Every little bit helps

One of my friends from middle and high school lost her son yesterday.  She was 38 weeks pregnant when he passed.  Today she delivered him.  Her fiancee was out of work due to surgery, and now they are facing cremation costs without any funds.  If you are able to help Erik and Kandi, you can do so at Give it Forward.
http://www.giveforward.com/ryderwilliam

Life Goes On

We've been staying busy, busy!

Kaia has looked forward to having the opportunity to work in the school kitchen since the start of the school year.  You have to be in 3rd grade before you can do the work and she really wanted to do it.  She's now on her 2nd week of kitchen duty and loving it.  I'm loving it too!  She gets free school lunch when she works.  School lunches cost me $2.25, and the average home lunch I pack her is probably about $1.00.  Either way, I'm saving time and money, and she's learning how to be responsible!

The Bobos turned 2 this weekend.  And when they do something, they like to go all out.  So to celebrate turning 2, they started off their birthday by breaking our tv.  Our tv that was $900 plus tax and a warranty.  And as it always works, the warranty doesn't cover 2 year old twins throwing stuff at the screen.  They had an enjoyable party and are having a great time playing with all their new cars.

I'm busy trying to get Morgan's curriculum ordered so that we can get him on track with kindergarten.  Of course, what should be easy seems like a daunting task to me.  Once we have the curriculum though, I know it will all go well, he's such a smart kid.

It's definitely Fall here, and the days seem to just fly by in their busyness.

Menu Plan Monday again!!

Something about Fall, my favorite season, makes me a menu planner!  Today is exceptionally crazy, as I've admitted defeat and we are bug bombing today.  The good news is this will not only kill fleas but earwigs and flies!  The bad news is, that means the kids, cats, hedgehog and our dinner have to be out of the house!  More good news, they are all going to my Mother in Law's house, except the hedgehog and the outdoor cat.  So she will be able to fix her plate before dinner comes home with us.

Monday: This was supposed to be Sunday's meal, but I made lasagna on Saturday, and the soup on Sunday, so we bumped the roast to today.
Roast, potatoes, carrots and onions in the crock pot

Tuesday:
Tacos using leftover roast shredded and leftover beans from last week.

Wednesday:
Chicken Strips, macaroni and cheese, salad

Thursday: I'm working at the Pillars Party, so dinner is for Dana and the kids.
Papa Murphy's Perfect Pizza (using the coupon)

Friday:
Hamburgers, french fries and veggies

Saturday:
Huevos Rancheros

Sunday:
Free day

What's on your meal plan this week?

Exciting News!

While cleaning yesterday, I found the manual to my steam cleaner.  I thought maybe there would be a troubleshooting section.  There was, and there was only one issue that they troubleshoot.  Thankfully, it was the exact problem I had been having.  After following the directions and beating the cleaner on the floor in different directions, I now have a working steam cleaner!  scratch that off my list.

My Christmas List

I know, I know.  It's not even October, and here I am discussing Christmas.  But right now is when I'm doing Christmas shopping.  I keep an eye out for clearance items, so I can buy gifts that are out of our price range, but become in our price range when it's 75-90% off.  I already have my nieces' gifts, one nephew's gift, and two of Kaia's gifts.

So I got to thinking about what I would really like, and then laughed at how simple it all is.  What I really would like for Christmas:

1. A House Keeper.  Seriously!  I've realized that I cannot keep up.  My schedule keeps getting crazier, and the kids seem to get messier.  I went on Care.Com and found that there are several in my area that work for $10-15 an  hour.  And I really would just need someone for 2 hours a week. Even if someone just paid for a few months, it would be so nice to have some help!
2. A steam cleaner.  This was a Christmas gift a few years ago from my parents.  I loved it.  It made cleaning our textured vinyl floors simple and they came so clean!  Then it died.  It died after I told Kaia to quit messing around with it or she would break it.  Not sure if the two things are related, but my floors haven't been clean since.  I've cleaned them, but it's not the same.
3. Food.  Yes, it sounds so crazy.  But I love when we get a Thanksgiving or Christmas box from the church.  Being able to fill up the pantry, and not have to worry about groceries is a luxury.  Last year we received a gift certificate for meat from a local butcher, and that was so nice.  And the added bonus is, when we don't have to buy a bunch of groceries each week, it frees up some money to buy things that we like to eat, but are more expensive.  
4. Electrolosis.  I will fill you in on something.  I'm hairy.  Really hairy.  Worse though, is my hair grows insanely fast.  It's a blessing for the top of my head, but a curse everywhere else.  I'd love to have electrolosis on my underarms.  Not only would it save me the daily shaving and ingrown hairs, but it helps cut down on sweating.  And that would be fantastic!

So there is my list.  Practical as always.   Have you started any holiday preparations?