December Meal Plan

I know when Christmas is, really, I do, but somehow this year I managed to forget all about shopping for it. I *usually* pride myself on how prepared I am months ahead of time. I *usually* buy gifts all year long when I see something that is a great deal or really fits a certain person and I keep them all in a box in the school room closet. Then if a birthday party or baby shower or whatever comes up, I can *usually* "shop" in the closet and I have at least half (sometimes way more) of Christmas purchased by the this time of year. Well, right now, I have exactly one present in my box. Maybe it was the move, maybe it was the toddler, maybe it was babysitting, but something happened and I am woefully unprepared.

There's no use grumbling about it, I just need to buck up and find some money. I can't/don't want to get a job and so I have to cut from somewhere. I am pretty good at sticking to a grocery budget when I feel like it, but ours has been a little, eh hmm, fluid, lately. So, what does Christmas shopping have to do with my December meal plan? I'm glad you asked. :-) Everything! Stick with me, I'll get there.

I work hard to have a well-stocked freezer and pantry most of the time and right now it is even more so thanks to the Thanksgiving turkey. I took the carcass home and picked the meat and made stock. How much could that possibly be? It was rescued from the trash, for heaven's sake!

Take a gander (see what I did there,like a bird. I'm clever, I tell ya!):

Here we are, just getting started

Yum, after several hours

and after several more hours. I got a total of about six quarts of boiled down stock, that I divided and froze most of (we've already eaten some and it is delightful!)

Look at all of that! I picked enough for five meals

Here is some, just chillin'

Add that to the chicken, vegetables, breads, and vegetable base already in the freezer and we are pretty stocked. Sorry, I got a bit distracted there. Where were we?

Ah, yes, the meal plan. I usually budget $100 per week for groceries, gas, toiletries, and incidentals. This month, I plan to only use half that and use the other half for Christmas gifts. It wouldn't be terribly difficult to do, but I don't want anyone to feel deprived and I also want to have a somewhat fancy Christmas Eve dinner (by itself costing about $65 to feed 7, but with leftovers for one additional dinner) so I am pulling from the freezer a bit more than I would normally do. Here it is, not necessarily in the order we will eat it. The number behind lists how many dinners we will get from each recipe.

1. Chicken, sliced potatoes, and salsa served with steamed vegetables - 2
2. Chicken pot pie - 3
3. Turkey soup with vegetables - 3
4. Vegetable soup - 3
5. Bean pasta with vegetable base and vegetables - 2
6. Frittata with peppers, spinach, and feta - 1
7. Tomato, basil pasta with beans - 1
8. Chicken thighs with rice in white wine sauce and roasted vegetables - 2
9. Spicy chicken curry - 2
10. Jambalaya - 3
11. Mini pizzas - 1
12. Salmon nuggets - 1
13. Chicken noodle soup - 2
14. Chicken and vegetable pasta - 2
15. Christmas Eve - 1
16. Christmas Day (at Doug's family) - 1

When I meal plan I don't add breakfast, lunch, or snacks. We eat those things, of course. :-) We make a lot of quick breads (pumpkin muffins, pancakes, biscuits, etc.) and some yeast breads (rolls, cinnamon rolls, etc.) that we use for breakfast and snacks. We also eat a lot of oatmeal for breakfast and  fruit for snacks. We always have peanut butter on hand to eat as sandwiches, with crackers, or on pretzels. There is also usually canned tuna. Mostly, we eat dinner leftovers for lunch and the numbers above take that into account.

Here is the Christmas menu:

Apps:

• Wasabi tuna dip
• Hummus with crudite and pita chips
• Crostinis with pesto, roasted tomato spread, and tapenade

Main:

• Salmon
• Beef tenderloin with red wine reduction

Sides:

• Roasted brussel sprouts, carrots, onions, sweet potatoes
• Mini latkes with sour cream
• Tossed salad (brought by Aunt Sue)

Desserts:

• Cookies (brought by Mom)
• Mini pies (pumpkin, pecan, key lime, cherry, apple)
• German chocolate bon bons
• Coconut milk bon bons

Can this all really be done for under $200? Yuppers! That is, assuming you have a stocked pantry as well as freezer and staples. I went shopping for the month last night and spent $140 and that included a new mini muffin pan, I have about another $40 left to buy of things that won't stay fresh until I need them if I buy them now, leaving me about a $20 buffer for things I'm sure will come up before January. I didn't allot any money for gas since I have a full tank and we can always use some of the regular household money for that. I also didn't allot any for toiletries because I have backups of everything we might need.

Anyone who says eating on a budget can't be delicious and nutritious is full of baloney!

It Might be Spring!

It is GLORIOUS outside! I am so ready for summer! I opened the windows today and maybe, just maybe the house will smell less like dog by this evening (one can dream). The weather channel says high of 77° today and it certainly looks like it will get there. Dolbi Downer pipes in that the high tomorrow is 48° - boo!

Paiger has her Buttons girls club meeting today and we are heading to the park for it. That means I'm taking two babies, one of whom (mine) would love nothing more than to just eat dirt - all the dirt - so that should be fun.

Lucille showing Abby love; Abby justifiably concerned about how this might end.

Today, I also scheduled a Sno Biz remote for April 5, so get ready Moreau Heights, here we come! I am super excited about this and it comes at a perfect time, since we need to purchase about 100 bags (500 lbs) of sugar next month and I *may* suck at saving money from last season to do things like that.

Last year's initial haul

And to round out the random thoughts, both babies are sleeping so I got to read (and write, obviously) a bit and I am loving this blog today: 

 

Random Pics

The pics above are all from the girls' baptism day taken by our good friend, Kat (below) of the famous FDub family and Kathryn Fishman-Weaver Photography.

Lucille meeting brother and sister

and Aunt Danielle and cousin Sophia

and Aunt Taylor

and Grandma Brenda

and Aunt Kara and cousin Tuesday

Big Changes in Kolbi-land

My blog is old. It's hard to deny that when even the tagline is so dated:

"Explore the life of a divorced mom of two, homeschooler, midwifery advocate, volunteer lactation consultant, bartender."

Let's break it down, shall we?

divorced mom of two - remarried mom of three

homeschooler - and public schooler

midwifery advocate - yes, but who just had a hospital birth

volunteer lactation consultant - when I have the time

bartender - retired :-)

I could also add candidate for city council, PTO mom, day care provider, and small business owner.

I have a renewed interest in blogging as a way to organize and "flush out" my thoughts and ideas before releasing them to a larger market or get them out here so they aren't released at all.  

So let's talk politics: When I told my friend from high school that I was running for public office, she reminded me how behind schedule I am! In our yearbook I, apparently, wrote that we would still be friends when I was president! Ah, teenage dreams! The truth is that I have always had an interest in politics. All those boring speeches and debates? I find them actually interesting! This seat is certainly just a small foray into politics, but it does feel nice. At this point in my life, I'm not interested in an ugly, expensive, exhausting fight for a high profile office, but am very much interested in serving my community. I am also of the opinion that if I do not win this time, then it just means it wasn't the right time and I will try again later. The older I get, the less personally I take things like this. I think the City of Jefferson will be well served by my slightly different perspective, outlook, and energy and am excited to be given the opportunity. 

So, what's this about public school and PTO? Well, funny story. You know how I have always said that we homeschool because it is what best fits our lives and if that ever became untrue we would reevaluate? Turns out, that's true! Levi was no longer enjoying having the hybrid mom/teacher and after several opportunities to work things out, we decided to try public school. He loves it! Well, everything except how early he has to get up! He has done really well academically and socially. I'm so proud of him! I have also enjoyed being able to become active with the PTO. I expected it to look like PTO on TV or homeschool parent meetings. Ha! I was in for quite a shock! There is virtually NO parental involvement, I was flabbergasted by the lack of involvement. There are around 1800 students in Levi's school and I am the only person in attendance at the PTO meetings other than the board members! The silver lining is that I can do whatever projects I want, they are so happy to have me! LOL I am currently working on catering a meal for the teachers and staff during Parent/Teacher Conferences and am so excited about doing this for several reasons. One, the teachers and staff work really hard and deserve a little extra perk. Two, I want to try to get more parents involved. I believe that if you give people specific and simple ways to help, they will want to do more and that should be a top priority for any PTO. Three, I love completing projects and this is a fun way to combine my love of restaurants and mommying while also helping people. Lots of wins here!

Oh yeah, and I got married and had a baby. More on that later, trust me, lots more, you'll be sorry you brought it up. ;-)

Remembering Friends

We just made a favorite treat dinner - Kristen Burdette's Campfire Beans. It is severely lacking in vegetables and grains, really just a big plate of protein, but it is so yummy that we treat ourselves sometimes. It is really good with some cornbread and I suppose I should serve it with a salad, but sometimes comfort foods just stand alone.

Campfire Beans

ground beef
bacon
onion
pork and beans
dark red kidney beans, red beans, pinto beans, etc.
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C ketchup
1/4 C bbq sauce
1/4 C brown sugar
1 T Liquid Smoke
3 T vinegar
1 T salt and pepper
1/2 t chili powder
2 T mustard
2 T molasses

This is best made by first frying the beef, bacon, and onion then putting everything in the crock pot on low for 6 - 8 hours. We never seem to be able to wait that long/think that far in advance so we usually make it all in the frying pan. Also, as you might suspect, the amounts are very variable. I usually use 1/2 - 1 lb beef and about 3 or 4 slices of bacon and one can pork and beans plus about two other cans of beans. Also, sometimes I cut back on the sugar and/or up the chili powder to make a spicier version.

Now, the remembering friends part.

When Levi was small (and even for a bit after Paige was born), we were fortunate enough to have a tremendous support group of friends met through La Leche League - Mary, Julie, Nancy, Michele, Kristen, and others. As I struggled with (then) undiagnosed bipolar disease, they were truly lifesavers. All new moms need support but when you are sinking into mental illness, it is even more imperative. They gave me a place where I was loved and accepted even when, looking back, I can see that at times my behavior was a bit odd. Levi and I looked forward to our Friday playdate all week. We would meet at rotating homes around noon with our potlock meals in hand and stay for hours. Often husbands would come home from work at 5:00 or 6:00 or even later to find us all still there talking and laughing. I'm absolutely awful at maintaining friendships and, unfortunately, these LLL friends have faded, but they are all still wonderful memories. This recipe is one that Kristen would make from time to time and we loved it then and still do now.

Picture catch up

Here are all the pictures I would have posted if I was a responsible blog host (they are pretty self-explanatory):

 

Aunt Sue in the red sweater, my mom in the white one.

More Florida

Okay, one more post on Florida and I'll stop bragging. :-) It was so amazing! The drive even went really well. Doug spent 30 hours in a car with us and didn't kill anyone and even still wants to hang out with us, that's really something! Becky and Tim are as fantastic as ever, Mike and Chris look great and are as hospitable as ever. Jennifer took Doyle and Preston to Virginia so we didn't get to see them, but we got to go to dinner with Gileah, Clara, and Mercy. They are sooo adorable! As is tradition, we stopped at the giant Superman statue in Metropolis, IL and got some pictures. I'm so happy to be including Doug in our traditions and to see how well he fits into the family. Everyone loves him!

Without further ado, here is the last batch of pictures:

Destin

No time for captions, I think you can figure out what we've been up to.  Now we're off to the Emerald Coast Science Center!

BEACH!!!

We are in Destin, Florida staying at my dad's second home this week. What a life! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Must read books

I am rereading (is that a word, btw?) Raising Cain by Dan Kindlon, Ph.D. and Michael Thompson, Ph.D. and it's amazing how different and more frightening it is now that Levi is at the most "dangerous" age.

For those unfamiliar with the book, it is written by two child psychologists who specialize in boys. They are quite convincing in their argument that boys' (in our society) lack of ability to express emotions causes anger and violence.

I read it the first time when he was a toddler (which happened to be in the midst of a school shooting marathon - he was born in July, 1996 and this is what was on the news all the time: Wiki School Shooting) and it really helped me understand how important it is for him to learn how to express himself emotionally but there is a whole world of difference between him doing that at playgroup and him doing it at football practice. All parents of boys need to read this book at least once, but preferably every few years.

Other must reads - Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher, Ph.D. (about the emotional life of girls) which I plan to reread when I finish this one and Protecting the Gift by Gavin De Becker (about the things you should actually worry about in protecting kids).

This is a VERY short list, I could write volumes on books all parents should read, but these are the three on my mind right now.

Productive day

I had a very full day yesterday and I loved it! Here's the list:

*Did plenty of school with the kids (yes, I know I shouldn't be surprised by this, but it doesn't always happen)
*Washed Levi's shoes and hat
*Went grocery shopping (my favorite type of shopping!)
*Made lunch with enough for leftovers for today (taco salad, yum)
*Got dressed and ready for work on time (but didn't actually get to go)
*Took the kids to the park
*Took Levi to football practice (and got to watch it)
*Had a fantastic dinner at Sapphires with Doug where we had my friend, Susan, as our waitress (lamb chops with Creole mustard, horseradish, apple, mint sauce)
*Went to Susan's (and Jesse's) house and talked and drank and were just generally merry
*Fell soundly and happily to sleep curled up next to my fantastic boyfriend (my favorite way to sleep)

I would have liked to have made some money, but it was rainy and ick so didn't get to work. But, on the bright side, it allowed time for a wonderful, long, relaxed date. Also, I am not super (read: very bad) at maintaining friendships but I like Susan quite a lot so I was very happy to see her when we walked in.

Update

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I'm sure all my imaginary loyal readers are terribly disappointed. :-)

I've been busy (read: lazy) and haven't even been keeping up reading, much less writing blogs. I've also seemed terribly boring as of late. I know that a boring life is a good one, no major turmoil and all, but it doesn't do much to engage my creative side.

That being said, I am also happier than I've ever been. I hesitate to say anything because it always seems like asking for trouble from Murphy to brag about how happy I am, but - I'm seeing someone :::big, giddy grin::: and it's going incredibly well in this newborn phase. To be completely honest, it wasn't that big of a leap. I started dating my best friend, Doug, about a month or so ago. He was married up until January so I didn't even put him in the "datable" category, but when he wasn't married anymore I started to see him in a different way. It is nice to be so comfortable with someone that everything seems so easy with. Plus, he's awfully cute, I hadn't really noticed before we started dating, but he's cute on his own and we are really stinkin' adorable together (if I do say so myself). Another plus to dating your best friend is that my kids already adore him so there wasn't any awkward introduction. Sure, it was a little weird for them to see us be affectionate, but they were used to us being happy together.

Doug, kidlets, and Missy

So, what else is new? I've been working at the Pirate and just love, love, love it. There are some of the same little gripes that there are at other restaurants, but they are so much easier to handle when it is a job I truly want to go to every day. They are so accommodating with my schedule, I've been able to see the kids ball games and practices every week, he lets me work single shifts on kid weekends and doubles on kidless ones. I know it's a pain to keep track of my odd schedule on top of everyone else's, but he does it happily.

We have rats, as you know. We started with Snowball and Skunk, but then Skunk bit my Paigey and off he went to be snake food. We traded him in on Ice Cream who is just adorable and sweet. The pet store only sells male rats, so imagine my surprise when we ended up with babies. Ice Cream, apparently, is female. So, we traded the six babies to the pet store for a water bottle holder to put in a separate cage to make sure Snowball wouldn't eat them. Because this batch (yes, she's pregnant again) will be his, I *think* they will be okay in the same cage, but we'll see. There is plenty of food and water and space, so he shouldn't feel threatened enough to eat them, I guess we'll find out. They should be born today or tommorow if I've calculated correctly.


My dad and Pam and Kara, Tuesday, and Kane all came in to town for Fourth of July and that was really fun. I wish we lived closer, it's awful seeing the kids and barely recognizing them because they've grown so much since last time they were here. And, they all got to see Ice Cream's babies (because, you know, my dad thinks it isn't weird at all that we have pet rats, having pet rats with babies is just dandy). It was a great visit. I got to see Kara's new engagement ring. She seems very happy and she deserves it! They all like Doug, even my dad, whew!

I am officially the mom of a teenager. Levi turned thirteen last month and I have to say that if I have to have a teenager, he's an okay one to get. :-) He really is a great kid. For his birthday, *I* wanted to go to The City Museum in St. Louis on Monday and then stay the night and go to Six Flags on Tuesday. As it turns out, it wasn't *my* birthday so we went to Levi's last ballgame on Monday and then to Six Flags. I guess it's good that he didn't want to miss a ballgame, but :::whine::: The City Museum is so fun! LOL My favorite ride is the Superman (below), I love that free-falling, flying feeling. I forgot my camera (and I probably would have ended up losing it anyway), so that's the only pic I took with my phone, but trust me that a good time was had by all. Levi's favorite was the Tony Hawk. Both kids went on two other coasters, too. I was so proud of them for trying!

Other things we've done since I last posted:

The kids and I went on the coolest slip and slide ever at a homeschool play day. Super fun!

Paige went to Anna's 8th birthday party. It was a "glamour" party where they had a fashion show, did hair and makeup and nails, the whole nine yards. I thought my tomboy would be bored, but she had a lot of fun.

We went swimming lots.

We had lots of ball games.

I think that about wraps it up. Pretty good life, eh?