I got busy last week but I did want to post at least this one more thing I am thankful for!!
MY HUSBAND - my husband is very patient with me.
I am grateful for a husband who encourages me to be honest, to take care of myself, and who loves me even when I do not deserve his love.
My husband is a great father. He loves to be around Brandon, Zeke and Abi. He and Brandon have a very open relationship. Brandon knows how Mike feels about things and He knows that Mike is the boss but he also knows he can talk to him about anything. Mike loves to play with Zeke. Zeke loves his daddy too! He loves to watch for him at the window and to give him kisses when he gets home. Abi knows her daddy's voice too. She will completely turn her head just to see him when she hears him.
My husband is a great leader. Mike wants what is best for our family. He is a great provider. He decided that we should move closer to his job so that he could continue to work hard for us but also be around us more. Now we are so blessed that we can have lunch together most days.
My husband is a Visonary Man! He loves to dream! Never tell my husband he can't do something! He will reach for the Moon and Catch it!!! ( i read this somewhere "Reach for the Moon, even if you don't catch it you may catch a star") Kinda cheesy but great point! I hope he never stops dreaming! I will follow him anywhere!
My husband loves to have fun! I love him very much!!!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
31 Days - No Media
I am about to embark on 31 days of No Media. I have had a rough weekend and I will probably share a little more about that over the next 31 days. I am posting about this because I want the accountability. I know my friend marli reads my blog so even if she is the only one at least I have now told one person so I am currently held accountable to this 31 days! This means No TV, movies, radio (only music to be worship music), and internet (only use internet to blog, I will not be reading other blogs,etc).
I was reading "Life Management for Busy Women" by Elizabeth George and was encouraged to manage my mind. This brought on a vision for many changes in my life. I have grown frustrated and stressed with my life. My two youngest children keep me busy all the time and then there is my oldest son who I homeschool. Then I have to cook, clean and all the rest. I also have a husband who wants a wife to be there for him. That has left no time for me. I have to stop right now and state that my husband has encouraged me consistantly to take time for myself. I find that when I do take time for myself i tend to do things that need to be done. I rarely just relax and spend time alone. This has taken a great toll on my spiritual, emotional and physical being. Therefore after reading this morning I decided that I would take 31 days and remove as many distractions that I could and focus on me as much as I can! When I told my husband I was doing this he was very encouraged. He has gone without media for periods of time before and was very encouraged by this. The first time he did this was 9/11. It was very life changing for him to not be focused on the media during this time in america. Another neat coincidence I thought of today was that 5 years ago in October Mike and I had broken up (this was before we were married) and then got back together around the first of December. When we got back together we decided to not kiss until January 1. What an amazing thing that was for our relationship! I am very encouraged in doing this. I already saw that i had more patience with my 22 month old earlier tonight. If you are reading this, pray for me. Pray that God would open my mind to see the things He would have me see. Pray that He would show me disciplines He wants me to have. Pray that I will listen to Him and be strengthened to be the wife and mother he has created me to be!
I will be back tomorrow to keep you posted about my No Media as well as to post my Menu for the week!!
I was reading "Life Management for Busy Women" by Elizabeth George and was encouraged to manage my mind. This brought on a vision for many changes in my life. I have grown frustrated and stressed with my life. My two youngest children keep me busy all the time and then there is my oldest son who I homeschool. Then I have to cook, clean and all the rest. I also have a husband who wants a wife to be there for him. That has left no time for me. I have to stop right now and state that my husband has encouraged me consistantly to take time for myself. I find that when I do take time for myself i tend to do things that need to be done. I rarely just relax and spend time alone. This has taken a great toll on my spiritual, emotional and physical being. Therefore after reading this morning I decided that I would take 31 days and remove as many distractions that I could and focus on me as much as I can! When I told my husband I was doing this he was very encouraged. He has gone without media for periods of time before and was very encouraged by this. The first time he did this was 9/11. It was very life changing for him to not be focused on the media during this time in america. Another neat coincidence I thought of today was that 5 years ago in October Mike and I had broken up (this was before we were married) and then got back together around the first of December. When we got back together we decided to not kiss until January 1. What an amazing thing that was for our relationship! I am very encouraged in doing this. I already saw that i had more patience with my 22 month old earlier tonight. If you are reading this, pray for me. Pray that God would open my mind to see the things He would have me see. Pray that He would show me disciplines He wants me to have. Pray that I will listen to Him and be strengthened to be the wife and mother he has created me to be!
I will be back tomorrow to keep you posted about my No Media as well as to post my Menu for the week!!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Thankful!
What are you thankful for?
I am thankful for
my relationship with Jesus Christ
my amazing Husband, Mike
my 3 great kids, Brandon, Zeke and Abi
my husbands great job
that we live close to his job and he gets to come home for lunch on most days
that I get to stay home and be with my smaller children, Zeke and Abi
that I have a good close relationship with Brandon, who is my "step" son
that both Zeke and Abi were happy babies
that Abi is content to play alone when needed
that Zeke is happy most of the time and enjoys helping me around the house
that my husband supports me in losing weight (15.8 lb lost since Sept 23, 2008)
that my husband loves me even if I never lose weight
that God has blessed us financially so we have all we need and can save and pay debt
that I have an older son who takes us out to eat!! (We are about to go right now!)
I will post more things I am thankful for tomorrow!!!
I am thankful for
my relationship with Jesus Christ
my amazing Husband, Mike
my 3 great kids, Brandon, Zeke and Abi
my husbands great job
that we live close to his job and he gets to come home for lunch on most days
that I get to stay home and be with my smaller children, Zeke and Abi
that I have a good close relationship with Brandon, who is my "step" son
that both Zeke and Abi were happy babies
that Abi is content to play alone when needed
that Zeke is happy most of the time and enjoys helping me around the house
that my husband supports me in losing weight (15.8 lb lost since Sept 23, 2008)
that my husband loves me even if I never lose weight
that God has blessed us financially so we have all we need and can save and pay debt
that I have an older son who takes us out to eat!! (We are about to go right now!)
I will post more things I am thankful for tomorrow!!!
Budget - leave the debit card at home!
Do you budget? Mike and I have been sorda budgeting for about 2 years now. We definately write everything out each pay period and allot money for each need. Do we stick to it 100%?? No not really. We are both very quick to use the debit card when needed or so we think we need it. So this past pay period I decided that I would place my debit card in the safe. This way when I go out I have to plan and take the cash with me or Tough Luck! This will probably mean less money spent eating out and more planning on my part! By staying home more over the past few months I have learned a little more about planning. I rarely go out with both kids so I plan most of my errands, grocery trips and other shopping for my one night a week that I go out by myself. This by itself has saved me much of my blow money. When I would run my errands and get out more than this I spent much of my blow money on fast food. I am excited to see how much we can save just by me leaving my debit card at home. This is also a way that I am being more submissive to Mike. I usually justify using the card because I know he has used it. Kinda silly huh??? I will keep you posted on how I do these next 2 weeks with out my debit card.
Using Leftovers
I have been very conservative lately with our grocery budget. Due to my obligations at home with two under 2, a husband and a homeschooling Senior i have had to stop using coupons as much as before. I still clip the ones I know I will use, such as soy milk, diapers, wipes, baby food, etc. Some of the things we do is eat very little meat. This is more of a personal preference for my husband than a budget issue. We probably eat meat about 2 times per week. I usually always make beans once. Tacos and Pasta are also regulars. We eat lots of salad, fish and other fresh and frozen veggies.
When I make beans I usually have lots of leftovers and in the past I have either froze them and forgot about them or thrown them away. I thought I would try to plan our menu to use the beans in at least one or two other meals. For instance, I will make beans one night with cornbread and rice. Then use them with tacos the next night. I have also used them in chili, taco soup and meatloaf. I am going to post my recent meatloaf recipe! I am very proud of it! It was delicious. My almost 2 year old ate it for about 3 meals.
Meatloaf
1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 cup black beans (chopped finely in mini chopper)
3/4 cup cooked rice
1/3 can of stewed tomatos (chopped finely in mini chopper)
meatloaf seasoning of your choice (as needed to taste)
whorstershire sauce (as needed to taste)
1 egg white
1/4 cup milk (extra if needed)
crackers, bread crumbs (as needed for consistency)
Combine all ingredients and form into a loaf. Top with ketchup if desired. Cook at 375 degrees for 1 hour.
I am planning to add carrots and spinach next time I make it.
Another thing I do is buy whole chicken. Then I spend one morning or afternoon boiling it. I then shred it and use it in soups, casseroles or anything else I can think of. One whole chicken usually yields at least 2-3 meals.
I also have leftovers from the weeks meals on Thursdays. Below is my menu for this week for my family.
Monday Pasta and Veggies
Tuesday Eggs & Pumpkin Pancakes (recipe on moneysavingmom.com)
Wednesday Out of Town
Thursday Thanksgiving
Friday Beans, Turnip Greens & Cornbread
Saturday Smothered Pork Chops, Greens, Salad
Sunday Meatloaf, Potatos, Salad
It is possible this menu will change due to the holidays. We may have some leftovers from Thanksgiving we will need to eat!
I hope to post my menu more often. It will be neat to look back and see what we have eaten when I get in a rut!.
When I make beans I usually have lots of leftovers and in the past I have either froze them and forgot about them or thrown them away. I thought I would try to plan our menu to use the beans in at least one or two other meals. For instance, I will make beans one night with cornbread and rice. Then use them with tacos the next night. I have also used them in chili, taco soup and meatloaf. I am going to post my recent meatloaf recipe! I am very proud of it! It was delicious. My almost 2 year old ate it for about 3 meals.
Meatloaf
1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 cup black beans (chopped finely in mini chopper)
3/4 cup cooked rice
1/3 can of stewed tomatos (chopped finely in mini chopper)
meatloaf seasoning of your choice (as needed to taste)
whorstershire sauce (as needed to taste)
1 egg white
1/4 cup milk (extra if needed)
crackers, bread crumbs (as needed for consistency)
Combine all ingredients and form into a loaf. Top with ketchup if desired. Cook at 375 degrees for 1 hour.
I am planning to add carrots and spinach next time I make it.
Another thing I do is buy whole chicken. Then I spend one morning or afternoon boiling it. I then shred it and use it in soups, casseroles or anything else I can think of. One whole chicken usually yields at least 2-3 meals.
I also have leftovers from the weeks meals on Thursdays. Below is my menu for this week for my family.
Monday Pasta and Veggies
Tuesday Eggs & Pumpkin Pancakes (recipe on moneysavingmom.com)
Wednesday Out of Town
Thursday Thanksgiving
Friday Beans, Turnip Greens & Cornbread
Saturday Smothered Pork Chops, Greens, Salad
Sunday Meatloaf, Potatos, Salad
It is possible this menu will change due to the holidays. We may have some leftovers from Thanksgiving we will need to eat!
I hope to post my menu more often. It will be neat to look back and see what we have eaten when I get in a rut!.
Welcome Back!
I thought I would just welcome myself back to my own blog!! I am not sure how many people read my blog but if you do, I am sorry to have been gone so long. My computer was being fixed. Hopefully it is all better and will work wonderfully for me for a long time to come! With that being said, if you regularly read my blog please leave a comment so I know who you are! It is fun to know who your audience is!
Not having a computer for several weeks taught me so much. I learned that I had to plan a lot better. I was able to check email , etc at the office of our apartment as well as at the library. I go to the library once per week to get videos and books for Zeke so I would just take a few extra minutes and check my email and other things. I have also done lots more baking and cooking. Less computer time means more time for other things. I have learned that Zeke enjoys cooking with me. Sometimes he really helps and other times I just give him a little ingredients to play with. He loves it! I have posted a cute picture of him cooking this morning! I have been able to go through boxes and our closet! I still have a few other things to go through but this was a big start for me. With two growing kiddos and Me losing weight it seems that we are getting rid of clothes all the time.
Hope everyone is well and thinking of all they have to be thankful for this week! I have plans for at least 3 more posts so I hope to get those up before Tuesday night!
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