Clockwise from top left, sorry it's so dark. Watermelon balls, Little cheddar smokies, Alphabet tatertots, Mandarin orange "c"s, barbecue sauce, and more tater tots.
If you want to join Muffin Tin Monday It's lots of fun!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Muffin Tin Monday - ABC Theme
Short post today. Aleah was kitchen helper this week but I didn't get any pics. We've had a crazy couple of weeks but I did snap a pic of the final product. I'm afraid I wasn't very creative with the theme, but I did find some really neat tater tots :)
Kids Cook Monday
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Check it out! So, last week, I was a little distracted. I've been sick and really everything kind of fell by the wayside. Anyway I wanted to share this with everyone because it is something that is special to me. My Dad is a wonderful baker. Growing up we used to have these huge pizza feasts! My dad would bake pizza from scratch, italian rolls from scratch. Then on the weekends he would make biscuits, from scratch. He made breads, sweet and savory. He made any kind of bread you could think of. There were times he even made his own pasta, but that isn't baking is it? lol Anyway, my point is, this is something I remember fondly of my childhood. Now, I pride myself on being able to cook well. I won't even begin to claim I am a chef or anywhere NEAR a chef. My sister is the chef, Nationally recognized at that. But I think I can pretty well hold my own in the kitchen. But the one thing I DON'T do is bake. oh, yea, sure. I can open a box with the best of them. But I don't sift flour, or knead dough. It's just not something I like to do. I like to make cakes, but never from scratch. However, it is something I want my kids to experience. And so, I ask my dad to step in...  He and Nathaniel had fun making rolls to go with some really great soup I made that night. They all got eaten before I could take a finished product pic, but I did snag this one of Nathaniel being goofy.  He loved how you can see his eye in this pic :D I really want my kids to develop a love of cooking for what it is: creative, fun, and a way to show your loved ones you care. It's days like this that I thoroughly love being a Mom. Happy Healthy Monday Everyone! ps... For those looking for my Muffin Tin Monday post, it's coming.... |
Sunday, August 22, 2010
I did it!
OK, I have decided that I have to share my success of today. I'm hoping it will help some of you out there that are having similar troubles.
This morning, I woke up to my husband in the kitchen making the usual Sunday pancakes. He does this every week. Sometimes pancakes, sometimes waffles, but always, always, always, I get to sleep in :) It is bliss. However, today, as in so many days lately, I also can hear the frustration in his movements, the little grumbles. Nothing major, he's too sweet for that. But I can tell he's frustrated. This is why....
Yes, that was my kitchen this morning.... Well, sort of.. Technically this is my kitchen AFTER I had already begun cleaning it. Now, before you go condemning me as filthy or lazy or whatever I have to say, this is really only 2 days worth of dishes. {{ The coke bottles are actually empty water bottles that needed refilling (my mother likes our well water for drinking)}} Add to that the fact I've been sick and the medicine I'm on makes me loopy.
But, no excuses. It makes me sad to see my kitchen this way. One of the main reasons we bought this house was the kitchen. So, I got out of bed determined to get this cleaned up and after I had eptied the sink and the dishwasher (as seen above) I decided to blog about it to prove that it CAN BE DONE and also to help those out there that are in the same boat, for whatever reason.
Now, first I want to tell you that I used http://www.flylady.net/ as a huge motivator here. I've been fluttering for years and might just begin flying yet. I used the 15 minute method she talks about on her site. Even though my meds make me feel really funky, I figured I could work on it for a little bit at a time. So here I go.
Set the timer....
This morning, I woke up to my husband in the kitchen making the usual Sunday pancakes. He does this every week. Sometimes pancakes, sometimes waffles, but always, always, always, I get to sleep in :) It is bliss. However, today, as in so many days lately, I also can hear the frustration in his movements, the little grumbles. Nothing major, he's too sweet for that. But I can tell he's frustrated. This is why....
Yes, that was my kitchen this morning.... Well, sort of.. Technically this is my kitchen AFTER I had already begun cleaning it. Now, before you go condemning me as filthy or lazy or whatever I have to say, this is really only 2 days worth of dishes. {{ The coke bottles are actually empty water bottles that needed refilling (my mother likes our well water for drinking)}} Add to that the fact I've been sick and the medicine I'm on makes me loopy.
But, no excuses. It makes me sad to see my kitchen this way. One of the main reasons we bought this house was the kitchen. So, I got out of bed determined to get this cleaned up and after I had eptied the sink and the dishwasher (as seen above) I decided to blog about it to prove that it CAN BE DONE and also to help those out there that are in the same boat, for whatever reason.
Now, first I want to tell you that I used http://www.flylady.net/ as a huge motivator here. I've been fluttering for years and might just begin flying yet. I used the 15 minute method she talks about on her site. Even though my meds make me feel really funky, I figured I could work on it for a little bit at a time. So here I go.
Set the timer....
The first thing I did was
I took everything out of my sinks and the dishwasher and loaded all the dishes I could into the dishwasher and started it. My timer went off, so I reset it and took a break.
When the timer went off I got back to work.
Next, I followed the steps to
No, this isn't the finished product, I apparently forgot to take a pic when it was completely done, but it's getting there. I really dislike having white sinks LOL
Anyway, the timer went off so.... I took a break.. are you getting the pattern here?
So, the next 15 minutes of working produced this...
And I took a break, then...
Yes, I washed ALL those dishes in 15 minutes BY HAND LOL
It really doesn't take long.
So I took a break.
Then came this...
And after a break, finally this...
HOORAAYYYY my nice pretty kitchen is all clean again! Yes, it took a little while, but I was still able to do it even though I could only stand for about 15 minutes at a time!
So there you have it. There's my success that I want to celebrate. What's yours?? let me know! I wanna celebrate with you!
And definitely, go check out The Flylady She truly is an awesome inspiration!
Happy Housekeeping :)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Couponing - how I do it.
Many people ask me how I do my coupon shopping. I thought I would share.
This is what I do to make my shopping trips easier, considering the fact that many times I have to shop with 4 kids in tow.
Firrst, make sure all my coupons are printed out and cut out at least a DAY before I want to go shopping. Even if I don't get them all in my binder, I can find them quicker than having to go print them and cut them out just before I go shopping. Now, staying on top of this is not easy, certainly. But I have found a way to try to keep up with it. I print immediately when I see a good deal. I subscribe to several other blogs that go out and comb the internet for the best printable coupons and deals. Then, any time I'm sitting, either watching TV or waiting on the kids to finish up some school assignment, I cut them out. If I have time right then, I put them in the binder, if not, i have an envelope that I put them in until I can.
Second, I use http://www.southernsavers.com/ to print my shopping list. She puts all the coupon matchups right on the shopping list so I can find them easily. I do this the day before usually as well. I add my own items to the page and be sure to print them on fit-to-page setting. (one page makes it MUCH easier)
Third, I go through all my coupons while I have my list right in front of me. I pull out all the coupons that are relevant (even if I may not use them because pricing) and put a quantity on the list next to that item so that I know how many I have to buy to meet the specifications of the coupon as well as how many I CAN buy). This makes it MUCH easier in the store. I know exactly what brand, how much my coupon is, and how many to buy. I put them all in an envelope marked with the store name.
I want to say that I use an alphabetical system for my binder. I go alphabetical by brand name, except for things that I can easily switch brands depending on whats on sale, like cereals, oral care products, paper products, and pet supplies.
Fourth, and this is what makes the difference for me. I have a clipboard with a pouch on the back. I put the coupon envelope in the pouch and clip my list to the board. This allows me to put my binder under the cart and not worry about it falling and dumping as it has sooo many times. lol I have it with me, but I don't have to worry about it. Then when I get up to the register, simply pull out the envelope, remove any that I didn't use, and I'm good to go.
There you have it. I'm still learning, but this is how I do it right now.
Happy couponing!
This is what I do to make my shopping trips easier, considering the fact that many times I have to shop with 4 kids in tow.
Firrst, make sure all my coupons are printed out and cut out at least a DAY before I want to go shopping. Even if I don't get them all in my binder, I can find them quicker than having to go print them and cut them out just before I go shopping. Now, staying on top of this is not easy, certainly. But I have found a way to try to keep up with it. I print immediately when I see a good deal. I subscribe to several other blogs that go out and comb the internet for the best printable coupons and deals. Then, any time I'm sitting, either watching TV or waiting on the kids to finish up some school assignment, I cut them out. If I have time right then, I put them in the binder, if not, i have an envelope that I put them in until I can.
Second, I use http://www.southernsavers.com/ to print my shopping list. She puts all the coupon matchups right on the shopping list so I can find them easily. I do this the day before usually as well. I add my own items to the page and be sure to print them on fit-to-page setting. (one page makes it MUCH easier)
Third, I go through all my coupons while I have my list right in front of me. I pull out all the coupons that are relevant (even if I may not use them because pricing) and put a quantity on the list next to that item so that I know how many I have to buy to meet the specifications of the coupon as well as how many I CAN buy). This makes it MUCH easier in the store. I know exactly what brand, how much my coupon is, and how many to buy. I put them all in an envelope marked with the store name.
I want to say that I use an alphabetical system for my binder. I go alphabetical by brand name, except for things that I can easily switch brands depending on whats on sale, like cereals, oral care products, paper products, and pet supplies.
Fourth, and this is what makes the difference for me. I have a clipboard with a pouch on the back. I put the coupon envelope in the pouch and clip my list to the board. This allows me to put my binder under the cart and not worry about it falling and dumping as it has sooo many times. lol I have it with me, but I don't have to worry about it. Then when I get up to the register, simply pull out the envelope, remove any that I didn't use, and I'm good to go.
There you have it. I'm still learning, but this is how I do it right now.
Happy couponing!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
couponing tip
I don't have time for much, but wanted to let everyone know, stores are getting smart about these coupons. I went grocery shopping today with my mom. I had some really good target coupons, but didn't want to go to target (we don't have a superTarget here :( ) Anyway, good thing Bi-lo accepts competitors coupons right? I thought I was gonna have some awesome deals. Unfortunately, they have a new rule. (or at least new-to-me, i've never run into this at my store) I get to the register and the guy tells me they only accept 3 competitors coupons. That was really a bummer. I had about 6 coupons (high dollar too!) that I had to take out, but next time I will know and can divide my order up a little better.
In this heat, I don't have the opportunity to go on many shopping trips. I am 30min from most stores, and the van isn't exactly in the best working condition. Add to that a small gas budget, and I really have to limit my shopping. Here is basically what I bought today... beef (2 separate family packs, different cuts), italian sausage, canned soups and pasta, LOTS of produce (my kids go through about $25 worth of fruits/fresh veggies in a week) 3 gallons Milk, bread, ice cream, cereals, snacks, chicken, juices, and who knows what else that I can't remember LOL {one of these days I will have the energy once I get home to lay it all out and take a picture lol } My fridge is pretty stocked now LOL I really won't have to go shopping for more than eggs and bread for the next few weeks. 2 grocery carts FULL for this trip. I had a ton of good deals that probably could have waited, but I wanted to take advantage of them while I could.
Here's my totals:
Subtotal before savings: $367.50
Savings: 126.01
Total after savings 241.49
It took me about an hour to get ready for this trip AFTER I had all the coupons cut out and in my binder. I'll post more about how I get ready later in the week. Have a good week everyone!
Happy Couponing!
In this heat, I don't have the opportunity to go on many shopping trips. I am 30min from most stores, and the van isn't exactly in the best working condition. Add to that a small gas budget, and I really have to limit my shopping. Here is basically what I bought today... beef (2 separate family packs, different cuts), italian sausage, canned soups and pasta, LOTS of produce (my kids go through about $25 worth of fruits/fresh veggies in a week) 3 gallons Milk, bread, ice cream, cereals, snacks, chicken, juices, and who knows what else that I can't remember LOL {one of these days I will have the energy once I get home to lay it all out and take a picture lol } My fridge is pretty stocked now LOL I really won't have to go shopping for more than eggs and bread for the next few weeks. 2 grocery carts FULL for this trip. I had a ton of good deals that probably could have waited, but I wanted to take advantage of them while I could.
Here's my totals:
Subtotal before savings: $367.50
Savings: 126.01
Total after savings 241.49
It took me about an hour to get ready for this trip AFTER I had all the coupons cut out and in my binder. I'll post more about how I get ready later in the week. Have a good week everyone!
Happy Couponing!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Muffin Tin Monday - Kids cook Monday! - OOPS :)
So yesterday was crazy and I didn't get my post up, so here's a quickie!
This weeks kitchen helper is...
ALEAH
This is what we came up with :)
Clockwise from 12 :)
Cucumber sticks, Carrot Sticks, bread sticks, cheese sticks,
Chicken sticks, and ranch to dip!
Can you guess what my "theme" was this week LOL
Have a good one everybody!
Go check out more Muffin Tin Meals
Kids Cook Monday has awesome ideas to get the kids involved in the kitchen!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Muffin Tin Monday and Kids Cook Monday
Hello All.
Late post today, but I got it done :)
Also check out The Kids Cook Monday
Happy Homeschooling :)
Late post today, but I got it done :)
This weeks kitchen helper is....
GARRET
Garret LOVES making MTM's. His favorite thing to do is to cut things out with the little cookie cutters. Sometimes it makes it difficult to come up with things that he can cut out (remember the little bat shaped honeydew?) lol
I was brave today and let him use the big knife...
He is cutting the kielbasa before we cooked it.
He did pretty well, I was proud of him.
Then we made little tomato/mozzarella skewers
Here is the total tin
Clockwise from top left: Bat and pumpking bread, Tomato and mozzarella skewers,
Banana nut bread bunnies, heart shaped rice mold (LOVED THIS)
and Kielbasa skewers.
Overall it was a hit! This was our dinner tonight and it LOOKS YUMMY. So I'm gonna go eat now :D
To find out more about Muffin Tin meals check out the link below.
Also check out The Kids Cook Monday
Happy Homeschooling :)
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