Here's the menu plan for the week:

Monday  Leftovers from the weekend:  Pot roast, pasta, whatever anyone can find.

Tuesday  Spiral ham (from the freezer), garlic and dill potatoes, green beans

Wednesday  Chicken stir-fry with garlic, broccoli, and mushrooms, served over pasta.

Thursday  Sausage, peppers, and onions on rolls, baked sweet potato fries.

Friday  Breakfast for dinner: eggs, pancakes, bacon, fruit.

Saturday  London broil, mashed garlic potatoes, frozen veggie

Sunday  Whole chicken, stuffing, frozen veggie, cranberry sauce

Happy menu planning!

I go through periodic assessments of our daily schedule/routine/chaos and make changes where needed.  Since Christmas, we've been pretty much in "chaos" mode.  It's always something that comes up... the kids are sick, I'm sick, we have "dental cleaning" week (that's next week for us), etc.  We missed a few weeks of Bible study for one reason or another, and despite my good intentions, I've gotten out of the habit of spending a half hour or so reading my Bible and filling in my workbook.  We've been sleeping until 8:00 every morning, which feels nice, but which really gets us off to a late start in EVERYTHING.  That leads to still doing school after lunch (we're normally done by then), and leaving out "less essential" things like art and going to the library each week.  The kids are bored, and I'm bored and unmotivated.  We need a Total Morning Makeover!

For this reason, Monica's post about morning routines on The Homespun Heart  last week really hit home.  I need to stop making excuses, dust myself off, and get out of hibernation mode!  This halfway point of the winter is an easy time to get into a rut, but it's time to get out of it.

My goals for the week are to begin exercising in the morning again (I was doing really well until a cold ran through the family, and I was up listening to the kids coughing in the middle of the night, then I got sick as well), get back into my Bible study work, and getting everyone up, showered, dressed, breakfasted, and ready for the day by 8:30, so that we can start school by 9:00.  It sounds ambitious, but it was part of my routine a couple of months ago... I just fell out of it!

This weekend I'll be relaxing with the family, conquering Mount Never-rest (a.k.a. the pile of clean laundry in my bedroom), and planning for the week.  Have a nice weekend!

Hello!  We had  a nice weekend here.  John took us to The Outback Steakhouse for my birthday, and my parents took the whole family out to Aunt Chilada's Mexican Restaurant on Saturday. 

R and I went to Michael's to buy some paint that was on sale, and I also found a cute menu-planning magnetic pad for the fridge.  Now I have a pad of 52 sheets to plan a whole year's worth of menus!  Since it says "Menu" on the top, no one will steal should borrow them for grocery lists, to do lists, Christmas lists, or anything else.  Well, in theory, anyway!

The menu plan for the week:

Monday  Whole chicken, leftover ribs, mashed potatoes, mixed frozen veggies.

Tuesday  Chicken soup, rolls, sliced fruit.

Wednesday  Spiral ham, baked potatoes, applesauce, green beans.

Thursday  Leftovers

Friday  Spaghetti with turkey meatballs, sliced raw veggies

Saturday  Cornish game hens, not sure about side dishes yet.

Sunday  Pot roast and potatoes in the crock pot, some kind of veggie.

We have a vacation in Florida planned for March, so we're going to try to eat out of the freezer/pantry, saving money on groceries, and avoid eating out until then.  I'm also stepping up my weekly goals for writing articles for the next five or six weeks, just to increase the amount of money we have in our savings account before we go.  We're really looking forward to it... we'll spend four days in DisneyWorld, and four days in the town we used to live in, visiting friends and favorite restaurants and beaches and parks.  Yay!

For the week, R has an allergist appointment, and we have two plagroup/playdates planned.  I'm also going to try to kick this cold that I've had for several days now... I need to go out tomorrow and pick up more vitamin C, because we're all out!  The kids have already had it, so hopefully it won't make another round through the family. 

We're reading through the Core Knowledge books, which happens to be corresponding to our unit study plans nicely... we're currently on Ancient Egypt and the Solar System!  Usually we only have one topic at a time, but it seems to be going well with two, so I think we'll try this for a while. 

I'm off to plan the rest of the week, and to paint my and R's toenails... she and John went down to Rite Aid a few minutes ago to pick out the perfect shade.  I wonder what they'll come back with!  LOL

Have a great week!

We had a nice, lazy Sunday... my pastor started a new Sunday School class at church about the basics of Christianity and some doctrine that our church follows, so I decided to participate in that.  Even though I am already familiar with what he's talking about, it's always good to really concentrate on truths about salvation, faith, and grace for a bit.   After church, I came home and lounged around, played Super Mario Brothers for Wii with the kids, and started planning for the week ahead.

I'm going to be following along with Monica's Make Your Home a Haven challenge on The Homespun Heart.  I've gotten out of the habit of waking up earlier than everyone else and just spending time with God and my Bible... I really need to get back into that!  My day always goes much more smoothly when I start off my day the way I should.  Our church has started meeting at 6:00 am on Monday mornings to pray, and while I can't do that (John leaves for work at around that time), I'm going to get up at 6:00 on Mondays here so I will be praying at the same time.  I'm not going to commit to getting up so early on the other days... maybe I'll strive for 7:00 the rest of the week. 

I do have my menu plan for the week done:

Monday London broil, garlic dill mashed potatoes, green beans.

Tuesday  Leftover Nacho Pumpkin Soup (frozen from last week), rolls, raw veggies and dip/hummus

Wednesday  Eggplant and zucchini parmesan over spaghetti.  I'll be using a soy-based vegan "mozzarella cheese" for this... R has been having problems with dairy, and we found some of this faux cheese at Whole Foods, so I'm going to give it a try.

Thursday  Whole chicken, baked potatoes, frozen mixed vegetables

Friday  My birthday!  We will be going out to eat.  I haven't picked a restaurant yet.

Saturday  Chicken soup, rolls, raw veggies

Sunday  Leftovers

Have a great week!

Nine years ago, my Justin was born!  He was under 7 lbs, and about 20 inches long.  I had no idea what to do with a baby, and I remember being stunned that the hospital actually left with him, LOL. 

Today, after having received a giftcard to his favorite store of all time, Game Stop, John took him to pick up the game he's been coveting, Ultimate Alliance (think Marvel superheroes and villains).  Since it was $5 or $10 cheaper to get it used, he went over to the pre-owned section to see if it was in stock.  It wasn't on the shelf, so J said, "I'll find out if they have it, Dad," and walked over by  himself to get in line.  John found it a bit amusing, but said he'd wait by the Wii games.  He was pleasantly surprised when J's turn in line came.  He asked the man politely if they had "a pre-owned copy of Ultimate Alliance."  The clerk asked which system he had, and J answered, "for the 360."  The clerk confirmed that they did, in fact have it, and J asked how much it was.  When he received his answer, he said, "I'll take it," and handed over his gift card.  John said that he had nothing at all to do with the transaction, other to signal to the clerk that they did not need a bag, since Justin did not seem to know the answer to that particular question.  LOL!

I can't believe what a big boy he is now! 

To celebrate his birthday tomorrow, we're going to have two of his friends over for the day, and we will take all of them out to Chili's for dinner.  He chose this option over having a birthday party. 

Happy Birthday, Justin!  I can't wait to see what the next nine years will bring!

We took off just about all of December from "school," so I'm looking forward to starting up again tomorrow.  Unfortunately, J is in bed with a fever, and R has a nagging cough, so we'll see how that goes!  I actually have all of my lessons planned, so it would just figure that they'll be too sick to get it all done! 

I also did my menu plan for the week, which I have not done in a while.  Here it is:

Monday Breakfast for dinner:  eggs, pancakes, bacon, and melon.

Tuesday  Spaghetti with sausage, salad

Wednesday  Olive Garden for dinner!  We received a gift certificate for Christmas, and we're going to go Wednesday, as long as John does not work too late.

Thursday  Barbecue chicken legs, mashed potatoes, frozen veggie.

Friday  Pork roast in the crockpot with carrots, pork-flavored stuffing

Saturday  Leftovers

Sunday Whole chicken, baked potatoes, fresh or frozen vegetables

Have a good Monday!

It's not only the end of 2009, but the end of the first decade of the 21st century!  Wow!  I can hardly believe that ten years has passed since the whole Y2K scare... remember that?  John and I had been married for just over a year, and spent New Year's Eve at his mother's house, watching the festivities in all of the countries that greet the new year before we do, wondering if all of the electricity would go out as the clock struck midnight.  LOL!

If on that night I had to guess what my life would have been like in ten years, I most certainly would have been waaaay off the mark!  We'd been trying to get pregnant and were having no success... I was afraid that we would not have children naturally.  I would have fallen over laughing if anyone had suggested that I'd be homeschooling any children that we did have.  I would never have guessed that we'd move to Florida, spend four fun-filled years there, and then move back after a job loss.  I would not have thought that we'd suffer two miscarriages or the loss of a home. 

It is with optimism and hope and a little bit of apprehension that I greet 2010.  I have no idea where we'll be in ten years.  I know what I expect to happen, and what I hope will happen... and I know that we will have joys and heartaches beyond what I can imagine right now.   I can't believe how quickly ten years have passed, and I know that it will seem like the blink of an eye when I'll be reflecting on the second decade of the 21st century!

So Happy New Year!  May 2010 bring blessings, happiness, and health to your household!

What a wonderful Christmas we had! 

Our church service on Christmas Eve was so nice... it was called Candles, Carols, and Communion.  I love singing Christmas carols at church, and the kids looked forward to lighting our candles and singing Silent Night at the end.  Both of the kids took communion for the first time.  The pastor invited each family to go up individually and take communion, so we went up with the kids and I decided that Christmas Eve was a good time for them to take part for the first time.  I explained everything to them as we ate the bread and drank the grape juice.  They will still go to the children's program on Sundays, so they probably won't take it again for a while.  Either way, it was something special.

We were so abundantly blessed this Christmas!  We were able to sponsor some children this year, which is always fun for us and important for them.  We received so many wonderful gifts!  The kids were thrilled on Christmas morning, as we knew they would be.  At R's insistence, we baked chocolate cupcakes for Jesus's birthday and sang Happy Birthday to Him.  I actually did not get any pictures of that, though!

Here are a few shots from Christmas morning:

Santa came!

Toes wiggling in anticipation:

Smiles:

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

I decided to apply for a position at Examiner.com, and got it, so I am the official Hartford Homeschool Examiner.  :)   Remember that I'm writing directly to homeschoolers, so some of the articles may be in a slightly less diplomatic style than you're used to reading from me.  You are more than welcome to comment, and even to argue back if you want to!  That's part of the fun of Examiner.com, as far as I can see. 

If you are a self-proclaimed expert in something--anything, really--, and you might like to write for Examiner.com, go ahead and apply!  I would get $50 if you use my name as a reference in your application and you get hired.  If you don't want me to get $50, then apply anyway, and don't put anyone's name down.  If you would like to apply and use me as a reference, but don't know my name, then email me.  If you would like to apply and use my name as a reference, you should watch this video to be sure I get the credit for your referral.  :)

Okay, self-promotion over.  Enjoy what's left of the week!

All right.  I generally don't go off on a tirade about bad customer service, and I'm always sweet as pie to people who work in service-oriented positions, as I realize they have a big job to do and a lot of nutty people to appease.  With that said, I simply can not let the day go by without sharing my experience at the local Walmart. 

Last week, I purchased a Blu Ray DVD player for John.  They had just sold the last one at our local Walmart, so after going there and seeing that there were none left, I drove about 20 minutes to another Walmart and purchased the DVD player.  I brought it home (all factory sealed), wrapped it, and put it under the tree. 

This week, it turned out that another brand of Blu Ray was on sale, for $50 less than I had paid!  There were piles of them at the entrance to our local Walmart, so I knew they were in stock.  I took the Christmas wrapping paper off of the one that I'd purchased and brought it, along with my receipt, to our Walmart.  Their policy is that they will accept returns from other Walmarts, as long as they carry the item, and as long as you have your receipt dated within 90 days.  I confirmed this with the corporate headquarters.

I arrived at the customer service desk with my still-factory-sealed package, receipt in hand.  The woman at the desk looked at my receipt and said "you did not buy this at our store?"  I affirmed that she was correct.  She then opened the package, and took out the DVD player, unwrapping it from its seal.  She also unwrapped the sealed instruction packet, remote control, and various wires.  She pulled everything out and laid it on the desk.  It was at this time that she discovered that the back of the remote control was missing.  She called over a floor manager.

The floor manager asked me where the back of the remote was.  I told her that I had not even opened the box, and that everything was factory-sealed.  Apparently the company had neglected to include the battery cover in the package.  After hemming and hawing, she said that she would be unable to process my return.  Surprised, I asked her why not.  She said that since I did not buy it at this particular store, I would have to drive to the next city to return it.  When I questioned whether they would even take back the DVD player now that the packaging was mutilated, she said, "well, it would help if you could find that battery cover."

I went outside and immediately called Walmart headquarters from the parking lot.  The woman there was very nice, and explained the previously mentioned return policy to me.  When I stated that this particular Walmart did in fact carry the item and that I did in fact have a receipt, she advised that I go back and talk to the general manager.  I did so.  The GM told me that there was nothing he could do.

Irate, I drove the 20 minutes to the next town and returned the DVD player.  I explained why it was all torn apart, and they accepted my return.

When I got home, I fired off an informative email to the corporate office, expressing my disappointment with the store managers at this particular Walmart.  I also called the headquarters back to update my complaint, and the agent assured me that Walmart had broken the returns policy.

The assistant manager at our Walmart called me a few minutes ago.  He stated that the corporate office was incorrect about the policy, and that their policy is that if an item is missing a part (even though it was in its factory seal still), they were to insist that the customer return to the place where it was purchased.  I asked him what would happen if it were purchased in another state, and he coughed and had no answer for me.

I am disgusted with the customer service that I did not receive at our local Walmart.  While there is nothing they can do now (since I've already returned the item and purchased the on-sale DVD player), they have lost a customer. 

You know, I should have done this earlier in the season, but it just occurred to me, so I'll do it now:  In the right-hand column (right over there -------->), you will see some Amazon.com ads.  If you click those, and then proceed to order anything from Amazon.com, I receive an affiliate credit for a percentage of your purchase (somewhere between 4 and 6%).  I usually place links at the end of articles that I write that mention specific books, magazines, etc... but I've had a link on this blog for a while too.  So, if you are going to order from Amazon.com anyway, and you think of it, feel free to click on the ads (or simply click here for the Amazon.com homepage)!

Shameless plug over, carry on... I hope you're enjoying your weekend.  We have a busy weekend going on over here, and we're all having a good time.  :)

Our "mostly rain event" turned out to be the first real snow of the season!  Before the sun even came up, J was outside snapping pictures:

John is off from work today and I'm sure we won't make it to our regular playgroup.  Hooray for snow days!  (Now, no more until Christmas!)

We had a nice weekend, cutting down our Christmas tree and putting it up in the house.  We just relaxed today, for the most part.  We were supposed to have the first snowfall of the season last night, but it ended up only raining.  I saw a few cars out that had some snow on the roof.  Hopefully the snow holds off until Christmas Eve (after we get home from church, though), and melts the day after Christmas.  Ha ha!

My nose is feeling much better.  It's only tender on the more affected side if I push on it, and I'm not taking any more Advil, which is good.  I intensely dislike taking medication, but I have never been so eager to take antibiotics, Advil, probiotics, and vitamin C! 

We have a very busy week ahead.  We have two library programs, Bible study, playgroup, a doctor's appointment, a playdate here at our house, two Christmas parties, and a Hanukkah party!  I'm not complaining, though... soon enough, I'm sure we'll be inside a lot due to the weather!

Today I found out that the exchange student organization that we hosted with over the summer is bringing students to Connecticut again in April!  I called the coordinator and signed up to host a student named Kevin who is 16 years old.  This will be our first time hosting a boy, and J is thrilled.  I made sure to choose someone who had a younger sibling, to hopefully sway the odds that he likes kids.  ;)

I think that's about it for now! 

it was raining when we cut you....  (sing along!)

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,

Had to move the couch to fit you....

We cut some branches off your top

So that  you could fully stand up

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree

We're ready now for Santa...

The kids helped me this afternoon, and we got the bookcase done.  Yay! 

Have a good weekend!  We'll be decorating for Christmas, and I'll be trying to continue to rest so my poor nose can heal.  :)

I know you've all been on the edge of your seats, waiting to see if I conquered the blue bookcase.  I have some of the books off, but the job is far from done. 

Last Sunday, I started having a weird, tingly feeling in my nose.  I figured it was a cold.  By Monday, it was sore, and by Tuesday, one whole side of my nose was really painful.  By the time I went to the doctor on Wednesday, I could barely touch my nose at all.  The nurse practitioner I saw said that she thought it was the start of cellulitis in my nostrils!  I'm on an antibiotic (and a probiotic to ward off side effects) now, and all but the one area where the whole thing started feels better.  That one spot still really hurts, so I hope that the antibiotic will take care of that within the next day or two. 

So anyway, between that and our regularly scheduled activities, plus whatever extra running around we've had to do, my Make Your Home a Haven week got cut short!  We are going to cut down our Christmas tree tomorrow or Sunday, though (weather permitting!),  so it will get done this afternoon after Lego Club or tomorrow morning. 

Prayers and positive thoughts that my nose will feel better soon would be appreciated.  I'm very thankful that I caught it early enough before it got severe, and that no one else is sick!

TGIF!

I got some of what I wanted to accomplished yesterday.  I didn't get to the shelf in our bedroom, so that's on today's list.  Here's what I did (you can scroll down to yesterday for before pictures if you missed them!):

The kitchen table, after:  (Well, it only looked like this for an hour... then R spilled juice on the tablecloth, and I had to put it in the wash.  But for that hour, it looked nice and Christmasy!)

Kitchen counter:

My bureau after (eeks, I need to wipe the fingerprints off of the computer screen!):

I put all of the laundry away, except for the sheets and blankets.  I need to see what I have room for now in the hope chest, now that we've put extra blankets on our beds!

Tuesday is our busiest day, but I did choose a project to work on in between Bible study and the library and ballet and karate classes.  The living room bookshelf, which I have not tidied up since the summer!    This is actually where our Christmas tree will go, so I need to take all of the books out and move it, and then put the ones we use back in.  The laundry basket full of books was in my closet... they are the overflow that we never were able to fit on the shelf in the first place!  As the weeks have passed with it sitting there, the kids have taken books from the shelf and simply thrown them into the basket instead of putting them back.  Some of the books are outgrown, so I think I'll need to make a donation to our children's library and/or the used bookstore of the church across the street from my church.  Anyway, here it is (and you can see part of our timeline on the wall to the left):

Have a good Tuesday!

Good Monday morning!  I am awake and coffee'd, and ready to start my busy day cleaning and tidying.  If you did not already know, I am Making My Home a Haven along with Monica from The Homespun Heart. 

We actually have a busy week planned, so I need to consolidate what we're doing into the time that we're home.  We're only doing the bare minimum for school this week to make time for our home-making.

My list for today, with before pictures for accountability purposes:

Clean off the kitchen counter:

Clean off the kitchen table (we were being crafty yesterday):

Clear off my bureau.  My bedroom is always the last room I get to, so it can get pretty bad.

Put away a mountain of clean laundry (the bane of my existence):

Tidy up the shelf behind our bed (this picture does not look bad at all, but it is dusty and there is more junk that is not in the pic to either side):

All right, I put it out there for the masses to see, so now I've really got to get it all done!  I'll post later with "after" pictures (well, if R does not lose my camera, which she's running around with....)!

Happy Monday!

In light of our busy week ahead, I've gone ahead and made our menu plan.  I really need to do better at this, and to do it every week!  Here it is:

Monday  Pasta with sausage, cut up raw veggies

Tuesday  John has class and the kids have ballet/karate, so I'll just heat up some leftovers

Wednesday  Shepherd's Pie, some sort of frozen veggie

Thursday  Pizza!

Friday  Steak, onions and mushrooms, rice, and broccoli

Saturday  Turkey pot pie.  I made up bags of pot pie filling with leftovers from Thanksgiving, so I'll just need to thaw, put in a casserole dish, cover with mashed potatoes, and bake.

Sunday  Pork roast, baked potatoes, and carrots.

Happy menu planning!

Today is the first Sunday of Advent.  The word "Advent" means "to come" in Latin, and we are waiting for the time that we celebrate the coming of the newborn Savior.

We have some fun activities and things planned, beginning with our "Make Your Home a Haven" week that is starting tomorrow!  We'll also put our change in a jar to purchase food for the food pantry, and I'm considering some sort of Jesse Tree activity... I need to think more about that, though (and quickly, since December first is only two days away!).

I hope you enjoyed your long Thanksgiving weekend.  Come back during the week, as I'll try to update with before/after pics at various points.