Saturday, May 31, 2008
Chore Lists are Done
OK, the chore lists are done. I have Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Chore Lists for everyone in the house. Blogger won't let me put them up the way they are formatted, so I put them on box.net. Click here to see them.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Weight Loss
OK, I'm going out on a limb here.
I need to lose weight-badly. I currently weigh 266, with a BMI of 48.6.
Posting this on my blog is hard for me. I know I'm setting myself up for negative commentary, which will be self destructive. But I'm also hoping I'll see some support from this, which is something I greatly need. I need help, God, and I'm hoping I'll see some from here.
I've always struggled with my weight. ALWAYS. Childhood pictures show a chubby little girl with an awful haircut. While I was active in my teen years, which did help me to lose some weight, the only time I was really "skinny" was when I had a drug problem. Yes, I am an addict, with 17 years clean and sober.
I was still fairly thin after I gave birth to Aimee. I knew I needed to lose that baby weight, and went jogging with her dad one night. I didn't make it far, and he laughed at me. Yeah, that's cold and insensitive, but he was 18, so I give him a break for that. But it did harm my self-esteem. I did lose some weight, but not all of it, but that was OK. My weight stayed fairly reasonable for several years. I was overweight, but still not obese.
I don't think I lost much of my Saren baby weight at all, and then I got pregnant with Nikki when he was just 15 months old. I didn't lose much of her weight, either.
Now, I didn't gain a lot of weight while pregnant. With all of my pregnancies, I have actually lost weight. Doctors and midwives have all agreed that healthier eating, paired with more exercise to prepare for birth have contributed, and as I had lost, babies had gained. My midwife with Nikki did get worried at one point, because part of the problem with her was that even putting something in my mouth such as a bite of food, would trigger nausea. I had a LOT of protein shakes with Nikki! But in the end of each pregnancy I would finally gain weight-and never lost it. I had some good nursing babies, and that still didn't help with weight loss.
I also had Aria and Roan very close together, they are 17 months apart.
Pair that with a job, working at home, in which I sat, all day, in front of the computer. Oh sure, I got up-to get something to drink or to go to the bathroom. My weight slowly increased, through time and pregnancies, to what it is now-which is, interestingly enough, less than I weighed when I got pregnant with Roan.
As with any life issue, you have to be ready, really and truly ready, for it to do any good. Well, I am really and truly ready, and here's why:
I have frequent blood sugar crashes throughout the day.
I am 35-and not getting any younger (despite my original typo that said 25)
I am at risk for diabetes, heart disease, and a myriad of other health issues.
I want to be around to play with my grandbabies.
A friend of Larry's, who had recently had a huge weight loss over the last year, and was really getting in shape, went into the hospital for a minor issue-and had a heart attack during treatment. He's getting in great shape, losing weight, doing everything right, and he still has a heart attack-at 35. Thank God he was in the hospital at the time.
So here I am. Committed to weight loss. I'm hearing all over the place that decreasing your body weight by just 10% can cut your risk of diabetes by as much as 58%. So that gives me some interesting thoughts. Wanting to lose 100 pounds is HUGE. It seems unattainable. At a steady loss of 2 pounds per week, that's a year. And I actually need to lose at least 120. So that's MORE than a year. That's HUGE.
But...
But...
If I set smaller goals, it seems much more attainable. For example, my current goal is to lose 27 pounds by September 5. That, I can handle. It's reasonable, it's not some insurmountable mountain of FAT. It's a small mountain of fat.
And the bonus is this. If I lose those 27 pounds, I will weigh 239. My NEXT goal will be only 24 pounds, which will take LESS time to achieve. Being able to reach goals in shorter amounts of time will help to keep me motivated. 14 weeks for my first goal, but only 12 for my next one, 11 for the one after that, and so on.
So, how am I going to do this?
1. Lower the amount of sugar in my tea. I drink a LOT of sweet tea-like 2 gallons a day. Yeah, I pee a lot LOL. I had been doing 1 cup of sugar per gallon of tea, but I've already cut that down to 3/4 cup, and will cut out more each week. I will add mint to my tea, to make it taste sweeter without as much sugar.
2. Lower the amount of tea I drink. I will be making it a priority to sub some of my tea for water. Now, I drink a lot of tea because our small town water has a funky taste. So, to sub the tea for water involves buying bottled water. So that will be slow, until DH finds a job, but it will get done.
3. Portion control. I have already started out this week, measuring my food. It was pretty sad last night, looking at half a cup of mashed potatoes on my plate. Portion control has worked for breakfast and lunch. Dinner, not so much, so when I eat dinner, I finish my plate, then sit for 20 minutes before I can get seconds. That way I can make sure I'm actually still hungry before getting more food (and I have to REALLY want it if I'm willing to eat it cold, LOL, we don't have a microwave).
4. Better food choices. I hate eating my veggies. I'm awful at it. But I'm doing it, and must finish my veggies before getting seconds.
5. Eating when I'm hungry. Yes, eating when I'm hungry. Back before the days of refrigeration, world wide shipping, and nearby supermarkets, we ate what we had available or could find. That meant that sometimes, you went hungry-if you didn't save enough food until next harvest, or butcher enough meat to get you through until you could hunt or butcher again. When you saw that your food reserves weren't going to hold out, you started rationing food. So you existed on less. So your body learned to hold on to any existing fat cells in times when it wasn't fed what it needed. That continues in our bodies today. If you don't eat, your body goes into starvation mode, and won't let go of those fat cells that it believes are necessary for your survival. so I will take a few bites of applesauce or have a couple of saltines when I'm hungry.
6. Moving more. As you other busy moms know, working out is something we know we need to do, but most of us don't get to do. You'd think that chasing kids and carrying laundry and doing the dishes would be moving-and it is. Every hour of housework counts as 1 mile of exercise. But, you've in all likelihood hit a plateau. Unless you're doing heavier than normal housework, you're not moving enough to lose weight. I know that's my problem. I do try to go on walks. I plan to go on a walk every single day. But it takes 20 minutes to get everyone and everything ready and load the stroller, and another 20 minutes to get everything packed away when you get home. So an hour walk takes up almost 2 hours of your day. That's time a lot of us don't have. but, a friend of ours who is moving has GIVEN us his exercise bike. Well, we don't have it yet, which is OK, cause we don't have ROOM for it yet, but we'll have it. So I can bike whenever I have a spare moment, and for a dedicated 20 minutes a day, without having to load up everything and everyone to go. I think this activity will have a HUGE impact. I can FIND 20 minutes-I can't find 2 hours every day.
7. LOTS of prayer. Prayer to resist temptation, prayers of praise for when I do resist that tempting little cupcake, prayer to hold me up when I'm having a hard time of it-and I know that will come.
Larry is being very supportive. A few weeks back, we were discussing my need to lose weight, and he said "Babe, you're not fat, you're pleasantly plump." Well, that was sweet. It said to me that he doesn't care about my weight in terms of appearance. He loves me even when I'm fat-and I so love that about him. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it. But, it also doesn't address the issue. I told him "I'm not pleasantly plump, I'm morbidly obese and if I don't lose the weight I'm going to die." Flat out, no BS. I told him how much I appreciated him saying what he said, that it gave me a very positive image of myself in his eyes, but that I need to lose the weight for my health. Not to look better, but FOR MY HEALTH. He then realized what I was saying. I don't think he had ever previously even had a concept of life without me. I would always be there. And for that mindset to continue for him, he needs to be supportive of my weight loss. I may not always be here, but he needs to have that mindset in his head-it grounds him and gives him strength. He needs that. Ahh, but I'm digressing again. But the closer I come to a healthy weight, the more likely it is that I WILL actually be here 40 years from now, when he's a dirty old man in a wheelchair trying to get nurses to sit in his lap and I'm denying that I need glasses to read a book.
But last night, I mentioned that I hadn't had any blood sugar crashes since I started this, on Tuesday. I think both cutting some sugar and eating when I'm hungry have contributed to that. And he said the sweetest words I could hear coming out of his mouth: "I'm so proud of you!" That makes me feel even more warm and fuzzy. We, as wives, need uplifting from our husbands just as they need uplifting from us. We need reality, but we also need uplifting. That support from him meant just as much to me as it possibly could have. Ahhh, what a man I've got!
OK, it's late and I need to get some breakfast and get the kids up.
I need to lose weight-badly. I currently weigh 266, with a BMI of 48.6.
Posting this on my blog is hard for me. I know I'm setting myself up for negative commentary, which will be self destructive. But I'm also hoping I'll see some support from this, which is something I greatly need. I need help, God, and I'm hoping I'll see some from here.
I've always struggled with my weight. ALWAYS. Childhood pictures show a chubby little girl with an awful haircut. While I was active in my teen years, which did help me to lose some weight, the only time I was really "skinny" was when I had a drug problem. Yes, I am an addict, with 17 years clean and sober.
I was still fairly thin after I gave birth to Aimee. I knew I needed to lose that baby weight, and went jogging with her dad one night. I didn't make it far, and he laughed at me. Yeah, that's cold and insensitive, but he was 18, so I give him a break for that. But it did harm my self-esteem. I did lose some weight, but not all of it, but that was OK. My weight stayed fairly reasonable for several years. I was overweight, but still not obese.
I don't think I lost much of my Saren baby weight at all, and then I got pregnant with Nikki when he was just 15 months old. I didn't lose much of her weight, either.
Now, I didn't gain a lot of weight while pregnant. With all of my pregnancies, I have actually lost weight. Doctors and midwives have all agreed that healthier eating, paired with more exercise to prepare for birth have contributed, and as I had lost, babies had gained. My midwife with Nikki did get worried at one point, because part of the problem with her was that even putting something in my mouth such as a bite of food, would trigger nausea. I had a LOT of protein shakes with Nikki! But in the end of each pregnancy I would finally gain weight-and never lost it. I had some good nursing babies, and that still didn't help with weight loss.
I also had Aria and Roan very close together, they are 17 months apart.
Pair that with a job, working at home, in which I sat, all day, in front of the computer. Oh sure, I got up-to get something to drink or to go to the bathroom. My weight slowly increased, through time and pregnancies, to what it is now-which is, interestingly enough, less than I weighed when I got pregnant with Roan.
As with any life issue, you have to be ready, really and truly ready, for it to do any good. Well, I am really and truly ready, and here's why:
I have frequent blood sugar crashes throughout the day.
I am 35-and not getting any younger (despite my original typo that said 25)
I am at risk for diabetes, heart disease, and a myriad of other health issues.
I want to be around to play with my grandbabies.
A friend of Larry's, who had recently had a huge weight loss over the last year, and was really getting in shape, went into the hospital for a minor issue-and had a heart attack during treatment. He's getting in great shape, losing weight, doing everything right, and he still has a heart attack-at 35. Thank God he was in the hospital at the time.
So here I am. Committed to weight loss. I'm hearing all over the place that decreasing your body weight by just 10% can cut your risk of diabetes by as much as 58%. So that gives me some interesting thoughts. Wanting to lose 100 pounds is HUGE. It seems unattainable. At a steady loss of 2 pounds per week, that's a year. And I actually need to lose at least 120. So that's MORE than a year. That's HUGE.
But...
But...
If I set smaller goals, it seems much more attainable. For example, my current goal is to lose 27 pounds by September 5. That, I can handle. It's reasonable, it's not some insurmountable mountain of FAT. It's a small mountain of fat.
And the bonus is this. If I lose those 27 pounds, I will weigh 239. My NEXT goal will be only 24 pounds, which will take LESS time to achieve. Being able to reach goals in shorter amounts of time will help to keep me motivated. 14 weeks for my first goal, but only 12 for my next one, 11 for the one after that, and so on.
So, how am I going to do this?
1. Lower the amount of sugar in my tea. I drink a LOT of sweet tea-like 2 gallons a day. Yeah, I pee a lot LOL. I had been doing 1 cup of sugar per gallon of tea, but I've already cut that down to 3/4 cup, and will cut out more each week. I will add mint to my tea, to make it taste sweeter without as much sugar.
2. Lower the amount of tea I drink. I will be making it a priority to sub some of my tea for water. Now, I drink a lot of tea because our small town water has a funky taste. So, to sub the tea for water involves buying bottled water. So that will be slow, until DH finds a job, but it will get done.
3. Portion control. I have already started out this week, measuring my food. It was pretty sad last night, looking at half a cup of mashed potatoes on my plate. Portion control has worked for breakfast and lunch. Dinner, not so much, so when I eat dinner, I finish my plate, then sit for 20 minutes before I can get seconds. That way I can make sure I'm actually still hungry before getting more food (and I have to REALLY want it if I'm willing to eat it cold, LOL, we don't have a microwave).
4. Better food choices. I hate eating my veggies. I'm awful at it. But I'm doing it, and must finish my veggies before getting seconds.
5. Eating when I'm hungry. Yes, eating when I'm hungry. Back before the days of refrigeration, world wide shipping, and nearby supermarkets, we ate what we had available or could find. That meant that sometimes, you went hungry-if you didn't save enough food until next harvest, or butcher enough meat to get you through until you could hunt or butcher again. When you saw that your food reserves weren't going to hold out, you started rationing food. So you existed on less. So your body learned to hold on to any existing fat cells in times when it wasn't fed what it needed. That continues in our bodies today. If you don't eat, your body goes into starvation mode, and won't let go of those fat cells that it believes are necessary for your survival. so I will take a few bites of applesauce or have a couple of saltines when I'm hungry.
6. Moving more. As you other busy moms know, working out is something we know we need to do, but most of us don't get to do. You'd think that chasing kids and carrying laundry and doing the dishes would be moving-and it is. Every hour of housework counts as 1 mile of exercise. But, you've in all likelihood hit a plateau. Unless you're doing heavier than normal housework, you're not moving enough to lose weight. I know that's my problem. I do try to go on walks. I plan to go on a walk every single day. But it takes 20 minutes to get everyone and everything ready and load the stroller, and another 20 minutes to get everything packed away when you get home. So an hour walk takes up almost 2 hours of your day. That's time a lot of us don't have. but, a friend of ours who is moving has GIVEN us his exercise bike. Well, we don't have it yet, which is OK, cause we don't have ROOM for it yet, but we'll have it. So I can bike whenever I have a spare moment, and for a dedicated 20 minutes a day, without having to load up everything and everyone to go. I think this activity will have a HUGE impact. I can FIND 20 minutes-I can't find 2 hours every day.
7. LOTS of prayer. Prayer to resist temptation, prayers of praise for when I do resist that tempting little cupcake, prayer to hold me up when I'm having a hard time of it-and I know that will come.
Larry is being very supportive. A few weeks back, we were discussing my need to lose weight, and he said "Babe, you're not fat, you're pleasantly plump." Well, that was sweet. It said to me that he doesn't care about my weight in terms of appearance. He loves me even when I'm fat-and I so love that about him. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it. But, it also doesn't address the issue. I told him "I'm not pleasantly plump, I'm morbidly obese and if I don't lose the weight I'm going to die." Flat out, no BS. I told him how much I appreciated him saying what he said, that it gave me a very positive image of myself in his eyes, but that I need to lose the weight for my health. Not to look better, but FOR MY HEALTH. He then realized what I was saying. I don't think he had ever previously even had a concept of life without me. I would always be there. And for that mindset to continue for him, he needs to be supportive of my weight loss. I may not always be here, but he needs to have that mindset in his head-it grounds him and gives him strength. He needs that. Ahh, but I'm digressing again. But the closer I come to a healthy weight, the more likely it is that I WILL actually be here 40 years from now, when he's a dirty old man in a wheelchair trying to get nurses to sit in his lap and I'm denying that I need glasses to read a book.
But last night, I mentioned that I hadn't had any blood sugar crashes since I started this, on Tuesday. I think both cutting some sugar and eating when I'm hungry have contributed to that. And he said the sweetest words I could hear coming out of his mouth: "I'm so proud of you!" That makes me feel even more warm and fuzzy. We, as wives, need uplifting from our husbands just as they need uplifting from us. We need reality, but we also need uplifting. That support from him meant just as much to me as it possibly could have. Ahhh, what a man I've got!
OK, it's late and I need to get some breakfast and get the kids up.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Once A Month Master List
Once A Month
Dining Room
Wash Boys’ Blankets
Wash Girls’ Blankets
Wash Mom and Dad’s Blankets
Wash Living Room and Kayla’s Blankets
Straighten, Wash Hoosier
Wash Top of Fridge
Sweep Back Porch
Kitchen
Food Assignment 1
Food Assignment 2
Food Assignment 3
Food Assignment 4
Prepare Next Month’s Menus
Print Next Month’s Chore Sheets
Dish Drain
Move Stove, Clean Underneath
Move Fridge, Clean Underneath
Baseboards
Kitchen-Oven and Racks
Wash Trash Can
Wash Top of Fridge
Wash Outside Kitchen Cabinets
Wash Walls
Wash Doorframe
Wash/Organize Shelves
Living Room
Wash Trash Can
Sweep Back Porch
Hallways
Mom and Dad’s Room
Wash Windows
Straighten Aria’s Dresser
Straighten Larry’s Table
Wash Baseboards
Wash Walls
Wash Doorframe
Straighten Mom’s Table
Straighten Desk
Straighten Headboard
Straighten Desk
Bathroom
Wash Walls, Door, Doorframe, Baseboards
Wash Trash Can
Girls’ Room
Wash Windows
Boys’ Room
Wash Windows
Organize Roan’s Clothes
Once A Week Master List
Once A Week
Dining Room
Clean Vent Hose
Sweep
Wash Floor
Wash Top and Outside of Freezer
Wash Top and Outside of Fridge
Wash Top and Outside of Washer
Wash Inside Washer
Wash Top and Outside of Dryer
Wash Inside Dryer
Move Shoes to Shoe Bin
Make Sure Backpacks, coats, etc are put away
Clean Out Fridge
Pick Up Trash In Back Yard
Rake Back Yard
Trim Grass etc. in Back Yard
Kitchen
Bake 3 loaves Amish Bread
Bake 2 loaves Wheat Bread
Wash Floor
Wash Floor
Bleach Countertops
Clean Out Fridge
Clean Stove and Hood
Volcano Sink
Living Room
Stock Diapers
Clean off Mom’s Table
Clean Off small Couch Table
Clean Off Large Couch Table
Put Shoes in Shoe Bin
Put Toys Away
Clean off and dust TV (includes putting movies away)
Move Dad’s Chair, Sweep Underneath
Move Small Couch Table, Sweep Underneath
Move Large Couch Table, Sweep Underneath
Move Small Couch Table, Sweep Underneath
Move Small Couch, Sweep Underneath
Move Large Couch, Sweep Underneath
Move Toy Bins, Sweep Underneath
Straighten Books on Bookshelf
Move Kids’ Table, Sweep Underneath
Wash Visible Floor (Including Under kids table and small couch table)
Lysol Couch Bed
Dust Electronics and CDs
Hallways
Sweep Back Hallway
Wash Back Hallway
Mom and Dad’s Room
Strip, Lysol and Make Bed
Wash Floor
Make Sure lost toys are returned
Straighten Closet
Return Empty Hangers
Sweep Floor
Pick up Misc. Stuff
Lysol Curtains
Lysol Kayla’s Blanket
Bathroom
Clean Mirror
Clean Sink and Vanity
Clean Out, Organize and Wash Aimee’s Drawer
Clean Out, Organize and Wash Saren’s Drawer
Clean Out, Organize and Wash Nikki’s Drawer
Clean Front of Cabinet
Clean Toilet
Clean Tub
Wash Floor
Change Trash Bag
Girls’ Room
Strip, Lysol and Make Aria’s Bed
Strip, Lysol and Make Aimee’s Bed
Lysol Curtains
Pick Up Aimee’s Clothes
Pick up and Put Away Aimee’s Stuff
Make Sure All of Aimee’s Clean Clothes are Away
Return Aimee’s Empty Hangers
Consolidate Aimee’s Pants
Beat Rugs
Sweep Floor
Straighten Aimee’s Desk
Straighten Aimee’s Dresser
Straighten Nikki’s Vanity
Straighten Nikki’s Dresser
Pick Up Nikki’s Clothes
Pick up and put away Nikki’s Stuff
Make Sure all of Nikki’s Clean Clothes are Away
Return Nikki’s Empty Hangers
Consolidate Nikki’s Pants
Straighten Aimee’s Shoes
Wash Big Mirror
Straighten Bookshelf
Clean and Sweep Under Bunk Bed
Clean and Sweep Under Aria’s Bed
Wash Floor (Including under beds, desk, vanity, toy bin)
Clean and Sweep Under Toy Bin
Clean and Sweep Under Aimee’s Desk
Clean and Sweep Under Nikki’s Vanity
Sort Laundry Saturday
Sort Laundry Wednesday
Strip, Make and Lysol Nikki’s Bed
Clean and Sweep Behind Door
15 Minutes In Room
Boys’ Room
Strip, Lysol and Make Roan’s Bed
Strip, Lysol and Make Saren’s Bed
Lysol Curtains
Pick Up Saren’s Clothes
Pick Up Toys
Make Sure All of Saren’s clean clothes are put away
Return Saren’s Empty Hangers
Consolidate Saren’s Pants
Sweep Floor
Clean Off and Organize Saren’s Dresser
Clean Off and Organize Roan’s Dresser
Clean Off and Organize Shelf
Clean Off and Organize Table
Clean and Sweep Under Bunk Bed
Clean and Sweep Under Dresser
Clean and Sweep Under Shelf
Clean and Sweep Under Table
Clean and Sweep Behind Door
Wash Floor
15 Minutes In Room
Sort Laundry Wednesday
Sort Laundry Saturday
Spring Cleaning: Redoing Chore Lists
Part of our Spring and Fall Cleaning is redoing chore lists. This allows the children to rotate chores they aren't particularly fond of, to make adjustments for schedules, as well as adjustments for increased abilites (for instance, this time around, our two year old, Roan, has one daily chore, picking up toys, and one weekly chore, making sure all assorted shoes scattered about the house make it to the shoe bin).
Now I have yet to find a chore system that really works smoothly for us. Oh sure, most chores get done, but some always fall to the wayside and in general it's a hot button issue around here. So I have yet again come up with some different chore sheets, that require each chore to be checked off. Checking something without actually doing it results in punishment. Not checking when it's not done results in punishment. Not checking when it IS done results in "Please remember to check these off" discussion. Then twice a day (the kids have AM and PM chores) I can go through and check to make sure it's done.
I did things a little differently this time. I made a master list, room by room, divided by Daily, Weekly, and Monthly. I also included DH on the chore list-even though he's working, he can take out the trash and deal with the yard. And if it's on a list he will remember to do it. Once I get the master list done, I sit down and assign chores. I used to have the kids volunteer, but the harder or ickier chores always got left to me. Not that I mind doing my share of the work, I mean, that's my job, but I do need some help with more time consuming stuff. The master list seems long, but I have broken down things like "Clean Bathroom" and "Clean Bedroom" into specific tasks, as the middles are always asking "What should I do next?" Once chores are assigned, I create individual daily, weekly and monthly chore lists. Each month I print new ones. Chore lists are stored in a notebook with dividers so each person can get to their list every day (they quickly get memorized, so all they usually need to do is check them off when they're done).
So today I will include the Master List. You'll see "Food Assignment 1, 2, 3, 4" on there. What that is, is food prep stuff that isn't needed for the next few days' meals, such as making biscuit mix or gatorade mix, cooking bulk chicken broth or baking treats for summer when it's too hot to bake. I try to fill the freezer with cookies and muffins and cupcakes-supplemented with no bake treats, so that we don't have to "buy" treats and snacks.
Over the next several days I will post the actual chore lists-they aren't completely done yet and I'm also working on next month's menus.
Click here for once a week master list
Click here for once a month master list
Now I have yet to find a chore system that really works smoothly for us. Oh sure, most chores get done, but some always fall to the wayside and in general it's a hot button issue around here. So I have yet again come up with some different chore sheets, that require each chore to be checked off. Checking something without actually doing it results in punishment. Not checking when it's not done results in punishment. Not checking when it IS done results in "Please remember to check these off" discussion. Then twice a day (the kids have AM and PM chores) I can go through and check to make sure it's done.
I did things a little differently this time. I made a master list, room by room, divided by Daily, Weekly, and Monthly. I also included DH on the chore list-even though he's working, he can take out the trash and deal with the yard. And if it's on a list he will remember to do it. Once I get the master list done, I sit down and assign chores. I used to have the kids volunteer, but the harder or ickier chores always got left to me. Not that I mind doing my share of the work, I mean, that's my job, but I do need some help with more time consuming stuff. The master list seems long, but I have broken down things like "Clean Bathroom" and "Clean Bedroom" into specific tasks, as the middles are always asking "What should I do next?" Once chores are assigned, I create individual daily, weekly and monthly chore lists. Each month I print new ones. Chore lists are stored in a notebook with dividers so each person can get to their list every day (they quickly get memorized, so all they usually need to do is check them off when they're done).
So today I will include the Master List. You'll see "Food Assignment 1, 2, 3, 4" on there. What that is, is food prep stuff that isn't needed for the next few days' meals, such as making biscuit mix or gatorade mix, cooking bulk chicken broth or baking treats for summer when it's too hot to bake. I try to fill the freezer with cookies and muffins and cupcakes-supplemented with no bake treats, so that we don't have to "buy" treats and snacks.
Over the next several days I will post the actual chore lists-they aren't completely done yet and I'm also working on next month's menus.
Once A Day
Dining Room
Fold Laundry
Wash/Dry Laundry
Wash/Dry Laundry
Wash/Dry Laundry
Wash/Dry Laundry
Kitchen
Load and Start Dishwasher
Load and Start Dishwasher
Load and Start Dishwasher (as needed)
One Prep Item
Take Tomorrow’s Food out to thaw
Veggies out to thaw or chop fresh
Dinner
Fix Breakfast
Pack Lunches
Wipe Down Counters and Sink
Feed Sourdough Starter
Wipe Down Stove
Take Out Trash (AM)
Sweep (AM)
Sweep (PM)
Unload Dishwasher (AM)
Unload Dishwasher (PM)
Make Ice
Living Room
Febreeze Furniture and Drapes
Pick up Toys (AM)
Pick up Toys (PM)
Sweep (AM)
Sweep (PM)
Clean Off Kids’ Table After Breakfast
Clean Off Kids’ Table After Lunch
Clean Off Kids’ Table After Dinner
Hallways
Pick up and Sweep Main Walkway
Feed and Water Kayla (AM)
Feed and Water Kayla (PM)
Mom and Dad’s Room
Febreeze Furniture, Closet and Drapes
Pick up dirty clothes
Put Away Dad’s Clean Clothes
Put Away Mom’s Clean Clothes
Put Away Aria’s Clean Clothes
Bathroom
Lysol
Clean Sink
Dump Trash
Straighten Vanity
Pick Up Towels, Rags, Clothes etc from floor
Girls’ Room
Febreeze Furniture, Closet and Drapes
Make Aimee’s Bed
Put Aimee’s Laundry In Basket
Make Nikki’s Bed
Put Nikki’s Laundry In Basket
5 Minute Room Pick Up Aimee
5 Minute Room Pick Up Nikki
Put Away Aimee’s Clean Clothes
Put Away Nikki’s Clean Clothes
Boys’ Room
Febreeze Furniture, Closet and Drapes
Make Saren’s Bed
Saren’s Laundry In Basket
5 Minute Room Pickup
Put Away Saren’s Clean Clothes
Put Away Roan’s Clean Clothes
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Chicken Prices Expected to Rise
According to this story, the price of chicken will decrease sharply in the next several weeks due to plans to slaughter large amounts of chickens because chicken farmers can’t afford to feed as many with the rising costs of corn and fuel. But once that supply is gone, the prices will go up exponentially. So when you see chicken on sale the next few weeks, buy as much as you can, because in the coming months it will be hugely expensive!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Frugal Money: Laundry Tips
How much per year does it cost to run your dryer? While the amount per load can seem small, it sure adds up over time. I do approximately 20 loads of laundry per week-that’s 1040 per year. I wanted to share some laundry tips that our family uses to help cut down on the cost of laundry.
Let’s start with the basic: Laundry Soap. I was buying the inexpensive Purex, and found that it did a superior job on most loads. Especially icky or smelly loads (remember, Larry is a firefighter) needed a little help, so for those loads I use a higher end soap like Tide. There are numerous recipes online for home made laundry soap, and most of them do a wonderful job. Plus, because you choose the soap base, you control any ingredients and scents in your soap-so allergy issues decline. I have switched to making my own laundry soap, again except for those icky or smelly loads. I still use the higher end soap for those, but I only need to buy it once, maybe twice a year. I probably save about $100/year doing this.
Then there’s the washer. Consumer Reports did a comparison of washers, and found that they all work pretty much the same. So if you’re in a market for a washer, purchase what you can afford, but don’t worry about the higher end models, because you aren’t going to get any more bang for the buck. I’d bet the same goes for dryers.
Fabric softener is something we all use a lot of. I don’t use liquid fabric softener-I don’t remember to put it in at the rinse cycle because I’m usually doing something else, and I forget to fill those little balls. I do add vinegar to jeans, and that helps with the stiffness when they are being air dried. I do, however, use the little sheets for the dryer. To help save money, I cut them in thirds. They still work just as well, I don’t have static issues and the clothes are nice and soft. I buy the large boxes that do 120 loads, so I’m getting 360 loads out of them (actually more because I don’t use them if I’m using the dryer for jeans). If I used them full size, I’d use about 9 boxes a year, at about $5.00 each, for $45.00. Because I cut them in thirds, I use about 3 boxes per year, saving $30.
Now onto drying. Using your dryer can be one of the largest energy costs for a family. Over the course of a year, I probably dry 50% of my laundry. It’s much more in warmer months, much less in the winter. I have a clothesline outside, but if it’s under about 40 degrees outside then it’s useless. That takes out about half of December, all of January, and a good chunk of February. Where we live right now, my clothesline is surrounded on three sides by dirt roads, so when it’s windy, which is most of spring, afternoons in summer, and a good chunk of fall, I can’t use the clothesline or my clothes come in dirtier than before I washed them! I solved that problem by using two indoor hanging racks (I’ll be adding a third one before this winter). The average dryer uses about 5 KW of energy per hour. Our KWH price is $.14. So to dry one load costs about $.70. Not too bad for one load, but at 1040 loads per year, I’d be spending $728 per year. By drying half my laundry, I’m saving our family $364 per year.
Using these methods has helped me save our family almost $500 per year. Now, that’s not going to pay for a vacation, or fund our retirement, but it is money that can be used in other areas, such as gas or paying down old debt.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Today will largely be spent playing outside and putting the house back together. After the last day of school, and our whirlwind kid exchange, everything is in chaos. I’m going to help Nikki make herself a treasure box, thanks to KimC at Life In a Shoe. I’m hoping this will cut down on some of the clutter in the girls’ room.
But before we do, I wanted to say a huge thank you to all of our men and women in Military Service today, as well as to all of those Veterans out there who don’t get nearly enough praise. And to the families of service members who have made the Ultimate Sacrifice, my prayers are with you every single day. Thank you so much for fighting for my freedom, those who came before me, and those who come after me. May God’s will be done.
Did you know that Xerox sponsors a site where you can send a card to a soldier? It’s at LetsSayThanks.com. Take a few minutes today to send a card to a soldier to thank them for what they do!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Frugal Money: Three meals in one, Beef Roast
Being on a tight budget, for whatever reason, means you need to make the most of your food usage, limiting waste and cutting down on portions of the more expensive parts of the meal.
On Sundays, we generally have what I call "Big Hunks of Meat Night". That means instead of our usual casserole or some dish that uses less meat, we have what most of America considers a regular dinner. Roast, chicken, meatloaf, etc. I use more meat on those nights, but then try to use less throughout the week, supplementing protein with beans, cheeses and eggs. However, even on those nights when we have a lot of meat, I try to make the most of what I'm preparing. Those two extra pieces of chicken will get frozen with some side dish for Larry's lunches. If we're doing hamburgers on the grill, I will make some extra for lunches.
Roast presents many unique opportunities (by the way, I often use brisket as a substitute for roast-it's usually half the price of what I can get roast for even on sale, and while it's a small bit dryer, it's just as tasty-just cut a large brisket {not corned beef brisket} into thirds for roast sized portions). When I cook a roast, I do it in the crock pot with enough water to cover. I add salt, pepper, garlic and onion, and let it do it's thing all day. When it's done cooking, I take two cups of the very flavorful broth to make gravy with cornstarch. I take about half the meat out for serving that night. I remove the rest immediately-if it's still in the crock pot, someone will try to take it! If I have time, I process a bit that night, if not, I put it in a large bowl and put it in the fridge to do the next morning.
When I process it, I take half the remaining meat, and one cup of broth, and set aside for stroganoff. I will add the meat and broth to a mushroom broth, thicken with cornstarch, add sour cream and a bit of worcestershire sauce, and then serve over noodles.
The remainder is set aside for soup or stew. When I"ve let it sit in the fridge overnight, I'm able to skim the fat off, making it a much healthier meal.
Those additional meal portions are either frozen or served later in the week. This time of year I definitely freeze the soup portion, as it's generally too warm here for soup...but it sure is nice to have after that first cold snap in the fall!
I hope this helps you make better use of your food budget!
On Sundays, we generally have what I call "Big Hunks of Meat Night". That means instead of our usual casserole or some dish that uses less meat, we have what most of America considers a regular dinner. Roast, chicken, meatloaf, etc. I use more meat on those nights, but then try to use less throughout the week, supplementing protein with beans, cheeses and eggs. However, even on those nights when we have a lot of meat, I try to make the most of what I'm preparing. Those two extra pieces of chicken will get frozen with some side dish for Larry's lunches. If we're doing hamburgers on the grill, I will make some extra for lunches.
Roast presents many unique opportunities (by the way, I often use brisket as a substitute for roast-it's usually half the price of what I can get roast for even on sale, and while it's a small bit dryer, it's just as tasty-just cut a large brisket {not corned beef brisket} into thirds for roast sized portions). When I cook a roast, I do it in the crock pot with enough water to cover. I add salt, pepper, garlic and onion, and let it do it's thing all day. When it's done cooking, I take two cups of the very flavorful broth to make gravy with cornstarch. I take about half the meat out for serving that night. I remove the rest immediately-if it's still in the crock pot, someone will try to take it! If I have time, I process a bit that night, if not, I put it in a large bowl and put it in the fridge to do the next morning.
When I process it, I take half the remaining meat, and one cup of broth, and set aside for stroganoff. I will add the meat and broth to a mushroom broth, thicken with cornstarch, add sour cream and a bit of worcestershire sauce, and then serve over noodles.
The remainder is set aside for soup or stew. When I"ve let it sit in the fridge overnight, I'm able to skim the fat off, making it a much healthier meal.
Those additional meal portions are either frozen or served later in the week. This time of year I definitely freeze the soup portion, as it's generally too warm here for soup...but it sure is nice to have after that first cold snap in the fall!
I hope this helps you make better use of your food budget!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
The Kid Exchange
Oh, how I hate kid exchange. I've posted that I was married before, and divorced...at least I think I have. That was a long time ago, and it's been dealt with between God and I. So, for the summer, my two oldest kids go to see their dad. I absolutely hate it. It feels like I've lost an arm or something. They are a part of me and now they aren't here.
This summer, just Saren goes. Aimee, at 16, is working, and there is summer basketball this year, so she wants to stay here. Saren had planned on staying, but decided last minute that he wants to go. The kid exchange has to be today, due to other summer plans that dad has going on. Saren decided...last night.
So I was up until 3 am doing laundry, and am still doing laundry this morning. Larry wants to leave in 20 minutes and laundry isn't done LOL. The last load is in the dryer, but still. I will still have to fold it and put it into bags. I am quite OCD about how I pack, so it's all laying out in neat piles on the bed right now. I'm highly emotional after 2ish hours of sleep and I know it's because I had gotten my heart set on Saren staying here. It would be the first summer they've been here in five years.
I know that's selfish, and I'm really trying hard not to be. Their dad doesn't see them very often. They don't live tremendously far away, but his days off are stable and he's subject to call in, so we can't just take them down for a weekend. We meet about 2 hours away and drop them off. And I hate it every single time. He gets them every other holiday and spring break, and as much as he wants during the summer. Saren will be gone for two months. I know that he will have a good time with his dad, and I'm not at all worried about his dad's ability to take care of him. I just hate him being gone.
So I'm sitting here at the computer working on my blog because if I go sit down on the nice comfy couch in the living room I will be asleep in about 3 nanoseconds. It's going to get real fun around here once Larry leaves and Aimee goes to work. Me and Nikki and the two littles. Just how little sleep can one get through a day on?
I love you, Saren, have a great time.
My boys, Saren and Roan.
This summer, just Saren goes. Aimee, at 16, is working, and there is summer basketball this year, so she wants to stay here. Saren had planned on staying, but decided last minute that he wants to go. The kid exchange has to be today, due to other summer plans that dad has going on. Saren decided...last night.
So I was up until 3 am doing laundry, and am still doing laundry this morning. Larry wants to leave in 20 minutes and laundry isn't done LOL. The last load is in the dryer, but still. I will still have to fold it and put it into bags. I am quite OCD about how I pack, so it's all laying out in neat piles on the bed right now. I'm highly emotional after 2ish hours of sleep and I know it's because I had gotten my heart set on Saren staying here. It would be the first summer they've been here in five years.
I know that's selfish, and I'm really trying hard not to be. Their dad doesn't see them very often. They don't live tremendously far away, but his days off are stable and he's subject to call in, so we can't just take them down for a weekend. We meet about 2 hours away and drop them off. And I hate it every single time. He gets them every other holiday and spring break, and as much as he wants during the summer. Saren will be gone for two months. I know that he will have a good time with his dad, and I'm not at all worried about his dad's ability to take care of him. I just hate him being gone.
So I'm sitting here at the computer working on my blog because if I go sit down on the nice comfy couch in the living room I will be asleep in about 3 nanoseconds. It's going to get real fun around here once Larry leaves and Aimee goes to work. Me and Nikki and the two littles. Just how little sleep can one get through a day on?
I love you, Saren, have a great time.
My boys, Saren and Roan.
Recipe: Irish Beef Stew
Makes: 12 servings
Ingredients
4 Tbsp. oil
1-1/2 lb. trimmed boneless beef round steak or brisket, cut into bite sized pieces
2 Tbsp. flour
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 quarts beef broth
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) stewed tomatoes
2 envelope Garlic & Herb Salad Dressing Mix (make your own)
6 medium potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
6 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 pieces
Directions
Heat oil in 5-quart saucepot on medium-high heat. Coat meat with flour. Add to saucepot with onion; cook and stir on medium heat until browned. Stir in broth, tomatoes and salad dressing mix. Bring to boil stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 30 minutes.
Add potatoes and carrots; cover. Simmer an additional 30 minutes. Remove cover; simmer 15 minutes or until meat is tender and sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.
Serve over noodles.
Giving It Up To God
I hear this often. "I gave it up to God" or "I'm giving it up to God". As in, I surrendered. Whatever the issue is, I surrendered it. I acknowledge that God, not myself, is in control, and only He can influence the outcome, and I shouldn't worry, because what happens is His will, whether I agree with it or not.
Boy, this is one I have a hard time with. I have spent the majority of my life as a non-Christian. I won't say non-believer, because I did believe in something, but I was on the wrong path. I believed that Christ was a great, generous prophet, but not that He was my savior. Lots of things led me to see where I was wrong, including some wonderful ladies over at Mrs. Survival, some hard and fast prayer by my grandma Pearl, and the death of my father.
Well, it wasn't really the death of my father. I had already started thinking seriously about the Savior aspect of Christ when my dad died. My dad was one that didn't really talk about religion, but I knew he wasn't saved, and he wouldn't step foot in a church. He was a GOOD man. He was actually my step father, but he was my father in every way that counted. It came much to my surprise that my mom and dad had, together, started going to church. The pastor that presided over the service was the pastor from that church, and he obviously didn't know my dad too well yet, but he spoke well of him. But still, one can attend church every Sunday and not be truly saved.
A few weeks after the funeral, I was talking with my mom. She mentioned that dad had told Grandma Pearl (his mom) that he had been saved-just a few weeks before he died. Dad was a truck driver, and a lot of the big truck stops have non-denominational Sunday services, which dad had apparently been attending. I wish I knew where he'd been, because I'd like to find the pastor that finally opened the door for him, and give him a gigantic hug. When Dad died, it was his THIRD heart attack. I'm thinking God really wanted him in Heaven.
Anyway, I digress. Notice I do that alot? There I go, digressing again. Anyway...giving it up to God.
I have a hard time with this. Part of it was being a non-Christian. Part of it was having to be so self reliant most of my life. I was not really ever in a position for someone to help me if things went wrong. And a lot went wrong. Not hugely wrong, just the type of wrong that comes in dribs and drabs and eventually starts to pile up, like dog poo in the back yard.
So now, that I'm a Christian, I have a hard time giving things up to God. Surrendering to His almighty will. Just simply letting go. I have periods of time where I can do it, and periods where it just doesn't happen. So I"ve been sitting here trying to figure out why.
I've been reading Laine's Letters. That reminds me, I need to add that site to the links. Oooh, digressing again. There was a letter there about dying to self. Having a servant attitude. Ultimately, we all serve Him, but we also have to have the attitude to be a servant to others. To gain this attitude, we must do away with pride.
PRIDE! DUH! There is my issue. Because I've had to handle so much on my own (because I chose to, rather than coming to God), I still believe that I am the one best suited to handle things. I need to overcome my pride to be able to surrender to God's mercies.
But that brings up several questions, the first and foremost being, how does one overcome pride? By repenting it, of course...which brings us right back round to the original issue, right? Well, not necessarily. I found this great devotional which really brings the issue home. All I need to do is suppress my pride. I have to CHOOSE not to be prideful. It, like most other things in my life, is an ongoing struggle. It requires a change in thinking and a change in attitude, but I must train myself to do this. It will not happen on its own. There won't be some glorious lifting of pride from my heart and mind. It will take hard work on my part, including some leaning on God.
But by training myself to be less prideful, I will be much more willing to Give It Up To God. By realizing that the things in my life aren't done by me, aren't influenced by me, aren't ordained by my hand, surrendering will start to come naturally. Living my life in Surrender to God will be the way I live, not the way I know I should live. God brought me here, God will walk with me to the end, and be there every step along the way. I need to discard my pride and simply let Him lead.
So my prayers tonight will include a plea for God's help in discarding my pride, and letting him direct my life. Thank you, Almighty Father, for showing me the way!
Boy, this is one I have a hard time with. I have spent the majority of my life as a non-Christian. I won't say non-believer, because I did believe in something, but I was on the wrong path. I believed that Christ was a great, generous prophet, but not that He was my savior. Lots of things led me to see where I was wrong, including some wonderful ladies over at Mrs. Survival, some hard and fast prayer by my grandma Pearl, and the death of my father.
Well, it wasn't really the death of my father. I had already started thinking seriously about the Savior aspect of Christ when my dad died. My dad was one that didn't really talk about religion, but I knew he wasn't saved, and he wouldn't step foot in a church. He was a GOOD man. He was actually my step father, but he was my father in every way that counted. It came much to my surprise that my mom and dad had, together, started going to church. The pastor that presided over the service was the pastor from that church, and he obviously didn't know my dad too well yet, but he spoke well of him. But still, one can attend church every Sunday and not be truly saved.
A few weeks after the funeral, I was talking with my mom. She mentioned that dad had told Grandma Pearl (his mom) that he had been saved-just a few weeks before he died. Dad was a truck driver, and a lot of the big truck stops have non-denominational Sunday services, which dad had apparently been attending. I wish I knew where he'd been, because I'd like to find the pastor that finally opened the door for him, and give him a gigantic hug. When Dad died, it was his THIRD heart attack. I'm thinking God really wanted him in Heaven.
Anyway, I digress. Notice I do that alot? There I go, digressing again. Anyway...giving it up to God.
I have a hard time with this. Part of it was being a non-Christian. Part of it was having to be so self reliant most of my life. I was not really ever in a position for someone to help me if things went wrong. And a lot went wrong. Not hugely wrong, just the type of wrong that comes in dribs and drabs and eventually starts to pile up, like dog poo in the back yard.
So now, that I'm a Christian, I have a hard time giving things up to God. Surrendering to His almighty will. Just simply letting go. I have periods of time where I can do it, and periods where it just doesn't happen. So I"ve been sitting here trying to figure out why.
I've been reading Laine's Letters. That reminds me, I need to add that site to the links. Oooh, digressing again. There was a letter there about dying to self. Having a servant attitude. Ultimately, we all serve Him, but we also have to have the attitude to be a servant to others. To gain this attitude, we must do away with pride.
PRIDE! DUH! There is my issue. Because I've had to handle so much on my own (because I chose to, rather than coming to God), I still believe that I am the one best suited to handle things. I need to overcome my pride to be able to surrender to God's mercies.
But that brings up several questions, the first and foremost being, how does one overcome pride? By repenting it, of course...which brings us right back round to the original issue, right? Well, not necessarily. I found this great devotional which really brings the issue home. All I need to do is suppress my pride. I have to CHOOSE not to be prideful. It, like most other things in my life, is an ongoing struggle. It requires a change in thinking and a change in attitude, but I must train myself to do this. It will not happen on its own. There won't be some glorious lifting of pride from my heart and mind. It will take hard work on my part, including some leaning on God.
But by training myself to be less prideful, I will be much more willing to Give It Up To God. By realizing that the things in my life aren't done by me, aren't influenced by me, aren't ordained by my hand, surrendering will start to come naturally. Living my life in Surrender to God will be the way I live, not the way I know I should live. God brought me here, God will walk with me to the end, and be there every step along the way. I need to discard my pride and simply let Him lead.
So my prayers tonight will include a plea for God's help in discarding my pride, and letting him direct my life. Thank you, Almighty Father, for showing me the way!
You Will Never Be A Perfect Mother
I can post these because they’ve all happened to me. You see, I think we get so caught up in being the “perfect” mother we forget to just find the joy that God makes inherent in being a mother!
Your child will spill koolaid, get grass stains, or pee on the new outfit you bought for THAT REALLY SPECIAL OCCASION five minutes before you are due to arrive.
You will burn some important component of the dinner your husband has asked you to prepare for his boss, your pastor, or an important gathering-and the store will be closed so you can’t get another one.
You will forget that it’s your week to bring snack to the homeschool gathering.
You will fall asleep during the awards ceremony (you’ll only snore if your child is old enough to be absolutely horrified by it).
You will cry at kindergarten graduation because you’re pregnant.
You will cut the patterns for the really pretty skirt, in the last of that fabric, two sizes too small with only boys to hand things down to.
You will forget to buy the ingredients for a birthday dinner.
You will forget to wash the soccer uniform for the make up game that wasn’t on a regular soccer day.
You will struggle…
You will fall…
You will beg God for his mercy…
And while you’re there on your knees, you will find it, given freely, for the taking…
Because you are what God made you-human, fallible, imperfect, sinful, wanting…
And you will find that Perfect Love that God has for you, and you will try to model that love in serving your husband and children…
You will die to self in little steps, small bits at a time, backsliding and running forward…
And you will be confident and strong, the gifts God gives you…
And you will still, never be a perfect mother.
You will have days when you get it all right, and days where nothing goes right. And you will realize, that if we were perfect, we wouldn’t need Him. That part of our mortal journey is to learn how to depend on Him, how to trust Him, how to give it up, to Him. And we’d not have need of any of that if we were perfect.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Winning a small battle in my war against clutter
I have a pantry in our apartment. Have I mentioned how much I loathe this apartment? How badly I can’t wait to move out? OK then, more on that later. Anyway.
I have a pantry in our apartment. As apartment pantries go, it’s huge, probably 8 ft wide and 2 ft deep. It has 4 shelves in it that run the length of the pantry, and then about 3 feet of just space. That just space always ends up being the ummm, “stuff catcher”. There is half a case of Sprite down there that I bought for illness, my sewing machine, 3 packages of ramen noodles, some empty food boxes, etc. I do have the potato bin in there, sheltered from light by the wall (although I will be moving that elsewhere since I got the dryer), and the fan, which, realistically, won’t fit anywhere else. The top shelf is also just a strange gathering of stuff, as I can’t even come close to reaching it. I’m sure Dh has some deep dark secret hidden in there, LOL.
Anyway, that 3 feet of just space down below has always bothered me. I do keep flats of veggies down there, but right now I don’t have enough canned veggies to store down there. I could buy those short bookshelves from WM to put in there, but they don’t hold enough, and I’m not making a set of shelves for it because we’ll be moving as soon as humanly possible. So what do I do with that space?
Well, I’ve also been buying those re-usable shopping bags from WM. I figure we go through, at minimum, 500 grocery sacks a year. Using those shopping bags is cheap (they’re $1.00 each) and will save thousands of grocery bags over the years that we use them. The problem is, I’ve found all kinds of nifty uses for them around the house. My sewing is in one, I used them when we had to evac, and on and on. Well, I just found another nifty use. They very neatly hold several pounds of food, which I can then stack, something like cans on the bottom, then bagged beans or rice, then lighter stuff like TP. I have now probably almost doubled the storage space in my pantry! And, at $1.00 apiece, I can pick up 5 a week, use some for shopping and some around the house. Ooooh I just have to love that. I’m thinking I may be able to figure out a way to use them on those top shelves of the closets that I can’t reach-leave the handles hanging over so I can pull them down. I could store extra light stuff in them, like paper goods or next size up socks or undies when I find them on clearance. I am so determined to get rid of the clutter in this house!
Thanks for reading!
In Him,
MTW
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Grocery Shopping Notes
With so much talk about rice shortages and prices going up, I thought I would make some notes about what I found when shopping today:
There were instances where things were bare from shelves, but not staples nor produce, unless you count frozen juice concentrate a staple. Plenty of rice, sugar, beans and flour. Our cashier asked if we had been able to get anything and I said Yes, and asked if the shelves were bare because they were shorthanded or because people were buying more. She said it was going off the shelves faster than they could stock it. However, there could be several reasons for this:
It’s the first Saturday of the month. We have a huge retired population in our area, many receiving veteran’s benefits, black lung settlement payments, disability, etc.
Stimulus payments. Even if you haven’t received yours yet, it’s perceived to be OK to spend the money for the electric bill if you know your stim money will be here before it’s due.
Media attention about scarcity of rice. This would seem to not be the case, due to the ready availability of staples. I was able to get 20 pound bags of both rice and beans. Paid more than I’ve ever paid, but I got it without having to throw down in the middle of the aisle to do so.
More notes:
The store was very busy. Of course, it was Saturday afternoon, a prime shopping time for a lot of people. It’s not a time I usually like to go shopping, but we have a commitment tomorrow and we weren’t able to go yesterday.
It’s no longer cheaper to buy 5 dozen eggs. They were the same price per as buying a dozen and a half.
My “sale store”, the store I go to, to buy sale items, had a lot of “luxury” meats on clearance. Brand name sausage, organic chicken and mushroom brats, etc. “Regular” meat wasn’t on clearance, but there were some great sales, even one on boneless chuck roast that wasn’t listed in the sale flier. Despite it being Saturday afternoon, they had a great meat selection and I was able to get exactly what I wanted, about 40 lbs or pork chops, 25 lbs hamburger, and 4 roasts. I also bought 2 gallons of milk there and 3 lbs of apples and spent $113.00. My savings there was $167. That, and what I bought at Walmart, took every bit of my food budget and my misc. budget for this week, but the freezer is so full I don’t think I can get one more pound of hamburger in there.
The potatoes were horrid. This actually scares me more than hearing of rice shortages. I had to go through several bags to find bags that didn’t have rotted potatoes in them. Either the stores aren’t safeguarding their food as they should be, or these are very old.
Making Chicken Broth From Scratch
A few days ago I made chicken broth from scratch. Chicken broth is a useful addition to many recipes, and I hate being without it, which I have been for quite awhile. It’s very expensive to buy, the regular Swanson broth was a little over $2 for what I think was a 16 oz box at the store. In my broth I used the following ingredients for a total cost of $12.63.
A little over 10 pounds of chicken, plus the carcasses of two previously cooked chickens. I used breasts and thighs, bought on sale, for a total of $9.36.
1 pound of celery, $1.18
1 pound of carrots, $.84
2 tablespoons sage $.25
Salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, parsley $.50
2 whole onions, $.50
Here’s the step by step breakdown.
Take out your chicken to thaw a day or two before your cooking day. For this, you can use any pieces of chicken that weren’t on a plate. For example, if I roast a whole chicken, I will put the carcass in a baggie and freeze it. If I used cut up chicken pieces, I will take the back and wings and throw them in a baggie and freeze it. If I cooked chicken that wasn’t put on a plate, I will pick the meat off and then throw the bones in the carcass baggie. If it ended up on a plate, it could have gotten saliva on it, so I don’t use anything that was on a plate. Even though the chicken has been cooked, the bones still retain their marrow, so can still be used.
To this I will add either a couple of chickens, or parts I need to use up. If I’m using parts, I try to include breasts so that I have a good mixture of white and dark meat when I pick the meat.
The morning that you’re going to do your cooking, chop your carrots, celery and onions. You don’t have to make them pretty or edible sized. You will have cooked all of the flavor out of them so you’ll be discarding them when you’re done with the broth. For the ingredients I’ve listed above, I use two stockpots-if you’re only using one you want to half everything.
Take out your stockpots, and add a few inches of water. Add your chicken parts. I divide them evenly between pots. Today each pot held a carcass, 8 thighs and 3 breasts. Cover with water and turn on high heat. Let the chickens come to a boil, and scrape off that “scum” that forms in the first bit of cooking. Once you’ve passed the scum stage, add your herbs, spices and veggies. Bring back to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and just let it simmer. If you’re using whole chickens, you will want to let it go for at least four hours. Pieces don’t take as long. As long as you keep adding water, you won’t burn anything even if you let it go for longer.
Once it’s done, I cover it and put it in the back fridge for an hour. This cools it enough that I can handle the meat and do the strain on the broth. While it’s cooling, pull out your large bowls and colanders, have a bowl for each colander that you’ll be using, and then three more bowls, one for draining, one for the chicken meat and one for the stuff you’ll be discarding.
When I start doing the strain, I don’t start pouring. I pick the meat out with my hands if it’s cool enough, or strong utensils. That goes straight into a colander which is in a bowl. I continue pulling stuff out this way until I can’t anymore. I will have hopefully gotten all of the big chunks out by then. Then I begin slowly pouring the broth through the colanders. When a bowl is full, I pull the colander out and put it into the drain bowl (using it as another broth bowl if needed). I keep doing this until the stock pot is empty. Then I pour the broth back into the stock pot. I squeeze the stuff in the colander to squeeze out any remaining broth, put it on a plate to catch any remaining drippings, and if need be put that back in the fridge for awhile to cool.
The stock pot full of broth is again covered and put into the fridge, until tomorrow. Then I begin sorting through the colanders. I pick the meat off and put it in one bowl, then put the discards (veggies, bones, skins, etc) in another bowl. Once all the meat is picked, I bag it up in approximately two cup increments and freeze it. Now I have chicken meat ready for casseroles. Today I ended up with enough meat for 6 meals.
The next day, I pull the stockpot of broth out of the fridge. All of the fat has hardened at the top, making it easy to scrape off. Once I’ve completed this step, I put it back on the stove, bring it to a full rolling boil, and then put it into quart jars, leaving one inch of headspace. I cover with Saran Wrap and a canning ring, then freeze. This batch of broth yielded 8 quarts.
So for $12.63, I have 8 quarts (I think, I used some and forgot to count) of broth, which will work in several meals, plus pre-cooked meat for 6 meals. Just counting the meat, that’s a cost of $2.10 per meal, or $.30 per person that I feed. That means the broth is free. If I do the broth at even $1.00 per quart, that takes the cost of meat down to below $1.00 per meal.
The ingredients for my broth are listed above. Below is a list of ingredients in Swanson’s Natural Goodness, 33% less sodium chicken broth, found in a friend’s pantry:
Chicken Stock
Salt
Flavoring (What kind of flavoring? Natural or artificial? MSG? What are the ingredients of the flavoring?)
Dextrose (Why does one need sugar in chicken broth?)
Autolyzed Yeast Extract (Huh?)
Celery Juice Concentrate
Carrot Juice Concentrate
Onion Juice Concentrate
Many beautiful blessings,
MTW
Shopping and soccer today
Well we have a game at the scary hour of 8 am. But at least they don't overlap today, so we can have a relatively restful day instead of running around like the proverbial chickens. We're doing muffins for breakfast instead of the cereal on the menu, cause I need some freezer space LOL. There is a good sale on pork chops so I'm going to stock up on those, which means I will be completely redoing all of the freezers today when we get home. But that always gives me a good opportunity to take stock of what I have. Ground beef is also on sale, but easy to repackage and put the little packages into the nooks and crannies.
LIving out in the boonies, we don't always get the sale ads, so what I do is check the sales online. The major grocery stores all have their ads up online. So before we go (usually day before) I check the ads to see what is on sale, and work that into my list. This is where a price book comes in handy. If my sale store has something on sale, I can check the price book and make sure that it's actually a deal by checking what the price is at my normal store.
OK, off to wake the kiddoes, have a blessed day!
LIving out in the boonies, we don't always get the sale ads, so what I do is check the sales online. The major grocery stores all have their ads up online. So before we go (usually day before) I check the ads to see what is on sale, and work that into my list. This is where a price book comes in handy. If my sale store has something on sale, I can check the price book and make sure that it's actually a deal by checking what the price is at my normal store.
OK, off to wake the kiddoes, have a blessed day!
Friday, May 2, 2008
My favorite site forever...
Hello, my name is Keisha, and I am a prepper.
So, what is a prepper? It is someone who prepares for the uncertainty of the future. And there are a lot of ways in which the future is uncertain. The economy, bird (avian) flu, pandemic, joblessness just to name a few.
Proverbs 6: 6-11 Go to the ant you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep - So shall your poverty come on you like a robber, and your need like an armed man
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I changed the way I was shopping. I took better advantage of sales and learned to use my grocery budget more efficiently. I was looking for sites in relation to food storage and was hitting dead ends so started searching for "survivalism". Of course, I found a lot of male-oriented sites about shooting and camping and stuff-the guy's side of things. Not that I don't know how to shoot, but you know what I mean. You could smell the testosterone, and that wasn't what I was looking for. I was just about to give up for the night when I found Mrs. Survival.
It was exactly what I was looking for! Practical advice on all kinds of survival issues (even shooting and camping) from the women's point of view. Not that men aren't welcomed-they are embraced, if subject to a bit of good natured teasing. Mrs. S. has a fantastic forum, with areas like "In The Kitchen, The Heart of Our Homes" and "Pinching Pennies", there is something for just about anyone that has a little bit of the Modern Traditional Wife inside of them. The discussions on canning alone will keep you busy for days if you're into that. Natural remedies, crafts, home schooling, and homesteading are all active topics.
Stop by and visit sometime. I'm MommyOfSeven there, and I'd love to see you soon!
So, what is a prepper? It is someone who prepares for the uncertainty of the future. And there are a lot of ways in which the future is uncertain. The economy, bird (avian) flu, pandemic, joblessness just to name a few.
Proverbs 6: 6-11 Go to the ant you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep - So shall your poverty come on you like a robber, and your need like an armed man
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I changed the way I was shopping. I took better advantage of sales and learned to use my grocery budget more efficiently. I was looking for sites in relation to food storage and was hitting dead ends so started searching for "survivalism". Of course, I found a lot of male-oriented sites about shooting and camping and stuff-the guy's side of things. Not that I don't know how to shoot, but you know what I mean. You could smell the testosterone, and that wasn't what I was looking for. I was just about to give up for the night when I found Mrs. Survival.
It was exactly what I was looking for! Practical advice on all kinds of survival issues (even shooting and camping) from the women's point of view. Not that men aren't welcomed-they are embraced, if subject to a bit of good natured teasing. Mrs. S. has a fantastic forum, with areas like "In The Kitchen, The Heart of Our Homes" and "Pinching Pennies", there is something for just about anyone that has a little bit of the Modern Traditional Wife inside of them. The discussions on canning alone will keep you busy for days if you're into that. Natural remedies, crafts, home schooling, and homesteading are all active topics.
Stop by and visit sometime. I'm MommyOfSeven there, and I'd love to see you soon!
My favorite site this week...
This site has text and scans of old cookbooks and such. I'm so in love with it!
Fleeing Fire
Well we had some excitement day before yesterday. DH came home and said there was a fire about 5 miles from us and he wanted us ready to leave now.
Let me digress a little bit. A few years ago we had a fire reeeeeeeeeealy close, the Mauricio fire. It probably got as close as about 2 miles as the crow flies (which is, coincidentally, how the fire burns if the wind is going in the right direction). DH, being a volunteer firefighter, was able to tell us when we needed to worry, which he did. It took Aimee and I two HOURS to get ready to leave. Now, I know all about BOB's (Bug Out Bags) but hadn't yet packed one. Silly wife, living in the mountains, and not having a BOB. We never did have to leave, but it was a tense week.
So since then I have been assembling a BOB. Traditionally, each person in the household would have his own BOB, packed according to standards for his own body weight, carrying what he needed for at least 3 days. Then if there is a need to evac, each person grabs their own BOB, and gets in the vehicle and leaves (or walks out if need be). The problem with that is littles and middles can't carry much, if anything, so you have to think outside the BOB.
While I will post more on BOBs when I start the spring cleaning threads, I will go into what we do a bit here. We have a bug out box, which is the large, huge bin that WM sells, that has individual bottled water, pedialyte, as well as a lot of misc. stuff. Meds, food, bottle liners, on and on are all in that box. Clothes are in old back packs. And I have a list of stuff to grab. This is stuff that we either don't have room for, or it's cost prohibitive to have extras (although I try to buy one thing for the BOB each week).
We could have walked out the door in 5 minutes, although we'd have had to do some shopping pretty quickly after reaching our evac point. We were ready to comfortably leave, without having to buy anything except some camping supplies (paper plates, etc) in 40 minutes.
Thankfully, the fire wasn't as close to us as "they" had feared, and it was contained quickly. It was a great test of our ability to evac quickly, and has been a good kick in the butt for improving the BOB. I redo the BOB quarterly, but still need to work on it. It's an evolving thing. You have to change out clothes seasonally and as kids grow. Same with diapers. food has to be rotated in or out. You have to keep financial papers updated. You have to update your contact list, and make sure your friends still don't mind you and 5 kiddoes pitching a tent in their yard for who knows how long.
Stay tuned for posts on what to have in your BOB and how to make it work for you!
Have a blessed day!
Let me digress a little bit. A few years ago we had a fire reeeeeeeeeealy close, the Mauricio fire. It probably got as close as about 2 miles as the crow flies (which is, coincidentally, how the fire burns if the wind is going in the right direction). DH, being a volunteer firefighter, was able to tell us when we needed to worry, which he did. It took Aimee and I two HOURS to get ready to leave. Now, I know all about BOB's (Bug Out Bags) but hadn't yet packed one. Silly wife, living in the mountains, and not having a BOB. We never did have to leave, but it was a tense week.
So since then I have been assembling a BOB. Traditionally, each person in the household would have his own BOB, packed according to standards for his own body weight, carrying what he needed for at least 3 days. Then if there is a need to evac, each person grabs their own BOB, and gets in the vehicle and leaves (or walks out if need be). The problem with that is littles and middles can't carry much, if anything, so you have to think outside the BOB.
While I will post more on BOBs when I start the spring cleaning threads, I will go into what we do a bit here. We have a bug out box, which is the large, huge bin that WM sells, that has individual bottled water, pedialyte, as well as a lot of misc. stuff. Meds, food, bottle liners, on and on are all in that box. Clothes are in old back packs. And I have a list of stuff to grab. This is stuff that we either don't have room for, or it's cost prohibitive to have extras (although I try to buy one thing for the BOB each week).
We could have walked out the door in 5 minutes, although we'd have had to do some shopping pretty quickly after reaching our evac point. We were ready to comfortably leave, without having to buy anything except some camping supplies (paper plates, etc) in 40 minutes.
Thankfully, the fire wasn't as close to us as "they" had feared, and it was contained quickly. It was a great test of our ability to evac quickly, and has been a good kick in the butt for improving the BOB. I redo the BOB quarterly, but still need to work on it. It's an evolving thing. You have to change out clothes seasonally and as kids grow. Same with diapers. food has to be rotated in or out. You have to keep financial papers updated. You have to update your contact list, and make sure your friends still don't mind you and 5 kiddoes pitching a tent in their yard for who knows how long.
Stay tuned for posts on what to have in your BOB and how to make it work for you!
Have a blessed day!
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