The BIG arrival!

Our newest addition, Willow Anne Lane made her grand entrance on January 15th, 2012 at 6:32pm. She weighed 6lbs 12oz and was 19in long. We have enjoyed every moment with her for the past two weeks. It has been joyous. But I must be honest, I have not been doing the best on staying on track of my goals. How could I?! Look at that face!

The newest recipe that I HAVE to try

Apple Crisp

•4 big apples or8 small - peeled, cored and sliced
•1/2 cup of brown sugar
•1 cup of all purpose flour
•3/4 cup of white sugar
•1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
•1/4 teaspoon of salt
•1 egg, beaten
•2 tablespoons of butter, melted
Directions



1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2.In a 9 inch square baking pan, mix sliced apples with brown sugar. In a large bowl, mix together flour, white sugar, cinnamon and salt. In a small bowl, beat together egg and melted butter. Stir into flour mixutre. Spread evenly over apples.
3.Bake in heated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until topping is golden and crisp.

Take it as it comes...

I am learning to worry less about how I am going to accomplish everything. It is pointless. There are so many unknowns in the world. Relax and live a little. So my message for today is just TAKE IT AS IT COMES!

$450 budget?!?!

We decided last night that for the month of Feb. we are going to have a $450 food budget for our family of 6 for the entire month of Feb. including eating out. This is going to take a lot of planning, since we are used to having a $1000+ to spend in food. We want to start saving larger amounts to buy our future house and food is the only thing we CAN cut back on.

Here is the start to my Two week meal plan. Now, it is just a start, because I am transitioning my family into healthy eating! =)

SNACKS: 2-3 snacks a day, usually fruit, raw veggies and dip, yogurt, cookies, crackers, etc.


Week One:
Sunday

Breakfast: French toast, scrambled eggs and bacon with juice
Lunch: mac n cheese and hot dogs
Dinner: pork chops, mashed potatoes, green beans

Monday

Breakfast: oatmeal and a banana
Lunch: sandwiches and soup
Dinner: tacos

Tuesday

Breakfast: cereal, fruit
Lunch: Salad
Dinner: Beef Stew, rolls, veggies

Wednesday

Breakfast: Oatmeal or cereal with milk
Lunch: Deviled eggs/hard boiled eggs sandwiches and fruit
Dinner: Chicken and rice burritos

Thursday

Breakfast: oatmeal or cereal
Lunch: leftovers from burrito
Dinner: Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti noodles and garlic bread

Friday

Breakfast: toast with peanut butter and banana slices, milk
Lunch: Leftovers from dinner, or sandwiches
Dinner: Hamburgers, fries and "malts"

Saturday

Breakfast: omelets
Lunch: grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup
Dinner: Pizza Hut night!


Week Two:
Sunday

Breakfast: pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon with juice
Lunch: Ramen
Dinner: Chicken cheesy rice

Monday

Breakfast: oatmeal and a banana
Lunch: sandwiches and soup
Dinner: Chinese food with rice (homemade)

Tuesday

Breakfast: cereal, fruit
Lunch: mac n cheese with hot dogs
Dinner: spaghetti and meat balls with rolls

Wednesday

Breakfast: Oatmeal or cereal with milk
Lunch: left overs
Dinner: chicken Cesar wraps, fruit

Thursday

Breakfast: oatmeal or cereal
Lunch: sandwiches, chips
Dinner: chicken Alfredo

Friday

Breakfast: blueberry muffins, fruit
Lunch: Leftovers from dinner, or sandwiches
Dinner: Hamburgers, fries and "malts"

Saturday

Breakfast: ham and cheese omelets
Lunch: Mac n cheese, mixed fruit
Dinner: Mcdonalds!

Post to self-

This year, Work on letting go of others judgements! Be the parent you want to be.

Then next year, you can work on teaching others how to be more understanding, once you are strong enough to be the person you want to be!
TO A BETTER YEAR; 2012!

Goals for the New Year!

So after updating my Facebook status, I have decided that my first goal needs to be "becoming more decisive". I was slacking already in the new year, because I couldn't decide what I should plan for 2012. I know there are so many things that I want for my future, but you can't bite off more than you can chew! The hard part is deciding what are the most important things that I want to accomplish this year without fail.
An important one that is worth mentioning:
"No yelling"
This last year has been tough, but it has been the year of answers. We learned that Douglas has Autism and we have a better understanding of some of the behaviors now. Typical discipline just doesn't work for our kids. Yelling and time outs just wear the parents out. So one of my biggest goals is to tone down the stern voice. I think it will be difficult. I always feel so much pressure from the outside world to correct the kids behaviors, but I need to do what is best for my family regardless how others may judge me.
That leads me to my next goal:
"Worry less about what others think of me!"
I make my life's decisions based on what others might say or have said. This ties in with my first two goals, because if I was more decisive I would not allow others to make decisions for me and I could parent the way I choose.
For now, I am going to start with that. I need to think some more about what things are most important to ME.