Menu Plan Monday ~ In Reverse ~ January 30

I am participating in Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com, but unlike most of the other participants who plan their menus and post them that week, I'm always a bit behind, and I post my menus a week later. I do this so that I can let you know if I try a new recipe and it's not that great. I don't want to blog about a recipe if it's no good. I cannot emphasize enough how much menu planning has helped me out. I'm spending less at the grocery store, we are eating out less, and eating healthier foods. I'm not as stressed out at dinner time trying to pull something together with whatever ingredients I have on hand. It takes a bit of time on the weekends to create our menu plan, but all week long I'm thankful that I took the time to get organized and make a plan! I look at my calendar for the week while menu-planning and figure out what kind of meal would be best for each day. Busy evenings call for crock pot cookin' while Friday night family nights are a little more relaxed and I can take my time cooking. Participating in MPM has also inspired me to find new recipes for my family, and I hope that when you read this post you can find new recipes for your family as well!


Here's Last Week's Menu ::
~ Crunchy Garlic Chicken with Green Beans & Grandma's Biscuits
~ Basil Chicken over Angel Hair
~ Pulled Pork BBQ Pizza (Oh My!) - made with leftovers from last week's Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork - both recipes are from Skinny Mom's Kitchen. 
~ Skillet Pork Chops (from the Eat What you Love cookbook by Marlene Koch) with Parmesan Knots (yum!)
~ Spaghetti & Meatsauce

And to snack on...Granola

I'd like to mention that I find Pinterest a great resource for new recipes!  I've been checking my boards each week when I menu plan.  I have a "Recipes I Want to Try" board and a "Recipes I Love" board, which make menu planning more intersting!  Look for me!  "TheLittleThings Mama"

prince henry is two!

prince henry turned two today.  he didn't quite grasp why were celebrating, but he sure enjoyed all the attention & fun!  we celebrated with a family dinner at indigo (it is my opinion that if they cannot speak for themselves then it's up to me to choose the best place to eat!).  then we came home for oreos & monkey fun.  it's hard to beleive he's already two.  it seems like just yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital....

savoring the calm

I  noticed while I was cooking dinner tonight that the house was unusally calm considering all four children were awake.  My Mommy senses went on alert.  Usually when Henry is quiet I find him doing something on the "No No" list (putting his soft frog in the toilet, standing on the dining room table...etc).  I immediately dropped what I was doing to investigate.  And this is what I found...

One first grader doing his reading homework.

One 4 year old happily playing pirates.

One third grader typing a story she had composed in her free time.

And one not-quite-two-year-old doing a little writing.

I was filled with happiness watching all of them keeping themeselves occupied while Mama cooked.  It's a rare occasion that I get to cook dinner in peace.  Usually the babe is so desperately starving that he's at my heels the entire time, or the boys are squabbling, or Ella needs help with homework.  Dinner-prep time is quite often a three-ring circus.  So I snapped a few pictures, and went back to the kitchen and chopped my onions with a huge grin on my face.  I love my children, and their independence & imagination.

An afternoon with the Disney Princesses

This past weekend I took the kids to see Disney Live at USBank Arena.  I wasn't sure what the boys would think, since it was a "Princess" show.  Sam had actually told me earlier in the week "I don't like princesses, I hope Darth Vader is there".  And halfway through the show he starting asking about Darth and then concluded that he "must be stuck in traffic".  Afterwards he grudgingly admitted that he still liked the show.  Ella and Max loved it.  As you can see in the picture below, they were captivated!  Michael & Henry ended up skipping, so we took our friends Allison & Madeline.  Allison made the most adorable Cinderella costume for Miss M to wear, and Madeline's expressions throughout the performance were priceless.  And I cannot deny it, I sang along through most of it.  It was a great show.  Thanks to Feld Entertainment for making this happen for my family!

I am a Feld Family Ambassador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend private Feld pre-Show events.

Menu Plan Monday ~ In Reverse ~ January 23

I am participating in Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com, but unlike most of the other participants who plan their menus and post them that week, I'm always a bit behind, and I post my menus a week later. I do this so that I can let you know if I try a new recipe and it's not that great. I don't want to blog about a recipe if it's no good. I cannot emphasize enough how much menu planning has helped me out. I'm spending less at the grocery store, we are eating out less, and eating healthier foods. I'm not as stressed out at dinner time trying to pull something together with whatever ingredients I have on hand. It takes a bit of time on the weekends to create our menu plan, but all week long I'm thankful that I took the time to get organized and make a plan! I look at my calendar for the week while menu-planning and figure out what kind of meal would be best for each day. Busy evenings call for crock pot cookin' while Friday night family nights are a little more relaxed and I can take my time cooking. Participating in MPM has also inspired me to find new recipes for my family, and I hope that when you read this post you can find new recipes for your family as well!

Here's Last Week's Menu ~
Meatloaf, Herb Roasted Potatoes & Green Beans (for my little brother's birthday)
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork BBQ with Garlic Fries
Pizza & Salad
Dill Pot Roast with Wild Rice (HUGE hit!  Sam had 3 helpings of meat)
Spaghetti & Meatsauce (made by Michael's mother)
Slow Cooker Shredded Korean Beef Tacos

the long way home

 After our outing today we took the long way home through Devou Park.  I wanted to take the kids to the Overlook to see (or rather NOT see) Cincinnati.  The fog was so dense, and so eerie.  I felt like we were in the midst of some Stephen King novel.  And while we were driving along the winding, foggy roads my Ipod chose the Tom Waits song "the long way home" (see below).  Sometimes I feel like my Ipod knows me. 

The view from the devou park overlook on this oh so foggy day. 

This is what the view normally looks like...beautiful!

I had forgotten all about this picture...I took it over a year ago, at the devou park overlook.  My how they've grown.

in the garage...

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama:  A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

de-stressing

I have days where I feel stressed & overwhelmed all day.  I'm not going to bore you with the reasons behind all of this, because we've all been there...we all have our laundry lists of stressors.  We all have moments where we feel so overwhelmed we just want to lay down on the floor and kick & cry right next to that screaming toddler (right?!?).
I've been developing a list in my mind for the past few months.  A different sort of list, not a list of things that stress me out, but a list of things that I can do to "de-stress" myself.  Many things on this list are indulgances, but sometimes a little indulging in yourself can go a long way.  When I step back and spend some time de-stressing then my problems often seem more manageble, and I'm able to think positively again instead of wallowing in worry.

Here's a list of ways I find to "de-stress":

• Bake ~ there's something about the smell of baked goods in the oven that brings a smile to my face. 
• Walk away ~ I'm not saying that I run away from my problems, but sometimes I just need to WALK AWAY.  For instance, when all four children are whining/crying/yelling at once...that's the time to walk away, count to ten and then come back.  Or if there's a particularly hard problem I'm working on...walk away...come back later.  Often times the solution is staring me in the face when I return.

• Crocheting ~ near a fire if possible, it's so calming for me.
• Make a list ~ it's funny, when I'm feeling like I have way too much to do it all seems much more manageble when I put it to paper.

• Get out of the house ~ when it's been a wild week I plan a night out:  drinks with the ladies, dinner with my husband, or even just to grocery shop by myself.  I deserve it.
• Turn up the music ~ loud music solves so many problems.

• Read a book ~ to myself or to the children
• Ignore the to-do list for a day and do something fun
• Spend an entire day on the to-do list ~ every once in a while I'll let the kids have an all day movie-marathon and I'll spend time focused on chores.  And often-times I will enlist their help with the chores.  It feels good to spend my day crossing things off. 

• Walk in the woods
• Count my blessings ~ there are so many

How do you de-stress?

my dining room buffet

Our house was built in the early 1950's by my husband's grandfather.  It is the home that my father-in-law grew up in.  We lived here when we first got married (in the upstairs apartment), and then moved away for a couple years.  In 2006 Michael's grandmother moved to an apartment in an assited living home and we moved back to this house.  We love the fact that we are raising our children in this family home.  Our dining room is a collection of random treasures..from children's art work to our wedding china.  When Michael's grandparents lived here the dining room was always spotless and beautiful. Nowadays it's a multi-purpose room.  Yes, sometimes it is spotless and pretty, but only for a few moments before a party starts.  It's usually a catch-all kind of room...so many activities going on at once...homework, card-making, sewing, board games, and the list goes on.  You get the picture.  And sometimes we eat in there too, if I can clear all the clutter work off the table.  In our dining room we still use the same table & buffet that Michael's grandparents used for so many years.  Only I think the items we store on the buffet are much different than what Grandma Scheper used to display on it, she always had such lovely pieces decorating the space.  While our buffet may seem cluttered, it's a snapshot of our lives. 

A lovely orchid, wooden bowls made by my brother in law, materials for a Thank You card order, Lego minifigures, a Lego dragon, a Vodka bottle shaped like a skull, a beautiful figurine made by my great grandmother, a small dish from France that my father gave me, and dried roses from my grandparents funeral. 

the skull & the lady

random tidbits on the side board

Menu Plan Monday ~ In Reverse ~ January 16

I am participating in Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com, but unlike most of the other participants who plan their menus and post them that week, I'm always a bit behind, and I post my menus a week later. I do this so that I can let you know if I try a new recipe and it's not that great. I don't want to blog about a recipe if it's no good. I cannot emphasize enough how much menu planning has helped me out. I'm spending less at the grocery store, we are eating out less, and eating healthier foods. I'm not as stressed out at dinner time trying to pull something together with whatever ingredients I have on hand. It takes a bit of time on the weekends to create our menu plan, but all week long I'm thankful that I took the time to get organized and make a plan! I look at my calendar for the week while menu-planning and figure out what kind of meal would be best for each day. Busy evenings call for crock pot cookin' while Friday night family nights are a little more relaxed and I can take my time cooking. Participating in MPM has also inspired me to find new recipes for my family, and I hope that when you read this post you can find new recipes for your family as well!


Here's last week's Menu:
Beef & Barley Stoup (super easy and super tasty)
Grilled Steak & Carmelized Onion Sandwiches
Skyline Chili (Mama was just to busy to cook so we snuck out to eat)
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken with wild rice and Roasted Broccoli
Brinner: Whole Wheat Waffles
Chicken & Pasta stir fry with Pesto
Skillet Red Beans & Rice  (I know you see this recipe on here all the time...have you tried it yet?!?)

What's cooking at your house?  And does your kitchen ever look like mine after dinner?
 

sunday in a nutshell

here's our sunday...in a nutshell

henry wandered around making this completely innocent face while looking for things to get into explore

the older brothers worked together

henry got mad at his mommy.  repeatedly.  toddlerhood is a tough run.

another puzzle...robots!

robots took over for a while

mama made note cards

ella worked on an essay for class

michael worked all day...first at ge, and then at our rental property.  and then he came home and made a fire to warm us and cleaned up after dinner.  best husband ever.

it was a pretty awesome day.  until the very end when sleepiness & teething caused tempers to rise, but now all the munchkins are sound asleep and the mama & papa finally have their feet up.

how was your sunday?