Food update

We did very well following my meal plans.  Three of the nights we didn't follow it but we didn't go out to eat either. We ended up being invited to friends homes these past two Saturdays so we ate there instead.

However the plan ended last night. I haven't had time to come up with a new one...so we are going to Burger King tonight.

A call for support

This is our friend from Ga. Please let think about ordering a wristband!

Robert the Great: 1/15: "I am a modern gal who knows how important it is to accessorize, but appreciates the importance of a good value. On..."

Grocery Shopping & Meal Planning

Okay so I am trying extremely hard to cut the grocery bill in 1/4 (at least) for 2011.  One way I read to do this (besides extreme couponing) is to try and only go to the store once a month.  As I am not one for drastic changes, we are going to try to only go once every two weeks.  In order to do this I came up with our meal schedule for the two weeks.
So here it is:
1/9  -- crock pot lasagna
1/10 -- chicken enchiladas
1/11 -- pork chop skillet (I've posted this recipe before)
1/12 -- chicken breasts with french pan sauce
1/13 -- crock pot chicken with black beans
1/14 -- leftovers
1/15 -- farfalle, peas and goat cheese
1/16 -- crock pot pork roast w/ apples, sage and rosemary
1/17 -- Date Night with hubby (kids will eat leftovers)
1/18 -- king ranch casserole
1/19 -- crock pot chicken tortilla soup
1/20 - ravioli lasagna bake
1/21 -- leftovers
1/22 -- my famous meatloaf (which is actually my friend Susan's recipe)
1/23 -- sesame chicken

So far, so good.  We have stuck with the plan but honestly we haven't left the house so we had no choice. I will keep you updated on how it goes.

Snow Days 2011

Well for once the weather forecasters got it right here in Atlanta...

They predicted snow Sunday night, followed by sleet, followed by freezing temperatures, not to be better until Saturday.

I think we ended up with close to 6" of snow. For the first time ever my kids have sledded.  Two of them even seemed to really enjoy the snow.  I got to sled once.  The hubby got to a lot more. I will admit to being jealous. 

The Little Dude, he enjoyed it as long as he didn't have to walk in it.  He seemed scared to walk.  It may be because on Day 1, he fell down a lot.  In the picture below, he is crying.  But when I held his hand, he was fine.

It is now Thursday. The kids have missed 4 days of school. Don't worry, they haven't even noticed. Although I was asked once on Wednesday when they could play with their friends.  We had a happy hour playdate with some of our neighbors. Other than that, they are completely content to have their daddy home, drink hot chocolate all day and play.

I heard on the weather channel that the only place state in the country that doesn't have snow right on the ground right now is Florida.  Even Hawaii has snow.  I am contemplating a move to Florida...

Reflections and Resolutions

Well I said I would post by goals for this year but first I need to go over 2010's resolutions. So I am going to list them out and let's see how I did.

1. Cook dinner at least 4 times per week.

2. Use the crock-pot for 1 meal per week.

3. Keep my house clean.

 4. Only volunteer for things I really want to do.

5. Stay on top of the laundry.

6. Exercise more and eat better.

7. Do not yell at my kids.

Okay, so I would say I had success with #'s 1, 2, 3, and sometimes 4.

I tried with #6 and did fairly well when I was able to get to the gym. It is definitely going back on the list.

I started off well with #7 but now I babysit anywhere from 2-6 kids somedays and really I lose my patience. Plus the Little Dudes tubes came out.  So for about half of the month, he is whining non-stop because of the fluid in his ears which is a little trying. I would say I failed at this. And it probably not going to make the list again.

I completely failed at #5.  Consistently and regularly. I am going to attempt it again, I think.

So on to 2011! Here are my resolutions!
1. Have *me* time daily.
2. Complete laundry in a timely manner. No more than a one load backup.
3. Say no more often than yes to favors/volunteer opportunities.
4. Make money for our family. 
5. Use the cash system to save money and pay off debt (car, house, etc.) I am not going all Dave Ramsey crazy but going to take steps in that direction. We already use the cash system for weekly purchases but we are amping it up big time in 2011. We have some big financial goals this year :-)
6. Coupon more.
7. Say yes more than no to the kids.
8. Have one family time activity/event/outing a month (or 12 in the year).
9. Make time to exercise(at least 3 times/week).


Okay so I think this is it for 2011! I will check in and let everyone know how it is going.

Happy New Year!

More Christmas posts are coming this weekend but I wanted to take a moment to say Happy New Year!

We spent the night at home with the Sportsmans (our 3rd year) of us all hanging out.  For the first time in the 3 years, all the kids made it until midnight. 

We enjoyed lots of appetizers, played Wii, and watched Dick Clark.

I am thinking of my posting my resolutions at some point and reflecting on last years.  Hopefully in a little while.  But first I have to put away laundry (a definite resolution failure from 2010)...