Giveaway - Moneysavingmom

Moneysavingmom.com is having a great giveaway today! She is giving away 5 $100 giftcards to the store of your choice. You can enter up to 5 times. Check out her website for more details.

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/12/24hour-giveaway-5-100-gift-cards-to-the-store-of-your-choice.html

Funny things Zeke says

My Zeke is so funny. I just thought I would share a few of his "funnies" with others.

The other night, he didn't want to sleep in his bed. I told him to go back to bed and he said "mommy, my bed not work". So he proceeded to climb in my bed.

He tells me quite often "mommy, you are my best friend" and "mommy, let's talk".

When he wants to play catch with the ball he will say "mommy, catch ball??"

More to come.......

Happy Thanksgiving!

I feel very blessed today! I have an amazing husband who loves me very much! We enjoy eachother's company and help make eachother's lives easier. Is there a better way to get throught his life? I have three beautiful children. 2 boys and 1 girl. The oldest has moved out and works in a coffee shop. I am very proud of him. He moved out 1 year ago, and he has managed to keep an apartment, a truck and pay his bills for the past year. He is a good kid, works hard and knows how to have fun! My middle child, is growing up. I love that I can carry on a simple conversation with him. He is almost 3. We talk about his favorite things each day and for the past few months it has been "juice". My youngest is growing up as well. She plays very well with her brother. (minus the minor fighting that is normal for bro and sis) I am grateful to be in the phase where they play so well together. Today we have played Memory and Playdoh. Now they are contently playing with toys while I write this post. I think we will finish our Thanksgiving craft before lunch! I am also blessed with a great family and many wonderful friends. I talk to my moms and nana at least once per week. I meet with one friend once per week at IHOP. It is such a treat for me to get out one night per week just for me and enjoy coffee with her. I am blessed that I am saved by grace and not by anything I can do or not do! I love the Lord with all my heart! He is my friend and comfort in time of need! I am learning to lean more and more on him. To trust Him with the decisions in my life. Even the simple decisions, like where to go on Thanksgiving! I am blessed that we live such a simple life. I don't need fancy things and I hope to teach my children not to need them as well. I am blessed that I get to stay home with my kids. We enjoy playtime, mealtime and naptime throughout the hours of the day. They have been very healthy and I attribute that to me being able to stay home with them. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! My the Lord bless you and keep you in perfect peace!

My Baby Boy's Curls are GONE!

Today, my husband took Zeke to get a much needed haircut. The barber apparently misunderstood what a "Trim" means and literally cut all my baby's curls off! I am posting before and after photos. We are grieving the loss of Zeke's beloved curls this evening! To all you out there who have been asking "when are you going to get him a "little boy" haircut?" Well here you go!!

Marriage Books

I just have to share about 2 of my all time favorite books that are encouraging to marriage.

Created to be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl

Wife after God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George

I read and have reread several times Created to Be His HelpMeet right after Mike and I got married. This book is very direct in regards to godly submission and how a wife is to treat her husband. It is very practical and easy to follow. It has lots of stories and practical application. There are sections/chapters relating to serving your husband, time management, children, being frugal and so much more. One chapter that I just love has a menu plan for an entire week. You use the leftovers to make your meals go further. I just love it! She also includes a great Spaghetti sauce recipe that I use often and freeze so that I have lots of spaghetti sauce in the freezer. I then use this for pasta and pizza.

I read Wife after God's own heart about a year ago and have been reading on it a little recently. This book also has tons of practical application. She has listed 12 different categories that really matter in marriage. She goes into detail on each one with scripture and practical ways to put this into practice. At the end of each chapter she lists specific things you can do to make a difference in your marriage relating to that topic.

I enjoy reading books that encourage me to be a better wife, mom and woman! If you have any books you just love, leave a comment!

Christmas Cards

I have noticed a couple of ways to get a great deal (maybe even free) on your Christmas Cards this year!! I hope to take advantage of this as soon as we get ours taken!

Below are links to www.moneysavingmom.com where she has information about these great deals. Enjoy!

Vistaprint - Holiday Address labels and Postcards
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/11/140-custom-holiday-address-labels-for-3-shipped.html

50 Free Photo Cards (I hope to take advantage of this)
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/11/50-free-photo-cards-with-free-shipping.html

Kodak Gallery - $15 Free to the first 100,000
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/11/kodak-gallery-free-15-gift-to-the-first-100000-available-again.html

Online Purchases

I follow www.moneysavingmom.com on a regular basis. She always has wonderful things to say and great deals to get!

Recently I was reading on her blog about purchasing online. She has lots of links to sights where you can get coupon codes as well as where you can purchase and get $ back.

I researched this when I bought my laptop a few weeks ago. You do want to do your research before you purchase. I found out by going into Office Max that I actually saved about $160 by buying in the store vs. online. But just yesterday I researched for my mom on purchasing the Sketchers Shape Ups and she will actually save about $18 by ordering online. And shipping is free so they get delivered right to her door!

Below is the link to MoneySavingMoms blog about purchasing online.
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/10/make-your-money-go-farther-online-with-coupons-and-cashback.html

Proverbs 31 Wife

I don't know about you but I desire to be a Proverbs 31 Woman, Wife and Mother everyday. That doesn't mean I even come close to getting there even on my best days. When my husband and I got married I learned about this thing called submission and I also began reading more in depth into Proverbs 31. Really reading it for "me". I came across a website that will email you daily devotions regarding being a wife, mother and a woman.

Today I got a devotion that I definately needed to hear. I have been bickering with my husband over the past few days. Not over anything big just some insecurities of my own that I tend to blame on him. (I have to be honest and say that it takes me a while to admit that this is what was going on, hence I said I have been bickering for a few days)

The part that spoke the loudest to me in this devo was where she said to "be silent". I have the hardest time being silent. If Icould just figure out how to keep myself from having the "last word" we would all be okay. But I tend to think it is my job to tell my husband what he is doing wrong and how to fix it. Boy does that not work well in marriage.

SO for today I will learn to be silent. I will choose my words wisely. I will pray and speak the truth over my heart and my family. I will love and serve my husband every day. I will teach my daughter what it means to be a Proverbs 31 wife, woman and mother!

I have put the link below to the devotion. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!

http://proverbs31devotions.blogspot.com/2009/11/battles-within.html

Halloween 2009

Here are our pics from Halloween. I hope you all enjoy them. The kids had a blast and of course we have more candy than we will ever eat.

The Adams Family - First Baptist Denton Carnival 31

Group Shots - Delia - Vampire , Abi - Ballerina , Zeke - Rockstar

Abi - Playing Castle Ring Toss game Zeke sliding down slide (that is Mike's head)

Abi watching Zeke Zeke tossing ball to knock over Milk bottles (he knocked
all of them down)

Zeke the Rockstar Abi looking sooo sweet

Daddy helping Abi toss in the bean bag. She knew exactly what to do.

Homemade crayons

I have been reading a new blog lately. http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/. Her name is Stephanie and in 2008 she made a resolution to make something in her crockpot every day for a year. She did it and her blog boasts with wonderful recipes. One that was interesting to me recently was Crockpot Crayons. My 1 year old generally eats our crayons so I thought trying out the chunky crayons my be a good idea. I did not use the crockpot because my muffin tin would not fit but I did include the link for Stephaines Crockpot Crayons experience.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-make-crockpot-crayons.html

I took all of our broken crayons and broke them up into small pieces. I lined my mini muffin pan with foil and seperated the crayons into each tin by color. I made sure to press them into the holes. Then I put them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 5-10 minutes. They seemed to melt pretty quick. I then took them out to cool. Once they were a little cooler I put them in the freezer to cool quicker. After that they popped out of the foil pretty easy. Now the true test will be to see if Abi will color with them!!

Oatmeal Pumpkin Raisin cookies

I had the pleasure of spending yesterday evening with my friend Olivia's daughter Ariel. She is 3 weeks younger than Zeke and since Zeke went to bed at 5:30pm last night (and yes he slept until 6:30am) it was just me, Ariel and Abi and later Ariel's sister Analiese. We decided to bake some cookies. Mike had asked me earlier yesterday to make him some oatmeal raisin cookies. Since I had cooked pumpkin all day I figured it would be fun to try that in the cookies. I got the base of my recipe from a Beter Homes and Gardens cookbook but I made several changes. I do not have pictures but will be happy to include the recipe.

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup agave necter
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 eggs (I substituted with 2 TB flax seed mill + 1/3 cup water)
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup brown rice flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup cooked pumpkin (you could use canned)
1/2 cup raisins

Mix butter, brown sugar, agave, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves until combined. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix. Add flour. Mix. Add oats, pumpkin and raisins. Mix well.
Drop by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

I also put balls of cookies on cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen I remove and place in freezer bag to pull out any time you or your husband want cookies.

I plan to try this again and omit the brown sugar. I will have to let you know!

Enjoy!!

Beans and Rice for a Week

I have read a few different blogs recently about eating beans and rice to save in the grocery budget. We tend to have beans and rice often and then use the leftovers in at least one if not two other meals. Here are 2 blogs to check out some ideas on eating beans and rice all week!!



http://thehappyhousewife.com/saving-money-with-beans-and-rice/

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2009/10/how-to-live-on-beans-and-rice-for-a-week.html

Simple Life

I just have to write about our current living experiences and say how grateful I am to be living the Simple Life.
About 2 months ago my husband, 2 children and I moved into a 1 bedroom apartment across the street from a major university. This was not my first choice in where to live. I remember the day we moved in I was thinking about how soon can we move out. The amazing thing is over the past two months I have grown to LOVE our living conditions. Last weekend while I was doing laundry at a laundrymat I had this great revelation with God that he completely will make what seemed to be soooo bad into something so amazing. There were several things about our situation that I considered awful:

no washer/dryer
no specific parking spot
only 1 bedroom
small kitchen
climbing a flight of stairs with 2 small children

I am sure there were others but for now lets just look at these and let me tell you I have found
so much blessing I do not know what to do with it. (so I thought I would share it with you)

Going to the laundrymat once per week allows me to get a weeks worth of laundry done in about 2 hours. I get to do the laundry and have those 2 hours alone away from the house. This has become my new favorite thing. I get a soda and a book and head to the laundry mat. It is so fun and relaxing.

Not having a parking spot and having to climb the stairs with the kids has encouraged me to stay home most days. I completely enjoy this. We tend to get better rest this way. The kids have been healthier considering they are not out there breathing in other peoples germs at Target, Barnes & Noble, or the mall. We also have had fun homeschooling, cooking together, playing and plenty of other fun things we do at home.

Cleaning the apartment is a snap. I can basically clean the entire place in 1 hour. The kitchen is small and that is still a bummer but hey at least it stays pretty clean since there is less to mess up.
Also the kids pretty much stay in one room or the other. We tend to be in the living/kitchen area during the day and only hang out in the bedroom during nap/rest time and bedtime. Their toys are contained to one room and clean up is quick.

My husband has wanted to open his own business for a few years now and by sacrificing and living in a 1 bedroom apartment I can help us get there. Our rent is very cheap as well as our utilities are low. We spend a little less on gas since I stay home and of course spend less money on fast food and other activities.

We know that we can do anything for a season. A lady once told me "this to shall pass". She was referring to my small children and how they will grow up and be easier to take care of in the future. But I think we can think of this in all areas of our lives.

Kids and Naps

Wow! Time flies. My kids are already up from their nap and I have not done much of anything I needed to do. Does this ever happen to you? My children are 1 and 2years old. About 2 months ago they started going down for their nap around 12pm vs. 2pm. This makes for a very crazy afternoon. My 2 almost 3 year old has often not even slept. Which if I look at the bright side, this means he will go to bed by 7pm and sleep til at least 7:30am tomorrow. But I do encounter a "witching hour" aroudn 5pm. I guess there are two sides to every coin. On the one hand, I do enjoy some time to myself in the afternoon but hey the evening is good too! I guess I should just be grateful they nap at all or at least stay still and quiet for a period of time. :) more on napping and routines later.

Remembering Michael Allen Church

Two years ago today my precious nephew, Michael Allen Church, went to be with Jesus! He had two and a half wonderful years with his mommy and the rest of his family and friends! He had many, he was very popular!! He was born on August 30, 2004. I will always remember going to see my sister in the hospital in Dallas after he was born. Then getting to go see him in the NICU. We got to talk to him, pray for him and just be there with them. He was born 2 months early and had some health issues. But God was watching out for him, because when he was about 2 months old home he got to go home and be with my sister. They were able to share those two and a half years together. We enjoyed 3 beautiful Christmas together. He had two amazing birthdays. He was there when my little boy, Zeke was born. They even had matching Valentine's Day shirts in 2007. I will always cherish the memories I have of this precious boy. He always had a peaceful spirit about him. I also want to honor his amazing parents. Sunny Parpart, my sister and Chris Church. They are truly people to be honored. They have taught me so much about unconditional love and how to be a great parent. I only hope that I can be as good of a mother to my children as Sunny is to Michael. Her love for him is beautiful. They have shown me so much courage and perserverence over these past two years. I love them both alot!! Below are some pictures of my nephew! May he look down on us and smile today and everyday! I can't wait to walk and talk with him in heaven one day!

This is him. His grammy is loving on him. She did this often. She loves him so very much!!

This is him and his Poppy! He was also a big fan of Michael. They were pretty close friends!

And this is Michael and his wonderful mommy! I love you both very much!!!!

Love Dare - Day 9

Day 9 – Love makes good impressions

This chapter is about your greeting! How do you greet your spouse when you encounter them throughout the day? The chapter asks the question “If you are nice and polite to other people, doesn’t your spouse deserve the same? Times ten?” The author talks about how this is probably not something you think much about. “Here’s something else you probably don’t stop to consider – the difference it would make in your spouses day if everything about you expressed the fact that you were really, really glad to see them.”

Today’s Dare - Think of a specific way you’d like to greet your spouse today. Do it with a smile and with enthusiasm. Then determine to change your greeting to reflect your love for them.

Love Dare - Day 8

Day 8 – Love is not jealous

This chapter talks about jealousy of your spouse’s successes. One statement I underlined is “If selfishness rules, any good thing happening to only one of you can be a catalyst for envy rather than congratulations.” Another is “he sees her as completing him, not competing with him.”

Today’s Dare – Determine to become your spouse’s biggest fan and to reject any thoughts of jealousy. To help you set your heart on your spouse and focus on their achievements, take yesterday’s list of negative attributes and discreetly burn it. Then share with your spouse how glad you are about a success he or she has recently enjoyed.


I didn’t think I had a problem with yesterday’s Jealousy topic. I felt like I have never been jealous of my husband’s successes. Where this is true I may have never been jealous of his success, I have been jealous of his freedom. I am a full time stay at home mom. My husband works very hard and lots of hours so needless to say when he is off work he would still like to have some time to himself, just about the time I would love a break as well. I have struggled in this area in the past but have worked hard to get some alone time when I can in order to fend off any jealousy that could result in me saying negative things and hurting my husband. I also find that the things he does in his personal time I am not so interested in. So I focused today on showing some interest in one of those things.

Day 7 - Love Dare

I think I did Day 6 a little different than it read. I listed areas where I have to be cautious to not react negatively. I think it was asking for you to list areas where you can relieve stress from your life to allow for the things that may cause you to become irritable. I can make that list also. Although on the day I did this I completely bombed at not reacting negatively I have my list and will try to re-read it often as well as the list of areas to relieve stress. One way I try to relieve stress is to get some time alone, even if it is only once per week. My husband is very encouraging in this area. Today a friend and I were planning to meet and we didn’t so I took advantage of that and got away for an hour alone. It definitely is helpful to me. It gives me a new perspective on my day!

Day 7 – Love believes the Best

This section talks about the “Appreciation Room” and the “Depreciation Room”. To me this was a good chapter. The author describes the Appreciation Room as where we list all the things we love about our spouse and the Depreciation Room as the place where unfortunately we list the things that bother us about our spouse. If we focus too long on the things in the Depreciation Room we tend to only see the negative. Even though the things in this room are true it is important not to dwell on them. “Love knows about the Depreciation Room but chooses not to live there.” Love focuses on the positive.

Today’s Dare – Get two sheets of paper. On the first one, spend a few minutes writing out positive things about your spouse. Then do the same with the negative things on the second sheet. Place both sheets in a secret place for another day. There is a different purpose and plan for each sheet. At some point during the remainder of the day pick a positive attribute from the first list and thank your spouse for having this characteristic.

Love Dare - Day 6

Yesterday’s dare wasn’t too hard. It is easy for me and Mike to discuss things. I did have to hold my tongue to not defend myself. The challenge will be trying to avoid doing these things. (ie. One thing that bothers my husband is my sneezes. They are loud and annoying to his ears. This is something I will have to try to be more aware of.)

Love Dare – Day 6
Day 6 – Love is not irritable
This section says “Love is hard to offend and quick to forgive”. I was surprised at this next statement “Some people have the motto “Never pass up an opportunity to get upset with your spouse” when something goes wrong they quickly take full advantage of it by expressing how hurt of frustrated they are” This section lists 2 key reasons that contribute to a person being irritable. Stress and Selfishness “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” Matthew 12:34. Being easily angered is an indicator that a hidden area of selfishness or insecurity is present where love is supposed to rule.

Love Dare for today: Choose today to react to tough circumstances in your marriage in loving ways instead of with irritation. Begin by making a list below of areas where you need to add margin to your schedule. Then list any wrong motivations that you need to release from your life.

Love Dare - Day 5

Let me catch you up on how I have been doing with this Love Dare over the past few days. I have not been doing one dare a day. I have been getting behind and also making sure I accomplish the dare before I go on. Sometimes this has taken time. I also have been trying to keep up the previous dares. For example, being patient. It seems that my patience is very thin since I started this dare. But stay firm as you progress with the dares you are challenged in so many areas and I have been motivated to take it one day at a time and if I screw it up to keep trying. I think the main goal is to not give up!! My Husband is worth it!!

Day 5 – Love is not rude
In this section it describes rudeness as unnecessarily saying or doing things that are unpleasant for another person to be around. “Genuine Love minds its manners. Good manners express to your spouse “I value you enough to exercise some self-control around you. I want to be a person who’s a pleasure to be with.” The section lists three guiding principles when it comes to practicing etiquette in your marriage: “Guard the Golden Rule – Treat your mate the same way you want to be treated. No Double Standards – Be as considerate to your spouse as you are to strangers and coworkers. Honor Requests – Consider what your husband or wife already asked you to do or not do. If in doubt, then ask”

Love Dare for today: Ask your spouse to tell you three things that cause him or her to be uncomfortable or irritated with you. You must do so without attacking them or justifying your behavior. This is from their perspective only.

Love Dare - Day 4

I got busy over the weekend and fell behind. I am now catching up! For Day 3, I did not go out and buy anything super fancy for my husband. I have been doing daily notes and small gifts for him for the 14 days til Valentines Day. I gave him a special handmade card (Zeke and I made cards on Monday) and Raspberry Chocolate candy bar yesterday. This may not be expensive or anything but I believe it does show Mike I was thinking about him because I remembered recently that he bought Raspberry Chocolate candy.

Day 4 is Love is Thoughtful! This part of the book talks about how easy it is to be thoughtful in the beginning of the relationship but once you are married and living everyday with this person it could be easy to neglect them. (i paraphrased in my own words). "Love thinks!" I have felt like I am pretty thoughtful of my husband but lately with a 2 year old and a 7 month old I forget things and have neglected him more. There are a few things he has asked me to do several months ago that I haven't done. Also ironing his shirts is something I know I could do to be more thoughtful! Can you tell I dislike ironing??

Today's Dare - Contact your spouse sometime during the business of the day. Have no agenda other than asking how he or she is doing and if there is anything you could do for them.

This shouldn't be too hard. I am also still working on not saying anything negative. It seems that in the days since I started this Dare I have been more and more impatient. I seem to have so much on my mind and not being focused on Mike! I have been thinking about how this is going to change my way of life and thinking! One of the things stated in this chapter is "the fact that marriage has added another person to your universe does not change" and when you have children there are more people added to your universe. You are not alone anymore! This has been on my mind lately and I am learning that there are some things I am having to let go of. But that could be a whole other post!! Maybe later! gotta go focus on my hubby!!! :0)

Love Dare - Day 3

Well I have completed Day 2 of the Love Dare. I did very well today. Several times I did things that I knew my husband would like. I ironed his shirt this morning, made cookies and encouraged him to take his time coming home. This was a big deal because usually I am begging him to come home quickly!!!
Day 3 of the Love Dare is about Love is not Selfish. The book asks this question "Why do we have such low standards for ourselves but such high expectations for our mate? The answer is we are all selfish". This chapter encourages you to put the happiness of your spouse before your own happiness. "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves. Philippians 2:3"

Day 3 - Love Dare: Whatever you put your time, energy and money into will become more important to you. It's hard to care for something you are not investing in. Along with restraining from negative comments, buy your spouse something that says "I was thinking of you today."

Enjoy!

Love Dare - Day 2

Tomorrow is Day 2 of the Love Dare. I did not do very well today. I did not feel well and was very tired so therefore had a couple of moments where I was not very patient. I will try again tomorrow. The reading for day 2 is about Kindness. "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you" Ephesians 4:32. It says "kindness is love in action". It also says "if patience is how love reacts in order to minimize a negative circumstance, kindness is how love acts to maximize a positive circumstance". It breaks kindness down into 4 core ingredients: Gentleness, Helpfullness, Willingness, and Initiative. I like how it says that "kindness graces a wife with the ability to serve her husband without worrying about her rights".

The Love Dare for Tomorrow is - In addition to saying nothing negative to your spouse again today, do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness.

I am not sure what act of kindness I will do. I am thinking about either ironing his clothes (I hate to iron and my husband knows this) he would be very surprised if I iron his clothes without him asking me to. I may also bake him something with butterscotch chips in it. He really likes that! I will also have to practice patience and not say anything negative again tomorrow! Hopefully I will feel better!

Enjoy!

Love Dare - 40 Day Challange

I have started reading the book "the Love Dare" by Stephen and Alex Kendrick. This is the book that is featured in the movie Fireproof. My husband and I watched this movie last week and ever since I have been wanting to get this book and do the Love Dare! I am always up for ways to serve and love my husband better! I checked the library for the book and there were 10 people ahead of me waiting for the ONE copy that is available at our library. It would be a LONG time before I got it there. I went today to another library and there is one person ahead of me there. So it would be about a month before I can get the book. My mom asked me which book I was looking for and would you believe she had that book in her car! I drove on over and got it from her today and began the LOVE DARE! Actually I start tomorrow. I read Day One. It is about Patience. The book says that "Love is built on two pillars "Patience and Kindness" It says that "when you choose to be patient you respond in a positive way to a negative situation." Proverbs 14:29 says "He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly". It also says that "Patience helps you give your spouse permission to be human."

The first Love Dare is "For the next day, Resolve to demonstrate Patience and to say nothing Negative to your spouse at all. If the temptation arises, choose not to say anything. It's better to hold your tongue than to say something you'll regret."

SO, for tomorrow, I will resolve to be patient with my husband and not to say anything negative. I will let you know tomorrow how I do and I will post the next Dare!!!

Valentine's Day for my Hubby

I read on another blog, http://www.thebeautifulthriftylife.blogspot.com/ about a wife who celebrates the 14 days til Valentines' Day by giving her husband a special treat each day leading up to Valentines Day. I thought this was such a fun idea so I am going to do the same for my hubby! I got behind and gave him the first 4 days in one. I went to Market Street today with my mom and got a few treats. And I began writing 4 notes on index cards (I did 4 to catch up, after today I will only do one per day). As I was writing them out I decided that each day I would write a reason why I love him and choose one attribute or one thing I really like about him to focus on. I put the cards with a Reeses Candy on his side of the bed. He came in earlier and hasn't noticed! I can't wait to do this each day! Then on Valentines Day I will probably try to cook a nice dinner and have the kids in bed so that we can have some time alone that evening!

What kinds of things have you done for your husband on Valentines Day??

Menu Plan Monday

Here is my menu for this week!

Monday - Salmon, rice, spinach and broccoli
Tuesday - Meatless Spinach Lasagna
Wednesday - Turkey Chili Dogs (turkey chili (23cents a can) and turkey hot dogs(1.29per pack)
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Sweet and Sour Turkey Smoked Sausage with zuccini, served over rice
Saturday - Stuffed Bell Peppers (http://www.5dollardinners.com/2009/01/stuffed-green-peppers.html)

I am trying to use less pork and beef. My husband enjoys it but his tummy doesn't take it too well. If anyone has any meatless recipes, I would love to hear about them!!

I Teddy

ITeddy is a cool toy that my little boy got for his birthday. My "other mother", Sonya got it for him. It plays music, shows videos, has games and photos. It already has some videos and photos but you can download your own. We downloaded some music of my niece, Delia singing. Zeke loves Delia. He calls her "YaYa". He can sit for a long time just listening to her sing. Great for me when I need a little time to get things done or to myself.

I checked this out on the Target website and it looks like they are on clearence for about $54. I haven't seen them in our Target store. Definately worth the cost, in my opinion.
I don't have a picture right now, but I will take one!

to long since last post

It has been forever since my last post. I have so much to say. Stay tuned for lots of new info that has been in my brain. Also my weekly menu this week.