground beef, carrots and a little bit of cheese. I think she'll love it!



I had someone ask if I was going vegan. Not really, I add pork and beef to the beans. I've always loved soup of any kind but it is just too overwhelming to make a big pot of something for myself. The baby likes soups too so she is making it more fun for me to make stuff in the crockpot.


The stock market is going back up. I lost 65% of my account but it's recovered to about a 40% loss. For some reason 65% is devastating, 40% is just bad. I think with day trading I can fix the 40%. Ok, I *hope* I can fix the 40%!

My Jan project is going so slow. But I am freecycling 6 trash bags of packing supplies left over from my Ebay days. That frees up a ton of room so I can sort :)

I'd like to do a free plug for something hahah I love Natalie's baby gap jammies. Today was the first time she wore them. I didn't know how a tight PJ was going to look or feel but she danced in them so we are all good. Regular price they are $19 which is insane. I got two pair for $4 something each the other day. Well worth the $4, I wish I had gotten all the different sizes for later on. Next time I will know! :)

I got the baby's quilt on the wall finally. I wanted clips but they were $30 for the set and looked complicated. I sewed 2 loops and hooked them on nails. I stuck fake flowers on the nails to hide them. It looks a little odd, but it was cheap!



Someone asked me how often I had to vacuum in a day. It is 3-5 times a day because of the furbutts


I'll leave you with one last picture, aawww


Night night!

Monday Update

I put a pound of those white dried beans (are those called navy beans?) in with a little pork and mushroom in the crockpot. After they cooked overnight I added a stew seasoning packet.

I liked them pretty well, but not as well as Natalie!



Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

CVS Fix

I don't think there is anything else I can buy at CVS this week for a deal and it's only Monday. sniff sniff :(

I got two more packs of cottonelle, 4 huge Fructis shampoos and a bottle of Samucol (an immunity booster for when you are sick). The Samucol was $12.99 with a $10 ECB but mine wouldn't print so they gave me a gift card. No biggie, I'll end up spending it next week anyway :)

Also there is a mail in rebate for Sambucol here!

UPDATE
Ok, I've had a DUH moment. Why talk about printables on other blogs without providing them?

DUH!

Stayfree $1 off, prints once
soyjo $1 off of 4, prints once
Advil PM, $2 off print as many as you need
Robitussin, $3 off print as many as you need
Arm and Hammer toothpaste, I was able to hit the back button and print it twice, $1 off

Cost of Goods - $430.25
Out of pocket - $43.55
ECBS to spend - $24

Cloth Diapers :)

I think the cloth diapers are going really well. Natalie's diaper rash is gone and washing them is really no big deal. There is something fun about hanging them all up to dry, it's very Little House on the Prairie -ish!

If you want to use cloth too and you are in my situation of having to go back to work after spending 3 months with the baby I have some suggestions.

If you have unlimited funds and you are doing cloth just to save the world, go and buy Fuzzi Bunz diapers. I would order 24 so you can do laundry every three days. But that is almost $400. But if you are going to have multiple kids, go ahead and splurge, the resale value on these diapers are great (weird I know). Get the large size, you'll be able to adjust the snaps down to a size medium with no issues.

If you are limiting your purchases, I'd like to recommend Dappi wraps and prefolds. The prefolds are really easy to use I think. I am seriously using two diaper pins, nothing fancy at all. The Dappi covers are available on Ebay for $2 each. You could get by on 24 prefolds and 8 covers. Or make your life easier and get 18 wraps like I did lol and have 50-60 diapers to go in them! Since scooter has a detergent allergy, I fluff my diapers in the dryer to knock off the lint then they air dry.

Be sure to be on the lookout for flannel sheets while yardsaling this year. You can cut them up and make wipes. Might as well, you are already washing diapers, wipes take up zero room in the washer. Be sure to look for cloth diapers too, people try them, don't put them on right (like I was in the beginning) and give up. Wash them once with bleach then toss them in with your dirties to be washed again later. It's that easy :)

Sunday Update

I know its after midnight but I forgot to post these. I am suffering from insomnia, I haven't had that problem in a long time.

I started thinking of all the cute outfits that Natalie will be too big for in the summer. This kitty outfit came from Bonnie (thanks Bonnie!) and I just love it. So all the little outfits that I love, by golly I am putting the baby in them and taking pictures! lol



Can you believe what that stinker did? Last night at 11pm she screamed. I guess in her sleep she clawed herself on the forehead. I can't keep her nails short enough, it is a big issue right now. A nice big boo boo just in time for her first year pictures!


Baby all greased up in neosporin, mama wants a good party picture!

And please don't think she spends all her time in the walker, exersaucer or crib. Because I'm single I rarely have anyone here to hold her while I take pictures. When she is confined she's easier to photograph!

20,000 Hits today :)

I just wanted to mention that since June 22nd 2006 I've had 20,000 hits to the site :)

Hi everyone!