Thursday, May 28, 2009

Frugal Friday



It's summer time. And you know what that means... Fun in the Sun... and not so Fun in the Sun. We have a window of about 2 weeks at the beginning of summer where it's not scorching hot and then BAM!... it's another blistering summer. Since our summers are so warm, we are constantly looking for different fun things to do, particularly indoor fun. With a few outdoor activities. So here are just a few frugal summer ideas we're drumming up:

1. Camping in the backyard-- Daddy and Big Boy have already spent the night sleeping on the trampoline. We had a BBQ and they roasted marshmallows. Took the laptop out and watched a movie on netflix (traditional camping activity), and fell asleep talking about the stars. They had a great time and when we move into the new house, I'd love to spend a night out in the tent with Big Boy.

2. Camping inside-- We've already had the kids' tent set up in the living room. We've done story time in there, played with toys, and Big Boy started sleeping in there one night, but didn't quite make it. he said it was "too quiet." But talk about camping in luxury.

3. Water Play-- is there any end to water play when you have little ones? Sprinkler, squirt bottles, water balloons, the spray nozzle on a hose, the possibilities are endless. My kids have been having fun in the sprinkler for the past couple of nights and I can hardly get them in the house when it's time to get ready for bed.

4. Fingerpainting-- My kids love to fingerpaint. We pull out the little picnic table on the patio and let them go at it. And clean up is super easy. Just turn on the sprinkler and refer to #4. They love it.

5. Story time at the library-- Our local library has three storytimes through out the week, based on the child's age. We tend to go to the one that Baby Girl is just reaching. We go a few minutes early, settle in to playing in the kids' section, and pick up a few books. This way we have our books already checked out when others start looking after story time. And we can be a little leisurely after the story. There's usually an activity involved as well and all in all, it runs about a hour, perfect for my little ones.

6. Other story times--There's also a weekly story time at out local Barnes and Noble. Once a week, there's stories and music. Baby Girl is still a little small as it's less of a confined space so she and I will look at the books and trains nearly. But Big boy stays glued to the story teller.

7. Free movies at the theater-- Check with your local movie theater. We have two different times of movie theaters here in town that run free or $1 movies in the summer. While they're all "kids' movies," there are a few that I'm not willing to let my 3 year old watch. However there are a few we've marked on our calendar. We've been thinking this is a great idea for a date with our kids. Special time with Mommy and Daddy, and at a fraction of the price.

For more Frugal Friday ideas, check out Life as Mom.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Menu Monday 5/25-5/31



These next couple of weeks will be really interesting. We are currently in escrow on a new house and waiting for it to close. In the mean time I'm trying to pack with two little ones underfoot and trying to figure out what stays out and what goes in boxes. It's a jumbled mess. I pack what I think I can live without and I immediately need it. I think I'm done with something and it immediately turns into a box search. So we're trying to keep our menu ultra simple this week with the hope of signing papers soon. But I'm afraid it will be at least one more week after this. We'll see. Here's what I'm cooking up this week (If I can find all the right utensils):

Monday:
Breakfast: Smoothies
Lunch: Soup and Sammies
Dinner: Lentil Tacos

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal and fruit
Lunch: Sammies and fruit jello
Dinner: Spaghetti

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Yogurt and fruit
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Pasta Salad with Chicken

Thursday:
Breakfast: Cereal and fruit
Lunch: Sammies and veggies
Dinner: Veggie Pizza

Friday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal and bananas
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Easy Thai Chicken Wraps

Saturday:
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Sammies and fruit
Dinner: Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Noodles

Sunday:
Breakfast: Yogurt and fruit
Lunch: Out with friends
Dinner: ???

To see what other's are cooking up this week, check out Organizing Junkie.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Summer To Do List 2009

Summer is quickly approaching. And with it, the long days of fun in the sun. But I have so many things to look forward to. I'm afraid that if I don't make a not of some of them, the summer will pass and we won't get to it all. Here are a few things we're looking forward to:

1. Make Homemade Ice Cream
2. Make Homemade Kid's Ice Cream
3. Go to the Fair
4. Move into our first house
5. Kids' Swimming Lessons
6. Camp at the Coast
7. Go to the Oregon Kite Festival
8. Camp in the backyard
9. Try to grow tomatoes, strawberries and lettuce
10. Pick and freeze cherries
11. Pick, can, and freeze blackberries
12. Pick, can, and freeze apples
13. Do lots of fingerpainiting
14. Make Homemade Popsicles
15. Attend Storytime Bi-weekly

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Works for Me Wednesday



This one is a super simple "Works for Me."
We are in the middle of a move. Just a cross town move, but there's so much to be done nonetheless. So as I'm packing stuff in the kitchen, Big Boy is packing a box in his room. He's really been wanting to help, but what do you give a 3 year old to do?
So here I am packing glassware, pots and pans, etc, and working alongside me, in a sense, he's filling a box of books and toys.
It only keeps him busy for awhile, but as long as I stay organized, I can get a lot done in that time.
He works in starts and stops, but that's ok. Anytime I need a few minutes to myself, I send him back to his box. He loves feeling like he's helping out and it's something I can trust him to do on his own.

Oh, one last quick note... How am I packing my glassware?
Instead of hunting down packing material, I'm starting out by wrapping my glasses in washclothes and dishtowels. They protect my glasses and they have to be packed anyway. Two in one.

For more Works for Me ideas, check out We are that Family.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Menu Monday 5/18-5/24



Yeah, I think I'm getting into a groove of sorts. I had forgotten meal planning 101: use what's in your pantry. As we're anticipating this upcoming move, this has become even more important in our home as I'm hoping to use some of our stockpile before packing. Here's what we have planned this week:

Monday:
Breakfast: Mango and oatmeal
Lunch: Leftovers or Peanut Butter and Jelly sammies, carrots
Dinner: Potato Soup (Son's request despite the 100 degree weather)

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Orange Smoothies
Lunch: Sandwiches and soup
Dinner: Lentil Tacos

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Banana and oatmeal
Lunch: Leftovers or sammies
Dinner: Kids' at a friend's; me grabbing something on the way to a seminar

Thursday:
Breakfast: Cereal and bananas
Lunch: Sammies, bell pepper strips, fruit
Dinner: Easy Thai Chicken Wraps (wrapped in lettuce for a diabetic friendly meal)

Friday:
Breakfast: Orange Smoothies
Lunch: Lightning Fast Wraps
Dinner: BBQ with friends

Saturday:
Breakfast: Baked Oatmeal
Lunch: at the Strawberry Festival
Dinner: Chili Dogs with Cincinati Chili

Sunday:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Baked Potato Bar

To see what others are cooking up, check out Organizing Junkie.

Link Love

This Cookies and Cream Ice Cream looks wonderful for this summer (@ Annie's Eats).

I have some friends that would love this Homemade Hand Scrub (@ Craftzine).

My mouth is watering for some of this Baked Lemon Pasta (@ Pioneer Woman).

Monday, May 11, 2009

Menu Monday 5/11-5/17



Be Forewarned: This menu is a work in progress.

Monday:
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Leftovers, apple slices
Dinner: Baked Potatoes and veggies

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Yogurt and fruit
Lunch: Lentil soup, salad
Dinner: Taco Salad

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal and fruit
Lunch: Sammies, veggie dippers, cheese
Dinner: Veggie Quesadillas

Thursday:
Breakfast: Smoothies and toast
Lunch: Sammies, fruit, cheese sticks
Dinner: Taco Mac and Cheese

Friday:
Breakfast: Yogurt and fruit
Lunch: Veggie Soup and Tuna Sammies
Dinner: Easy Thai chicken Wraps

Saturday:
Breakfast: Smoothies and fruit
Lunch: Leftovers, apple slices
Dinner:Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Sunday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal and fruit
Lunch:
Dinner:

Monday, May 4, 2009

Tackle it Tuesday



I haven't had much of a chance to do much blogging these days... or anything else for that matter. Seems like life is flying by at the speed of light. Gotta catch up. Gotta get ahead... too much to do... too many things to think about...

So today I have a list of things to get done:
1. Email Eureka church
2. Set up photo appt for Monday
3. Order photos for Baby Girl's album
4. Order Disneyland photos
5. Work on Mother's Day gift
6. Look up apron pattern
7. Look up felt food patterns

Too much to do. What are you tackling?

To see what others are tackling today, check out 5 Minutes for Mom.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Menu Monday 5/4-5/12



Monday:
Breakfast: Toast and Yogurt
Lunch: Soup and Sammies
Dinner: Out with mom

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Fruit and Oatmeal
Lunch: Bandito Burrito
Dinner: Three Cheese Baked Spaghetti

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Toast and eggs
Lunch: Soup and Sammies
Dinner: Aztec Chicken

Thursday:
Breakfast: Yogurt and fruit
Lunch: Out with Mom
Dinner: Baked Potatoes with Veggies and cheese, pears

Friday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal and fruit
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Pasta with Eggplant

Saturday:
Breakfast: Smoothies and toast
Lunch: Wraps and veggies
Dinner: Veggie Pizza

Sunday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal and fruit
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: ???
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