The love hate relationship with convenience food

 We are over halfway through our night shift job, and sometimes it seems like we just started. The days have been a blur of school work, house work, cooking, cleaning...and then spending the evenings proof reading. It seems like we have been running on full speed for the past two months. Even though Sweet Man and I have had very little down time, it just seems like we can't get it all done. There is still trash in the yard from where the dog decided to look for her own breakfast, after I forgot to feed her that morning. :-o Books lined up in the school room that I was planning on reading to the girls. Craft projects jotted down that I would like to try in my "spare" time, blogs to write, trails to run, and a garage project that Sweet Man and I started and haven't had the time to finish.

In order to be able to do some of the more exciting things on my to do list, I have been searching for ways to tackle the daily chores just a little bit better. I spend over half of my day in the kitchen. Although it is a lovely kitchen, I am plumb tired of staring at the same spot out the window while I cook, clean and prepare meals. Convenience foods have been on the back of my mind a lot lately, and I have really thought about forgoing all the homemade stuff for some good ole prepackaged meals that can just be thrown in the oven on a whim. I know they are loaded with preservatives, and perhaps a few other not so nice things, and they would totally blow my grocery budget, but come one they are so....CONVENIENT!.

The other day a friend posted on her Face Book wall how she was stocking her freezer with homemade goodies that could be cooked and frozen, to be eaten at a later time. Yes! That's it! Spend a day in the kitchen baking oodles of yummy things that can be popped in the oven on a whim. Not only is this cheaper, and keeps my grocery budget in check, it's healthier since I get to pick the ingredients.

Yesterday I worked on our breakfast menu for the freezer. I baked 3 different types of muffins, waffles, bread, and energy sustaining breakfast bars.

There is also another plus to this whole scenario...the major part of dish washing will be done on that day instead of every morning after a batch of muffins or pancakes were baked.

Which is a great thing, because who wants to tackle a mess like this everyday? 

This morning has proven to be very stress free. The girls just went to the freezer and grabbed their waffles and popped them in the toaster. Me? I actually had time to write a blog. 

Now if I could just figure out how to stock up on washing laundry and teaching school. ;-)

Wordless Wednesday

Busy time right now...but still managed to take a few pictures. ;-)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Whoso loves, believes the impossible.

May you love with all your heart, believe the impossible, and laugh super hard at least once each day! 

This too shall pass....

Sometimes as a wife and mom, I get tired. I get weary of doing the same things over and over, and not ever feeling like I get ahead. I spend the first half of my day schooling, and the second half cleaning, only to wake up the next morning to what looks like a small tornado touched down somewhere in our house. In its path must have been the jar of homemade jelly. For it is now spread all over my newly mopped floor. As I lean down to do a quick mop of this area, I remind myself, "This too shall pass".

The laundry room did not bypass its path either, for it looks like a years worth of dirty clothes were "deposited" there, as well as stray kitty litter, dirty shoes and craft supplies. This looks like I will have to spend the afternoon in here putting it all back together. I don't really have a free afternoon. So, I cram it all in the hamper. Do a quick sweep with my sock covered feet to push all the litter to at least one side of the room. And remind myself, "This too shall pass".

A morning wake up call to three separate girls rooms should have been done with my eyes closed. "Girls! Didn't I just fold all that laundry yesterday?? Why oh why did you feel the need to make little tents for your stuffed up animals with it??"...."This too shall pass...This too shall pass...This too shall pass.

Night time rolls around where I get to spend a little bit of one on one time with each girl, as I tuck them in. They tell me their most favorite parts of the day. They give me homemade love letters and pictures they made for me during their free time, and they shower me with hugs and kisses. When they are all snuggled in bed I turn to leave their room and gently close their door, and it hits me. Oh No....this too shall pass!!

There are many seasons in a mothers life. They go by so quickly. I am praying that this season does not, for it is one that I love and cherish. Help me Lord to not get caught up in the weariness of it. Help me to not focus on the things that don't really matter. Help to remember the joy on that little one's face as she made her own sandwich, instead of focusing on the floor that "captured" most of it! And Lord....help me to remember that cat mess next time I see a precious little kitten that I think I  MUST have. ;-)

The importance of label reading ;-)

By now I think we have all heard how important it is to read the labels on our food. There are so many things we are supposed to be avoiding, that it really limits what we should be buying. It shouldn't have High Fructose Corn Syrup. It should be low in calories, sugar, fat and of course sodium. If it does have fat it needs to be the good kind, not the trans fat stuff....well that leaves lettuce. ;-)

Not only is it important to read the labels before you buy them, I am beginning to see the importance of labeling them after as well. Take yesterday for an example. Before I go to the store I like to do a clean out the fridge meal. I try to use up whatever ingredients I have left before I add new ones. I found some tomato soup leftover from earlier in the week. Hmm...that would be perfect with grilled cheese. So, I made the grilled cheese and re-heated the "soup". When the girls were called in for lunch and told what was on the menu, they were thrilled. EVERYONE likes this meal. Only something seemed weird with the soup. Oh dear....that's not soup, that is spaghetti sauce!! Pizza sandwiches anyone??

At dinner time one of the princesses disappeared right as it was time to sit down. She returned shortly after with these little food labels to use for the meal time. One for drinks, one for foods, and one for vitamins. 

Guess she wanted to be sure she knew what she was eating this time. ;-)

Wordless Wednesday

Snow Day!

I am not a huge fan of New Year's resolutions. It's not that I think there is anything wrong with them...I just don't normally make one. But this year there are a few things that I have promised myself that I would try better at doing.

I want to to treasure EVERY day, and look forward to what it might bring. I don't want to always be worrying about tomorrow, and end up missing out on the blessings that might come with the "right now".  I want to take the day for what it might bring, and make the best of it.  So, we started today. What better time than today, to just "roll" with it and try to turn it into an adventure? Yes, we did school first. But it is amazing how motivated those three students can be sometimes. ;-)

I have heard so many people say that they would like to start eating better. I feel like we eat pretty good around here, but there is always room for improvement. 

Nice warm chocolate chip cookies after playing in the snow.

Hmm...not sure that will go with our "trying to eat better" desire. Oh, I know...

Mmmmm. Peppermint Hot chocolate to accompany the cookies.

There. That's "better"!