April Meal Plan Part 1

March got away from me and I never did finish my meal plan for the month, I have gotten a jump start on April through.

April 1st - 2nd
Friday
Breakfast - Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch - French toast, scrambled eggs and fruit
Dinner - Grilled cheese and tomato soup

Saturday
Breakfast - Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch - Omelettes and fruit
Dinner - Shredded pork sandwiches, coleslaw, salad and homemade fries

April 3rd - 9th
Sunday
Breakfast - Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch - Pizza
Dinner - Chicken, creamy cheesy corn and salad

Monday
Breakfast - Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch - Tuna sandwiches, veggies and hardboiled eggs
Dinner - Chicken alfredo with broccoli, bread sticks and salad

Tuesday
Breakfast - Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch - Eggs, toast and fruit
Dinner - Meatball Parm, bread sticks and salad

Wednesday
Breakfast - Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch - Sandwiches, veggies and hardboiled eggs
Dinner - Cheese burger chowder and salad

Thursday
Breakfast - Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch - Chicken sandwiches and veggies/dip
Dinner - Chicken, cauliflower rice, home made fries and salad

Friday
Breakfast - Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch -  Eggs, toast and fruit
Dinner - Mini tacos, beans and rice

Saturday
Breakfast - Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch - Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Dinner - Salisbury steak meatballs, potatoes and veggies

April 10th - 16th
Sunday
Breakfast -  Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch - Pizza
Dinner - Shredded roast beef sandwiches, home made fries and salad

Monday
Breakfast -  Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch - Sandwiches, veggies/dip and hardboiled eggs
Dinner- Tomato basil tortellini soup and garlic toast

Tuesday
Breakfast -  Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch - Turkey and veggie wraps with chips
Dinner - Beef and noodles and green beans

Wednesday
Breakfast -  Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch - Eggs, toast and fruit
Dinner - Chicken tacos, rice and beans

Thursday
Breakfast - Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch - Ravoli
Dinner - Cheesy chicken hashbrown casserole and salad

Friday
Breakfast - Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch - Egg salad sandwiches, veggies and dip and chips
Dinner - Pork chops, baked macoroni and veggies

Saturday
Breakfast - Oatmeal, PBJ/fruit or yogurt
Lunch - Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Dinner - Chicken and dumplings

March Meal Plan P1

Yes, I know this is very late! We did some traveling at the start of the month and I just did not get this done before I left.
March 1st - 8th
Gone

March 9th - 12th
Wednesday -
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Corn dogs, cheese and bananas
Dinner - Pork enchiladas or cheese quesadillas, spanish rice and beans

Thursday -
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Turkey wraps and veggies
Dinner - Gone

Friday -
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Egg salad sandwiches and veggies
Dinner - Turkey sandwiches, cottage cheese and veggies

Saturday -
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Dinner - Chicken, rice and veggies

March 13th - 19th
Sunday -
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Poached eggs, hash browns and fruit
Dinner - Meat loaf, potatoes and veggies

Monday -
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Spinach Ravoli
Dinner - Shredded beef sandwiches and veggies

Tuesday -
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Chicken strips, string cheese and salad
Dinner - Beef and noodles

Wednesday -
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Egg salad sandwiches and veggies
Dinner - Chicken Tacos, rice and beans

Thursday -
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Turkey wraps and veggies
Dinner - Crockpot lasagna, garlic bread and toast

Friday -
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Eggs, toast and fruit
Dinner - Grilled cheese and tomato soup

Saturday -
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Pizza
Dinner - Chicken alfredo and broccoli

When Someone Gets It

Let me set the scene for you, five kids in a grocery store, ages nine, eight, six, four and two. The six year old and four year old are pushing there own little carts, ramming you in the heel multiple, multiple times. The two year old is screaming bloody murder because she wants an apple and even though you sent the nine year old up front to buy an apple that she can eat while we shop, he is just not fast enough for her. I am not talking a little whine, I am talking full on screaming pterodactyl shrieking.
That was me today at Trader Joe's and I know I am not alone, every single mom has been here and even though we all have, it is a very lonely place to be. You feel singled out and judged. I had a screaming two year old on one hip, sore heels after being hit by a mini cart nine times ( not joking, I actually have bruises on both heels right now ), a whiny four year old that does not want to wait for her brother to buy an apple for her sister and I feel like joining my toddler in her melt down.
In that moment, it took one kind gesture to make me feel so much better. One kind gesture to let me know, I am not alone, people get it and it is okay.
An employee of Trader Joe's walks up with a small boutique of flowers, hand them to me and says they are for me, from everyone at Trader Joe's, They know being a mom is hard and just wanted me to know it was okay.

Thank you Trader Joe's for understanding that this mom stuff can be hard. Thank you for making me feel welcome and valued even though my toddler was being naughty.

                                     

Feb meal plan part 2

Febuary 14th - 20th
Sunday
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Broccoli cheese soup
Dinner - BBQ pork sandwiches, mashed potatoes and corn

Monday
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Chicken noodle soup
Dinner - Spaghetti and meatballs

Tuesday
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Out
Dinner - Chicken sandwiches, veggies and dip and string cheese


Wednesday
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Eggs, toast and fruit
Dinner - Shredded beef sandwiches, fries and veggies

Thursday
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Chicken, mac and cheese and veggies/dip
Dinner - Beef and noodles and green beans

Friday
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - gone
Dinner - Pizza

Saturday
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Beef and cheese enchiladas, rice and beans
Dinner - Bonfire night

21st - 27th
Sunday
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Dinner - Crock pot lasagna, salad and bread sticks

Monday  -
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Sandwiches, string cheese and veggies/dip
Dinner - Meatball skillet, garlic toast and salad

Tuesday
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Mac and cheese, chicken nuggets and grapes
Dinner - Whole chicken, carrots and potatoes


Wednesday
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Pizza
Dinner - Chicken alfredo and broccoli

Thursday
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Eggs, toast and fruit
Dinner - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn

Friday
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Sandwiches, string cheese and veggies with dip
Dinner - Chicken tacos, rice and beans

Saturday
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Boy scout event
Dinner - Boy scout event

28th - 29th
Sunday
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Dinner - Cheesy beef burgers, fries and veggies

Monday  -
Breakfast - Yogurt or oatmeal
Lunch - Sandwiches, string cheese and veggies with dip
Dinner - Chicken legs, baked potatoes and veggies

Small spaces, big family - Girl's room redo

We are a family of seven, living in a 1,500 square foot house. Space is always an issue and the area we seem to struggle the most with is our girl's bedroom.
We have an old home, over 100 years old. The upstairs was an attic so we have slanted ceilings which makes it hard to put up storage.
We have been trying to come up with ideas for the room upstairs for awhile. Currently, we have an eight year old, six year old and four year old sharing the room. So, we needed to have room for toys and clothes.
Over a year ago we decided to buy captains beds for the girls, which freed up so much space since we no longer had a need for dressers. An added bonus was they could no longer stick all their clutter under their beds.

After a lot of thinking, planning and searching we came up with what we wanted. We picked pink and grey for colors, butterflies for a decoration theme.

I had a budget of $300 to redo their room and I was able to do it for $285! I shopped a lot of sales and used several decorations we already had.
Here is a list of what we needed to buy -
$10 grey sheets for Kairi's bed
$30 for a new blanket and sheet for Destiny's bed
$26 for curtains
$8 curtain rod
$60 paint
$5 butterfly decorations ( found at garage sale, brand new )
$1 vinyl saying for closet
$10 live, laugh, love and butterfly stick ons
$12 painting
$6 frames ( already had the prints )
$ 18 baskets
$2 hardware
$26 wire baskets for closet
$11 hoodie rack for closet
$8 over the door shoe holder
$6 stuffed animal holder
$8 flower stick ons
$38 dress up trunk/bench

The butterfly shelf was something I made for Destiny when she was a baby. It used to hang in her nursery.  The painted flowers are also something we had that was from Kairi's nursery. We also had all the supplies for the initial art, it was an art project we did awhile ago so all we had to do was glue them to a canvas.  We also already had the name art, they were gifts from their Grandma and we just needed to frame them. Using that stuff saved us a lot on decorations.

Here is the before picture of their room.

We spent all weekend cleaning and painting. Destiny  and Alex went on a trip with their Grandparents so we took that time to redo the room, as a surprise to Destiny.





One of the biggest complaints I had was toy storage. Nothing seemed to work, plastic drawers just got dumped and those sets of drawers were ugly and did not function the way I liked. We found a post on toy storage and hanging baskets right on the wall.




We worked and worked for three days straight. We went through all the toys, we parted with things they no longer played with, pulled out some outgrown or unloved clothes and sent it all to donation. By the time we were done we parted with a doll house ( this was sold and the money was used to buy a larger doll house that would work for barbies ), toy horses, a doll chair, some dolls, barbies and just small random toys. Clothing wise, we filled up a garbage sack worth.

We finished the room the room the day Destiny was coming back.

         

My girls are very happy with their new room. They have even been picking up each night before bed because they want to keep it looking nice. 

Feb. Meal Plan Part 1

1st - 6th
Monday
Breakfast - Cereal or Yogurt
Lunch - Eggs, toast and fruit
Dinner - Biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, and fruit

Tuesday
Breakfast - Cereal or Yogurt
Lunch - Ravoli
Dinner - Cheesy burgers, fries and veggies

Wednesday
Breakfast - Cereal or Yogurt
Lunch - Sandwiches, chips and veggies
Dinner - gone

Thursday
Breakfast - Cereal or Yogurt
Lunch - Mac and cheese, apple sauce and chicken strips
Dinner  - gone

Friday
Breakfast - Cereal or Yogurt
Lunch - Eggs, toast and fruit
Dinner - gone

Saturday
Breakfast - Cereal or Yogurt
Lunch - Chicken, french fries and fruit
Dinner - gone

7th - 13th
Sunday
Breakfast - Scrambled eggs and fruit
Lunch -  Loaded potato soup
Dinner - Pizza

Monday
Breakfast - Cereal or Yogurt
Lunch - Mac and cheese and orange slices
Dinner - Meatball sub's and veggies

Tuesday
Breakfast - Cereal or Yogurt
Lunch - Eggs, toast and fruit
Dinner - Meatloaf, potatoes and corn

Wednesday
Breakfast - Cereal or Yogurt
Lunch - Chicken strips, apple sauce and tater tots
Dinner - Million dollar spaghetti, garlic bread and salad

Thursday
Breakfast - Cereal or Yogurt
Lunch - Sandwiches, chips, veggies and dip
Dinner - Shredded roast sandwiches, fries and veggies

Friday
Breakfast - Cereal or Yogurt
Lunch - Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Dinner - Beef and cheese enchiladas, rice and beans

Saturday
Breakfast - Cereal or Yogurt
Lunch - Beef and noodles
Dinner - Cassandra's birthday dinner ( smoked pork, home made Mac and cheese, baked beans, veggies and dip, potato salad and cxake )

January Meal Plan Part 2

1/17 - 1/23
Sunday
Breakfast - Oatmeal or yogurt
Lunch - Pizza
Dinner - Chicken tacos, rice and beans

Monday

Breakfast - Oatmeal or yogurt
Lunch - Chicken, string cheese and fruit
Dinner - Whole chicken, carrots and potatoes

Tuesday 

Breakfast - Oatmeal or yogurt
Lunch - Chicken noodle soup
Dinner - Chicken alfredo and broccoli

Wednesday

Breakfast - Oatmeal or yogurt
Lunch - Eggs, toast and fruit
Dinner - Ham, potatoes and corn

Thursday

Breakfast - Oatmeal or yogurt
Lunch - Pancakes and fruit
Dinner -  Ham and bean soup

Friday

Breakfast - Oatmeal or yogurt
Lunch - Ravoli
Dinner - Chicken, potatoes and veggies

Saturday

Breakfast - Oatmeal or yogurt
Lunch - Chicken noodle soup
Dinner - Meat loaf, mashed potatoes and veggies

1/24 - 1/30

Sunday
Breakfast - Oatmeal or yogurt
Lunch - Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Dinner - Chicken alfredo and broccoli

Monday

Breakfast - Oatmeal or yogurt
Lunch - Chicken, macaroni and broccoli
Dinner - Meatball pasta bake and garlic bread

Tuesday 

Breakfast - Oatmeal or yogurt
Lunch - Eggs, toast and fruit
Dinner - Turkey, potatoes and veggies

Wednesday

Breakfast - Oatmeal or yogurt
Lunch - Turkey veggie soup
Dinner - Turkey alfredo and broccoli

Thursday

Breakfast - Oatmeal or yogurt
Lunch - Turkey and cheese quesadillas and veggies/dip
Dinner - Turkey pot pie

Friday

Breakfast - Oatmeal or yogurt
Lunch - Lunch meat sandwiches, cottage cheese and veggies
Dinner - Hot ham and cheese sandwiches and tomato soup

Saturday

Breakfast - Oatmeal or yogurt
Lunch - Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Dinner - Cheese burger ring and veggies/dip

1/31

Sunday

Breakfast - Oatmeal or yogurt
Lunch - Biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs and fruit
Dinner - Chili and corn bread