Meal Plan 10/7 to 10/13: Feeding the Family

Well, hopefully last week was the last week of football.  They are playing right now, and if they win, they may go to play offs.  I'm home with the dog since she can't stay home alone that long.  I'm torn.  Part of me hopes they win.  But part of me hopes that football season is over.  Don't tell him that I said that.

This week I tried to do a Walmart pick up.  When it came to my pickup time, I received a text that said my pickup was delayed.  I was already on my way there since I made my pickup time for right after school.  We went anyway since we were almost there, and we waited 45 minutes.  I didn't receive any updates, so I cancelled the order and just headed home.  I could have just gone into Walmart and shopped, except that I had the puppy with me and couldn't just leave her in the car. Yesterday, I shopped at Heinen's instead.  I spent more than I would have at Walmart, but I really do love the selections of produce, meat, and high-end products that Heinen's has.  

This week's menu plan:

Friday:  Mrs. T's Pierogi's and fruit.  These were such a hit a few weeks ago, I thought I'd take the easy way out again.

Saturday:  Pizza Night:  Traditional pepperoni, and white pizza with portabella mushrooms, green pepper, fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, parmigiana, Romano, and asiago cheeses.

Sunday:  Cheesy Chicken with Spinach, roasted veggies, salad, and rolls (chicken recipe from the Food Nanny Saves Dinner Again cookbook)

Monday:  Turkey Tacos

Tuesday:  Slow Cooker Beef Stew.  I was scheduled to make a Meal Train meal for a church family on this day, but the person who was scheduled for last week, requested that we switch due to her having some sick littles at home.  I made my Meal Train slow cooker beef stew last Thursday, but I'll be keeping our schedule for beef stew today.

Wednesday:  Clam Chowder, rolls, and salad.  At least I think this is what we are having.  The recipe is from the Food Nanny Saves Dinner Again cookbook and it only calls for one can of clams.  That doesn't seem enough to me, so I planned on buying two cans.  But the grocery store was completely wiped out of canned clams.  The clams were on the very top shelf and standing on tip toes, I managed to find one can knocked to the very back of the shelf, so I bought it.  I'm just still not convinced that one can will be enough, so we'll see.

Thursday:  Cleanup day or Poor Man's Meal

Have a blessed week ahead!!

XOXO

Menu Plan 9/16 to 9/22

 This Thursday Autumn begins.  And I saw on social media that we have 14 weeks until Christmas. I swear the older I get, time flies faster than a rocket ship.  

And we have another week of meal planning.  Saturday night I planned for pizza since we finally celebrated M's birthday with his friends.  Unfortunately for him, his actual birthday was August 14.  That meant we were only back from vacation for 2 weeks, and I was trying to get two boys off to college.  I just could not add in another thing.  So, I promised him a 10th birthday party, but it would have to wait.  Saturday was the day and I think the boys had a fun.  I had Game Truck come for the party and the boys had a blast.  I've used them in the past for the older boys, and they have always done a good job.  But just like everything else, the price increased SIGNIFICANTLY.  I was really surprised.  

We still have football going on and now this week starts basketball tryouts.  I feel like sports just never end and I know I've said it before, but I don't like it.  I would put my foot down and say no basketball, but the therapist says that keeping him in sports, helps with his anxiety.  How do I argue against sports with that logic?  I guess I can't, and I just have to put my head down and plow through. But right now, I'm sports-fatigued.

The puppy and I spent the morning watching the Queen's funeral.  Such a historic event.  I'm sad it's the end of an era, but she lived such an amazing life of service.  Rest In Peace.  Job well done.

This week's menu plan.  I shopped at Aldi this week and supplemented at Giant Eagle for drinks and cake for the party (the $20 ice-cream cake is up to $27...oy)

Friday:  Slow Cooker Tomato Soup and grilled cheese

Saturday:  Sheet pizza for the party

Sunday:  Baked Chicken Thighs, pan fried potatoes, and tomato and mozzarella salad (tomatoes from the garden)

Monday:  Generals chicken with rice and broccoli

Tuesday:  Turkey tacos

Wednesday:  Turkey burgers and hot dogs on the grill, baked potato, and corn

Thursday:  Clean-up Day

I'm still working on getting my grocery budget down.  I'm trying different stores to see where the best place is to save money.  

And I'm toying with the idea of making Saturday night "pizza night" and trying out different pizza types (that I make myself).  But we'll see how it goes.

Have a blessed week ahead!!

The Summer That Flew By

 Last time I checked, it was June.  How are we here in September??  

The last thing I posted was about the graduation party.  It was nice!!  It was a ton of work.  Next time I have a graduation party, it will not be at my house.  Oh, the work involved.  But to have it at a hall or restaurant was very expensive. And I would have had it at a local park, but apparently you have to book those one to two years in advance.  I know that now.  I will not make that mistake again. But the party really did turn out nice and it was worth all the stress and sleepless nights.

Then we moved on to vacation.  I LOVE the beach.  But again, it's a lot of work to get ready for it.  We've been going so many years that I have a system.  But it doesn't happen all on its own.  I love it though.  I'd be there right now if I could.

After vacation, I had two and a half weeks to get two boys ready for college and another boy ready for 4th grade.  Even though one has been to college the last two years, he moved into an unfurnished apartment this year and it was like starting over.  And this is the other boy's freshman year.  I'm broke and I'm tired.  But they are settled and happy.

My car was loaded, and this was just one boy.  And this is a new car.  We bought a new car during those 2.5 weeks.  Because why not add more chaos in the mix? 

Got the other one off to 4th grade. So far so good there.

AND last week, we got a puppy.  Of course, right?  But the son with the allergies finished his allergy shots (and is on maintenance) and is at college so the allergist thought it would be ok.  The little guy has been begging for a dog, the doctor said it would help with his anxiety, and with both brothers leaving, we felt it was a good time.  

Yes, it's like having a baby.  Yes, it is.  We are trying to get into a routine.  As of right now, we've had her a week, and she is slowly getting settled. And I'm slowly getting settled too.  Slowly.  She sure is cute though.  Meet Daisy.

And the young one is playing tackle football this year.  So far so good there too.  He sure does love his sports.

This is the quick, abridged update for a very busy time.  I told everyone that I was hibernating during September and not to bother me.  That's not going to happen.  So maybe I'll hibernate during October.  But I doubt it.

It's Fall Ya'All.

It's fall!  It's my favorite season.  I love the warm days and the cool nights.  I love the changing color of the leaves.  I LOVE the smell in the air.  That smell is earthy and spicy and just magical to me.

I love fall!

I'm not going to think about what happens next (I'm not a fan of old man winter).  But I love fall.

The older I get though, the more melancholy I get at the end of summer.  Summer is warm and full of fun, sun, and precious memories.  It's the most time we get to spend with the kids.  Whether it's vacation or just carting them back and forth to sports, it's OUR time with these wonderful boys.  During the school year, they are not ours.  They belong to school, sports, friends, etc.  But during summer, they are all ours.

In the fall, they go back to all those things that take then away from us. It's their time.  It's them growing and moving forward.  And that's the way it's supposed to be, even if it makes me sad.

But even though I feel a bit melancholy, it's still my favorite time of year.

I have my candles ready.  I have some new ones this year.  I've only stuck with fall scents so far.

Dried Lavendar & Oak is my favorite so far.

I bought Farmstand Festival but I haven't lit it yet.

Spireside Ghostly Castle is my Halloween scent.  I really like it.

South candle Campfire reminds of fireplace or an outdoor campfire.  It's a really nice scent.

I did not buy this one (YET!) but today I came across Root Candle Tabacco Vanilla  It's such a nice, relaxing scent (I'm sure I will buy this one before he season is done).


I have also bought some Lori Mitchell figurines for Halloween.  I have a few for each holiday.  They are too cute.  But we thought we had the candy corn kids and it turns out we did not.  So of course we HAD to stop into our favorite store Chagrin Valley Antiques to pick them up.  And we ended up picking up those AND a few more.  And finding some that I just have to have for Christmas.

Chagrin Valley Antiques is one of my favorite stores.  I have been going there for almost 20 years.  The owners are amazing people.  I had not had the opportunity to go there for a few months.  And I really missed it.  Sadly, I found out that Tom, one of the owners passed away unexpectedly.  Please keep his wife in your prayers.  She is an amazing lady and they have been a part of our lives for so long.  I'm heartbroken for her and for our community.  We lost an amazing person.

The boys also went to homecoming.  At least the big two did.  The seven year old is still my baby.  They both had a great time.  I'd post pictures, but they asked that I NOT do that so you'll just have to take my word on how handsome they looked.

The oldest is playing football this fall and the middle is playing fall baseball.  Sports have kept us busy.

Last week we hosted Senior Football Dinner.  22 senior boys descended upon my house.  THOSE KIDS CAN EAT.  Luckily, the weather was good enough for me to set them up on the patio.  And luckily we did not run out of food.  They are 22 special young men and it was a pleasure to have them. I used That Hawiian Guy's BBQ for the food and it was delicious.  If you are local, please check them out.  Not only is the food amazing, but so is the owner.

And that's my update for now.  I know more has gone on but this is the major high lights.  We do not have Halloween costumes yet.  But we planted mums. College applications are in the works and FAFSA is completed. Hopefully I can get on here more often and update with minor coming and goings.  But for now, this is the crux of it.

So happy fall ya'all.  Enjoy every moment, every scent, every color, and every second.

Baseball, Vacation, and Summer Fun

This summer is going by in a blur.  The entire beginning was taken up by travel baseball. It feels like it goes on forever.  But it's over now.  But guess what??  Fall Ball starts on August 17.  And of course football starts a week or so after that.  This is the life of a mom with three sports loving boys.  I know that one day I will miss it.  But today is not that day (lol).

Vacation was wonderful.  We went back to our favorite place, Litchfield Beach, SC.  We love it there.  We all love the ocean, the boys love to fish and catch crabs, and everyone loves the pools.  My favorites are the morning beach walks and the shopping at The Hammock Shops just down the road at Pawley's Island.  We've been going there since the boys were little.  I asked them if they wanted to try a new place next year and it was a resounding NO. So, God willing, we'll go back next year.  I'm already looking forward to it.

Along with a new sport season, we have back to school to think about.  We will have a senior, a sophomore, and a first grader.  The little one is the only one who needs school supplies right now.  The older boys don't find out what they need until after school starts.  I kind of copped out today and ordered all the little one's school supplies via Amazon Prime.  I'm sure I probably could have saved some money just going to Walmart, but it was worth it to me. Now I just have to worry about school uniforms and shoes.  Sometimes it's just better to do the easy thing instead of the money saving thing.  Ordering directly from Amazon is my sanity saving thing.

We also have the little ones birthday in August.  The Middle turned 15 in July and we celebrated as a family, but we combine the Middle and the Little's birthdays in August for the extended family party.  It's less running around for everyone.  I'm also going to do a "friend" party for the Little this year.  It will be his first.  I've been a slacker on this.  The older boys had friend parties starting in pre-school.  I feel badly, so I said this year he will get a friend party.  I'm having it at a local sports venue, and it's only 1.5 hours so fingers crossed that it all goes well.  Seven year old boys aren't easy to entertain.

Let's see, what else has been happening....

Hubby and I celebrated our 19th anniversary last week.  19 years have flown by.  It sure doesn't seem like 19 years.  They've been 19 wonderful years.  I've been blessed with an amazing husband.

I'm still plugging along with my walking routine.  I try to do 2 miles 3-4 days a week, but I've been overachieving and walking 4-5.  Still trying to eat healthier too.  Eating healthy is hit or miss, but I really am trying.  I'm also doing intermittent fasting.  I like it, but I'm not losing any weight.  I'm trying to not get discouraged and keep plugging along.  At least I've stemmed the tide of gaining weight.  Got to look on the positive, right?

Right now, I'm obsessed with the Hallmark Christmas in July movies.  They make me happy.  Don't judge me lol.  I LOVE all things Christmas.

Other things that have made me happy this summer:

This Pawley's Island candle from The Isle Co. that I got on vacation.  It smells so good!

The Christmas Mouse store.  Another thing that I love from vacation (told you I love all things Christmas)
 
Delay, Don't Deny: Living An Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle  This book by Gin Stephens really explains the whys and the science behind intermittent fasting in an easy to read guide.

Dreams of Falling by Karen White  It's such a great beach read.  I've read almost all of her books and usually on vacation.  I really enjoy them.

And Just Like That, Summer is over

I can't believe it's the end of August and the kids are back in school.  The summer flew right by.  It was crammed full of baseball, baseball, more baseball, a Disney trip, and the husbands shoulder surgery (He's fine.  But still mending).

Baseball really takes up the majority of our summer.  Both older boys play travel ball and the oldest one played on a "tournament team".  That means he played Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Yes, that means every weekend.  And one weekend we traveled to Indiana (it was kind of a mini vacation which was nice, but it also cost as much as a mini vacation).  I know the boys love baseball, but I'd really love to get my summer back.

And lest we forget football.  Football starts the day after school lets out on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.  Then there are a few weeks of OTA's, and mandatory camp (2 A days) starts at the end of the July.

And with that, summer is done.

It's hard to manage family time with all these sport activities.  But we did manage to go to Disney.  It was fun (and HOT).  I just hate that we basically live for one week a year. 

School is back in session.  We have a junior, a freshman, and a Kindergartner.  So far so good.  But it's only been a couple of weeks of high school and this is the second week of grade school.  Football games started too.  We have games Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  I forgot how exhausting football season is. 

I'm looking forward to Labor Day weekend with it's extra day off.  I'm hoping for good weather and some relaxation.  Maybe a pool day in there too.

I haven't gotten into the back to school routine yet.  I have a thousand things that I want to accomplish this fall, but I haven't gotten into a groove yet.  Maybe next week.  Right now, my plan is to enjoy the last few weeks of this gorgeous weather.  I plan on walking outside every day.  I hate working out, but I love to walk.  Even though the summer is truly done for the kids, mom is going to try to extend hers for as long as she can.