The Light at the end of the tunnel

Forever-bruary (Or February for you purists) always feel like it drags on for me. This one has been particulary brutal. We experienced 6 days of cancelled school, 4 Sundays of wrestling tournments and hubby going on job interviews.

Yesterday Hubby accepted a new job. He is giving notice at his current job today. We will be moving South. His job is much closer to mine. Beleive it or not, the 11YO is actually looking forward to chaging schools. He always has taken change well. He makes up his mind that it is happening and he needs to go with the flow. The 7 YO is complaining. I am excited.

So I am back to my basement. In december I participated in Laura's Organizational Challenge to clean up the craft area of my basement. You can read about it in this post. I was unable to complete it in time for the challenge and then Chirtmas came with all of the wrapping paper and card-making. So while the stuff sitting on top of my cutting talbe and my counter changed, it was all still there. In anticipation of moving, I have been working on it.

So look for more reports in the coming days.

Menu Plan Monday

Mon - Meatloaf

Tues- Pork Chops

Wed - Baked Chicken breasts

Thurs - Pork Roast

Fri - Krispy Krunchy Cod from Market Day

Hi All, Pork was on sale this week, so I am planning to fix it twice this week. It also does well in the crockpot. I had picked up a beef roast but put it back when I saw the prok roast for half the cost. I will be home in time to cook the chops Tuesday and the roast will go int the crockpot for Thrusday.

For more great Menu's, stop by Laura's Blog

Ash Wednesday

So Hubby is not a morning person. Changes to the Morning Routine get him pretty flustered. And add in an ADHD 11 YO and a 7YO who likes to push his brother's buttons and you have chaos.

This moring there was a 2 hour school delay due to ice and fog. I suggested to Hubby (from the road and my wonderful Blue tooth speaker phone) that he take the boys to work with him. (Last week during snow days his Boss said that was possible) and then at 9:30 drive them back to school. You can do that when your are within 5 miles.

So he forgets that it is Ash Wednesday (he knew last night because he was contemplating Chinese Food Wednesday) and he takes the boys to McDonald's for breakfast. The 7 YO - despite warnings from Dad that it was slick and icy jumps out of the van, slips and fall backwards and hits his head on the van. Hubby looks and does not see anything and they go in and order breakfast.

Then the Manager looks at him and asks "What is wrong with your eye?" He had a big, bleeding cut. Hubby calls me and asks where he should take them. I look at the phonebook. The Urgent cares do not open for at leaset an hour. So off to the ER they go. Fortunately he's ok, he got some steri strips and a "no wrestling" order.

Basement cleaning report

I took a vacation day yesterday since the boys were off. The 11 YO had a Doctor's appointment at 11:20. But they spent the night at the neighbor's house. So after spending time on the internet, I ventured intot he basement. My target: my laundry area. I decied to hold off on my craft area until we have come up with a storage solution.

I did not take pictures, but lets just say that this area has been ignored as an area that needs regular cleaning. I did purge one garbage bag of stuff - some craft paints that I have not used in 5 years, old milk and joiuce containers that I had fileld with water, put in my freezer to take up freezer space and serve as an emergency supply of water around Y2K. Then as the boys started eating more, I started using my freezer more and those containers got dumped into the stationary tub (the side without the washer drain).

Then my broom and I attacked cobwebs and dust on the walls and on the floor. I wiped laundry detergent off of my washer, cleaned out the stationary tub, swept up the remnants of the dryer sheets and the hangers that had fallen behind the dryer.

Hubby said I accomplished a lot. He was impressed. I'm almost embarrassed that I have not found the time to clean the area well in years. Just the cursory swipe of a broom when it really needed it. Then again, I am lucky to get my bathroom cleaned once a week.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - I'm off today - I'm going to put stuff together for Mon and Tues. Also, Lent starts with Ash Wednesday this week. So for this Catholic family, that means meatless Wednesday as well a Fridays until Easter. .

I will do something with Chicken today and make Hamburger Sloppy joes to warm up tomorrow since we have a meeting at 6:00

Wed - Grilled Cheese and Tomato soup for the kids, Clam Chowder for Mom and Dad.

Thursday -

Friday - The boys want Tuna noodle casserole. I love fish. I might make myself a piece of Salmon.

Saturday- Pizza.

Sunday - All day wrestling. We will have to eat fromt he concession stand. Yuck! They search bags for food and drinks. I an smuggle in a serving of tuna salad and crackers, but that's it. Saturday - Pizza

For more menus, Check out Laura's blog

ed: Oh the typos...

Digging out

So I am so geeky that I had to take this picture and send it to my co-workes with the title of "My Hero". We had 6-7 inches of snow then another inch or 2 of sleet. I worked form home Tuesday and Wednesday. Hubby stayed home Tuesday. Wednesday he ventured off to work in my 4WD truck. He called a few minutes later. "Please don't take the van out, I almost got stuck." Now I am not a homebody by any stretch of the imagination. So I bristle at being asked to stay home. But this guy finally came by. He left a huge pile of snow and ice at the end of the driveway. I did shoo the boys out of the house and we walked to the library so the 11YO could get some references for his science expo project. But I did ventue out in the van in the evening to Wrestling Practice.

Ice Ice Baby

First there were about 4 inches of snow, then about 10:00 am came freezing rain and sleet. It's supposed to switch back over to snow later tonight. parts North of us are experiencing blizzard conditions. We all stayed home today. Hubby and I both did some work from home. I don't know that I will make the 50 mile trek to work tomorrow.

I have time to cook. But what? I had a mild panic. I have chicken. But Hubby and the 7 YO had chicken for lunch. So we are having hamburgers. But I took a quick inventory of my cupboards and freezer. We will not starve. (And there is a super mega mart within walking distance).

I have: Large can of chicken, 3 cans of black beans, a can of baked beans, 2 cans of tuna, a can of salmon, a can of corned beef, Several jars of Peanut Butter (a 3-fer sale), dry whole milk, about a gallon and a half of fresh milk, Ground beef, ground chuck, frozen meatballs, frozen crab cakes, hamburger patties, cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, american, provalone, a dozen eggs, a bag of chicken breasts, spagehtti noodles, egg noodles, cottage cheese, frozen veggies, canned fruit, bread, canned veggies, a ferw canned soups.

"Relax Mom," I'm telling myself. "Nobody is going to starve. So what if there are no macaroni noodles to make mac and cheese to go with the burgers. Make a pan of brownies and everyone will be happy."

Menu Plan Monday

Ok, Here goes:

Monday - I got to work this AM and realized I forgot to pull out Ground beef for Salisbury steaks. So I guess it will be frozen hamburger patties. I have buns in the freezer.

Tuesday - This might depend. They are predicting a winter storm. If that happens. I may work from home. We also had a board meeting scheduled for last Tuesday postponed to This day. Maybe Chicke with Squash.

Wednesday - Wrestling practice night. Chicken Noodle soup (from the can)

Thursday - Salisbury steak

Friday - Breakfast for dinner.

Now I need to remember to email this entry to Hubby so he knows what to start when he gets home. He just emailed me that lots of his co-workers are planning to take work home tonight so they can work from home tomorrow. I was planning to do the same. Last Tuesday it took me 3.5 horus to get home in the snow storm. Yuck.

For more Menu's check out Laura's blog

Slow cooker dinner disaster...

So I have the gadget pcitured here. It plugs right into the oputlet and you plus your crockpot into the bottom. You press the Cook time button to set it for 4 or 6 hours at high or 8 or 10 hours at low. After the cooking time, it reduces the power so that the food is kept warm. Since I am out of the house for close to 12 horus a day, this works well.

Except when you forget to turn the knob on the crockpot from off to high.

I came home to raw chicken breast in my crockpot. I threw them away and opened a can of spaghetti sauce and boiled a pot of noodles. Maybe next time.

Slow Cooker Thursday

It's been a while since I participated. I ran out of new ideas. I need to have recipes that will stand up to 10-12 hours in the cooker. I do have one of those gadgets that switched the cooker to warm after 8 or 10 hours.

Anyways: Today my Slow cooker has chicken breasts in it.

4 Chicken breasts

1 pkg dry itialian dressing mix

1 1/2 cups of water

Cook on low 8-10 hours.

Join Sandra for more great recipes

School's in session

So, for the first time this week, school is open. That makes life easier on Mom and Dad. The daycare we send the 7 YO too opens one hour later on days when school is closed. So it does not open until 8:00. Hubby got very flustered when he tried to drop the 7 YO off Tuesday morning at 7:30. So that's why the boy spent Tuesday at work with Dad. Dad has a class today that started promptly at 8:00 AM. He was dissapointed when I said I was unable to stay home until 8:00 to drop off the boy. He's not real happy with me carpooling.

But the 7YO asked this morning if he could come to work with me like he did Monday. He enjoyed it and he was very good. If all else fails, it is an option. Especially since I have an office with a door. A few books, an MP3 Player and a gameboy. Add in Mom's ID with that can double as a debit card and and an introduction to the lunchroom ladies. What more could a boy want.

Snow Day

This is the third day of no school. The first two days were becasue of sever cold. We only get these 0 degree mornings with -20 windchills every three years or so. They worry about kids waiting for buses out in this cold. Monday the 7YO went to work with Mom, Tuesday he went with Dad. His Daycare does not open until 8:00 when school is cancelled.

I'm working from home today. It took me 3-1/2 hours to get home in the snow yesterday. The University I work out was closed until 10 AM and my building was going to be closed at Noon to fix an electrical problem that took the power down for and hour yesterday. See the Dueling computers:
















Boys working and playing

Menu Plan Monday

Mon - Ground beef night - Ground beef is thawing. _ Not sure whether to make Meatloaf or Cheeseburger sloppy joes.
Tues - Chicken breasts - baked
Wed - Cheeseburgers from frozen patties
Thurs - MAc and Cheese
Fri - Frozen DiGiorno pizza (on sale this week, 2/$9)

For more menus check out Laura's site.