Number 1 Hits Puberty :(

Ok, So, I'm not a boy.
Clearly I know nothing about being a boy.
My husband says he will handle boy issues.
Number 1 doesn't like to talk to me about being a boy.
I'm generally OK with that.
This new round of boy craziness is starting to freak me out a bit.
He's 9.
He has his first pimple.
I'm scared to ask what else is going on.
I catch myself staring at his face.
Number 1 asks..
Why are you staring at me mom?
I say it's because it's a mama thing.
Maybe it is.
Maybe I am trying to preserve this image of him for a while.
Or maybe I am trying to search his face to see if he is growing facial hair.
I doubt he is...
Yet.
But it wont be long.

Here's what I want to know though.
It stinks!

Why didn't anybody tell me puberty can start around 9?
I didn't know this was normal until today.

Dear pediatrician...you suck!
Thanks!
You left me high and dry with no information!
I had to find out from the internet!

It's no wonder my kid is acting Crazy..with a capital C!
It's no wonder I feel out of my mind crazy!
When did he go from being tiny and precious to being big and obnoxious?
Don't get me wrong...
I love the dude like crazy.
But, sometimes he drives me up a wall.
He throws the biggest tantrums for whatever reason.
Sometimes no reason at all.
I know this only because when I ask he simply says I don't know.
Wanna talk about throwing me for a loop??
I don't know.
Ya know...as a parent, I wish I could get by with I don't know and it be a good enough answer.
Mom, where do babies come from? I don't know.
Mom, why can't we have ice cream for supper? I don't know.
Mom, (insert nine millionth question of the day)? I don't know.
If only being a mommy was as easy as I don't know.
For those of you who have already gone through this...Congrats!!
For those of you still waiting for this day to come...Good luck!
As for me, Number 1 equals round 1 of this sort of torture.
I still have three more to go.
Thankfully, or maybe not so much, Number 4 is a girl.
BTW...Number 1...IF you ever read this...Just remember that I love you.

Easy Peasy Philly Cheese Steak

So my husband works in a place where he can't always sit down to a meal. Sad, but true. I have had to come up with super easy supper ideas that I can cook in no time at all, that will reheat easy and still be delicious, and be portable. They also have to appeal to my pickiest eater. That person is NOT my two year old, four year old, seven year old, or even nine year old. Oh no! That person, who has earned the pickiest eater of the year award, is my sweet, dear husband. The man is dreamy, caring, kind, and makes me feel like a princess. BUT he can also be the most annoying thing ever! He hates tomato sauce of any kind. Any side of beef is gross. He can't stand pork. He doesn't enjoy soy. He will eat some chicken. What is there left to feed him? Well, I have taken some of the things he can't stand lately and have turned them into wonderful meals that he enjoys. Last week I planned out a few meals. I will admit that I have only gotten to a couple of them because Super Bowl Sunday we had nachos, and I made enough to feed the whole US Army. Ok, so maybe not the whole Army but close to it. Some nights I am super thankful for leftovers! Last night he grilled hot dogs for the kids. He ate nachos. And I had a honey bun. Can you see me hiding my head in shame as I type that? It was the most delicious honey bun I've had all week. The only one I had all week because the store has been out of the Tastykake honey buns. I don't care for any of the others. Anywho, So Friday night I made Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. I love the one's from Chili's and from Subway, but I didn't feel like sending him to get food after he got off work. I must say that I'm quite over the ones from those two places and will be enjoying my own from now on. They were so simple that I don't know why I was afraid to make them before. So here we go!!

The mushrooms are baby bellas. Any fresh button mushroom will work. Notice I said fresh, not canned.

I got mine pre-sliced, because that's just how I roll. If there are only a couple of you then I would suggest cutting the veggies down. I'm feeding 6, and one takes leftovers to work. Since he does that I usually make my recipes to feed 8.

I used eye of round steak that was cut thin. I'm sure most steak would be fine...you don't want to know what I paid for it, but the steak I used was already thin so making the thin slices was easier for me. Plus I had to do two packages of meat. Put the meat in the freezer for about an hour or two before you start cutting it. It will make it easier to slice.

Chop the top of your bell pepper off. 

To help the seeds come out I always pop the open end into my hand.

See my pretty Rachel Ray Garbage Bowl? 

I absolutely LOVE it! 

Once you get the top and bottom cut, cut them in half.

Clean up the inside.

And start slicing. This is how I prefer to do strips of bell peppers.

I'm no pro, but it works for me.

Once they are done you should have super thin strips of bell pepper.

Now, on to the onions.

Take the top off, then clean it up. My husband

loves to drive me crazy by leaving the onion skin on. To me that is

just gross!

Place it back on the cut side and cut it in half.

Then lay it on its side and start slicing away....watch

your fingers though. Hubby says to chew gum when I cut

the onions. I can tell you that juicy fruit bubble

gum does not do the trick!

Plenty of beautiful slices. I don't bother separating them yet. 

They will get mixed up in the skillet.

Usually I use olive or grape seed oil, but I had some leftover butter in the fridge from 

some cookies I had made before Christmas. I figured I better use it before I have to toss it.

I used about 1/4 cup. Use your best judgement here.

Toss in about a handful of mushrooms once the butter has melted. 

I worked on some meat while it was melting.

 If you don't like mushrooms then just eliminate this step entirely. 

Toss in the onions and bell peppers.

Saute them until the mushrooms get a bit soft. 

Trim any fat and excess nonsense off the meat. 

Slice the steak as thin as you can get it. 

I just love that color!

Then put the meat into the same skillet you used to saute the veggies. 

Add a little bit of salt and pepper.

I used sea salt, but that's just what we are used to. 

Plus, I will confess, I like playing with the grinder.

It makes me feel professional...don't tell anyone...promise??

Brown the meat.

I used White American sliced cheese. 

But, that's because that is what I usually eat on mine. 

If you prefer pepperjack or any other kind of cheese feel free to use it.

 BUT the slices made it easier to heat, and let's face it, I don't feel like cubing up some cheese after a long day.

I added a bit of milk to make the cheese sauce creamy. 

I snuck a few pieces of meat out while insisting that I had to make sure it was right.

 It was, but I wasn't about to tell the kids that.

Ta-Da! 

All done.

 I simply buttered and toasted some sub rolls in the oven.

Of course that isn't what my finished product looked like. 

I prefer extra veggies, like some baby spinach and fresh slices of tomato on it.

Along with some creamy chipotle dressing. 

I know. 

It's not a true Philly with everything that I put on it.

 But that is how I like it.

Recipe Below is for a family of 4

Ingredients

1-2 lbs steak, thinly sliced

1 small bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh button mushrooms, sliced

6-8 slices of american cheese slices, or soft cheese of choice

3 Tablespoons milk

1/4 cup butter + butter for rolls

1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Sub Rolls

Instructions

 Add butter to warm skillet. Once melted add veggies and saute until soft, about 5-10 minutes.

Remove veggies with tongs and place in a bowl. Put meat in skillet and add salt and pepper.  Brown meat, about 5-10 minutes. While meat is cooking, butter rolls and set aside. Drain the excess juice, then put meat back into skillet and add cheese and milk. Heat until cheese is melted and mixed in good with the meat. Place rolls into oven on broil setting to toast them. Remember to keep the meat mixture warm. More milk may be added to keep the cheese creamy. Assemble and enjoy!

Printer Friendly Recipe 

January 31, 2014

Friday is the day in our home where we typically run errands. Breakfast is over which means it's time to start chores and get ready to go. When we come home we usually finish up chores and then start supper. Tonight I'm making Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches and a creamy chocolate pudding pie for dessert. The kiddos are super excited. I've never attempted to make the subs before. But the pie. Oh the pie, they LOVE!! It's usually gone in no time. That is what makes this mama happy. Well..I better get ready to get errands taken care of. I'll need to get over here and get recipes and pics posted soon. Tonight I will be pulling them from my camera. Anyways, I better quit typing and get them ready to go or we won't be making anything special tonight. Let us know how you spend your Fridays :)  

December 14, 2013

only 11 days until Christmas!! im so excited, i cant wait, mostly because i'll be holding my new little one by then. and this is the outfit he will be wearing when we come home!

*meaghan*

december 10, 2013

time to introduce myself.

i'm Meaghan, pronounced just like Megan, my momma just gave me the Old English spelling of the name.

 i am a part time SAHM, and i work in retail.

 i'm actually married to Grace's brother, making us awesome sister-in-laws! my husband and i have been married for over 2 years now.

 i have two sons, the oldest will be 2 in January, and the youngest will actually be here in less than 2 weeks, on December 23 (so ready to be able to hold him in our arms and actually have my bladder back lol).

 i'm almost 23 years old.
i love cooking up new recipies, finding random stuff to make things out of, and i'm hooked to Pintrest!

 i'm addicted to any type of ghost or paranormal show, Pawn Stars, Law&Order SVU (with Olivia and Elliot) Storage Wars, David Tutera's my fair wedding, Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls and New Girl.

i love country music, pop, and some rock n roll. i adore Taylor Swift (yes i know most of her songs re about her exes, which some i completely relate to, but she does have other songs that dont relate to her exes).

my two favorite radio shows are Kidd Kraddick In The Morning (106.1 KISS FM) and the Russ Martin Show (97.1 The Eagle).

i love animals, and have owned lots. mostly cats and dogs, but i've also had ducks, chickens, goats, horses, calves, African Gray geese (my favorite), rabbits, ferrets and fish.

i love clipping coupons and sorting them but somehow always forget to bring them with me to the store!

i love to read, mostly on my kindle, once i'm in a good book, i tend to read halfway thru the book or finish it completely.

i run a FaceBook page, Disabled not Dead2 (https://www.facebook.com/disablednotdead2)

thats all for now :) Grace and i are trying to get into habit of posting more often so stay tuned!!

*meaghan*

The Old Daily Routine and Blog Design

Obviously this is a new blog. I've had one before, but never really messed with it. This one, however, seems different. This is a new chapter in our lives and for the first time I feel like I am able to share our journey with the world. Before homeschooling our daily routine was long and difficult. It became very monotonous. Day after day, after day, after day the same BORING routine. 

I don't even know how we did it to be honest. Every day it was like this: get the kiddos ready to go to school (don't even think about the coffee sitting in the pot that you took the time to set up the night before because it's crunch time now!), take them, come home and maybe drink a cup or two, get started on chores and taking care of the little ones needs. By afternoon it was lunch and nap time until time to pick up big kids from school. Get kids from school, help with homework, work on supper, feed kids, bathe them, put them to bed, chores, maybe some alone time if I didn't have a tiny one up with me, then crash by midnight. You know the old "wash, rinse, repeat" instructions. Well that was our life.

Notice that my life revolved around home and kids but no husband time? Well, that poor guy...bless his heart...seemed to feel a bit left out. Once a week or so we would try to spend time together, but it wasn't like we could chat about everything that happened in the week within a couple of hours. Most of our communication was through text messages. These days our lives seem much easier. Our schedule isn't so frustrating anymore. We even have free time to be able to do things together and as a family. 

I didn't know how well my blog would work out. So far not really anybody reading yet...but that's ok too. I'm still in the process of working out the kinks. The other day I was working on it and I really wanted to add a Pinterest widget. I tried over and over again to get it to work. I failed big time on my own. Thankfully though, there are other people out there who blog and build websites to help those of us who are strutggling to figure out all of this designer stuff on our own. Code it Pretty has a very nice tutorial on how to put your Pinterest widget on your blogger blog :) If you have just started on Blogger or have been doing it a while and don't know how to make it pretty I would suggest going to see hwat Marie has posted :) I think I'll spend the afternoon there. 

*hugs*

Grace 

Budgeting and the Pencil Sharpener Dilemma

 Since we have a family of 6 and my husband is the only one who brings in any income we have to budget. There are a ton of things I would love to have to make my life easier, but those things will have to wait. For instance, I would love, love, love to have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer...ya know the one with all of the attachments that I will probably only use once in a blue moon but would love to have anyways. Instead I have my good old trusty hand mixer. Is it fancy? No. But it does get the job done.

The cost of us sending our children to school was costing us nearly 600 dollars at the beginning of the year. Clothing, shoes, backpacks, school supplies, plus supplies to keep at home for homework were simply expensive no matter how many sales I hit. Right before school starts here we have tax free weekend. Which I recommend to anyone regardless of if they send their kiddos to public school, private school, or homeschool. Heck, even if you have little ones and keep them home or send them to daycare. Tax free weekend can be awesome if you plan it right. There are things that I will pick up before the big sale. But it is usually little things. 

That 600 didn't include school pictures (which we were rarely ever able to get because the beginning of school kicked us to the ground and we were still playing catch up from the beginning of the school year...one income families generally live paycheck to paycheck unless the working spouse makes an amazing living). We however have not had that luxury. 

My husband and I have had to "start over" well more than once in our marriage. Jobs came and went and every time he would have to start at the bottom and work his way up. By the time we would be OK something come up. Getting out of the military, found a job, had to move-found another job, found a better job-injury, school, another job that barely paid the bills, then another opportunity opened up and now we are doing OK again. Not great...but OK. 

Anywho...I had taken SOME of that money that we would have used (and managed to avoid putting us in even more debt) and built up our supplies. Since starting to homeschool my home has become a small office supply store. There is extra paper everywhere. Puzzles and games stacked up. A bookshelf overflowing with children's books. How have I managed all of these items in such a short time? Budget...with a capital B of course! Thrift stores, family contributions, and I make a lot of our resources. I also invest here and there in little items.

We started the year with the small pencil sharpeners from the dollar store. I bought Dixon Ticonderoga Pencils...you know, the good ones. BUT these pencil sharpeners were eating the pencils. I, of course, couldn't figure out if it was the pencils or the sharpeners that were the cause of my daily misery. Yes, misery. Every time I turned around we were having to sharpen pencils. Leads would break and by the time I got done sharpening pencils there wasn't much left of them. I almost couldn't believe that I had bought these amazing pencils. They were supposed to be the best of the best right? Well, they are pretty great and when staples or any other office supply store runs them on sale for less than a dollar for a 20 pack I thought I had saved a ton of money. 

What were we missing? A good pencil sharpener. I picked one up at Wal-Mart for under $10!! It's just like my trusty old hand mixer...nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. I like it because it doesn't eat the pencils up like they are pieces of bacon at an all you can eat breakfast buffet. It's x-acto brand so I know I can trust it's quality. It even suctions to my desk and can be moved around to suit my righty and lefty handed babies pencil sharpening needs. PLUS it was well within our budget!! Do I sound excited about a pencil sharpener? Well if not then let me tell ya I am sooooo excited about this product!! I couldn't find it on Amazon for under 10. Office Max has it in a few different color choices but it isn't as cheap as Wal-Mart :) 

At the beginning of the year these pencil sharpeners were nowhere to be found on the shelves. Now that the madness of back-to-school shopping is well over with and businesses are gearing up for Christmas I can find some of what I need. I also picked up a laminating machine (again...it was nowhere to be found at the beginning of the school year) which I haven't gotten around to testing out but will soon.

I will be posting quite a bit on how we manage our budget and about some of the products we have tried out.  Also some tips and tricks from a homemaker that was raised by a homemaker (my beautiful Grandmaw). Also I will post links from time to time on some of the homeschooling resources we use.

Which pencils or pencil sharpeners are you crazy about? Tell us about it below :)

*hugs*

Grace