Holy Broadband Batman!

I cannot contain my overwhelming excitement! Our install for broadband internet is scheduled for 1-3p today!!! I think I'm as giddy as a prairie child anticipating Christmas candy!

The downside? I never kept a reliable list of the things I needed to do or follow-up on once I could readily surf online. What I can recall off the top of my head:

-fix the blogs

-set up email accounts for the kids (the password will be under my control and their accounts will be set up to deliver to my tiny screen--how's that for "parental controls?")

-catch up on my HOAC downloads

-skype with my newlywed buddy over spiced cider ginger brews

-place amazon order

-get the mp3 players rolling with audiobooks for the kids

-catch up on blog reading

-start researching what's going to be on the ballot in November

-see if I was pruned for inactivity at a mommy forum

-teleclass availability for the kids

-skype with the grandparents

There's more.....

Six Word Saturday

Roseola is better than chicken pox! 

Tackle It Tuesday

I cleaned the microwave this morning.

It was a weekly activity, but for some reason I've not been keeping up with it. It's not the only activity that's fallen to the wayside... *sigh*

How I clean my microwave when it's been neglected: I use my 4-cup pyrex, dump some white vinegar and water in it (probably up to 2c total), and nuke it for 5-minutes. Then I wipe it out.

So why didn't I get it done sooner??


Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Menu Plan Monday

http://orgjunkie.com/menu-plan-monday-guidelines

Sunday:
Breakfast--blueberry muffins, bacon
Snack--oatmeal raisin cookies
Lunch--lunchmeat sandwiches, cucumbers
Dinner--corn tortilla tacos, beans, rice

Monday:
Breakfast--oatmeal, fruit
Snack--salami, cheese (I picked up a small block of New Zealand grassfed cheddar)
Lunch--egg salad sandwich, black plum
Dinner--lasagna (homemade), marinated squash

Tuesday:
Breakfast--omelet, sausage
Snack--carrots
Lunch--chips&dip
Dinner--garlic-brown sugar chicken (crockpot), fake tater, broccoli mix

DH made the rice!

Wednesday:
Breakfast--biscuits, yogurt
Snack--hard-boiled egg, grapes
Lunch--pbhoney sandwich, apple
Dinner--homemade pizza, salad

Thursday:
Breakfast--pancakes, bacon
Snack--plum
Lunch--soup (haven't decided which one yet), quesadilla
Dinner--we're providing a crock of pintos, some cornbread, and a peach cobbler for a dinner our Cub Scout Pack is putting on for our charter organization

Friday:
Breakfast--breakfast burrito, apple
Snack--popcorn
Lunch--mac&chs, broccoli
Dinner--campfire food

Saturday:
Breakfast--cream of wheat, yogurt
Snack--carrots
Lunch--pbj, grapes
Dinner--ckn teryaki (using garlic-brown sugar leftovers), broccoli mix

Sunday:
Breakfast--eggs &bacon, fruit (banana or apple)
Snack--craisins, pretzels
Lunch--burritos
Dinner--crockpot pork chops, dressed sweet taters, veggies (likely brocc mix--it's one of the few that I can still eat)


Our participation in this week's activities is uncertain as we have discovered we have roseola in our household. It will depend on if all the kids get it or not. We're doing our aromatherapy and ginger.


Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Six Word Saturday

I went grocery shopping without children.

Control Journal

A dear friend commented on fb about printing out her kids' control journals. I miss hanging out with her family. :( Anyway, I asked what she has them doing--I'll link her post when I get to actually play online again. In return I'm posting what I have scheduled for my kiddos...even though we don't technically have control journals set up.
Every morning they are to prepare for their day by getting dressed, making their bed, brushing their teeth, and emptying their portion of the dishwasher. Wee-one takes care of everything that belongs below the counter; Eldest takes care of everything above the counter and occasionally loading it as well.
After breakfast they're supposed to take care of their morning chores.
Afternoon chores consist of getting ready for the evening: putting away toys and lessonwork, tidying the house, and they take turns between vacuuming and prepping the table for dinner.
About six-months after Wee-one was fully potty-trained he decided/discovered that it was pretty awesome to stand in front of the toilet and pee everywhere else. We still battle this fascination more often than we ought--every several months it revisits. So, he gets to clean the toilet!
Mondays:
Wee-One--toilet, bathroom door (sanitize handle, spot clean fingerprints and mud), bathroom towels (collect dirty, put out clean).
Eldest--bathroom vanity incl cabinet, bathroom switches (sanitize)
Tuesday:
Wee-One--laundry, door knobs thru house
Eldest--bathroom mirror, bathroom window, kitchen floor
Wednesday:
Wee-One--bathroom vanity, bathroom door, bathroom towels
Eldest--toilet, bathroom switches
Thursday:
Wee-One--bathroom walls/baseboards (spot cleaning), bathroom floor
Eldest--laundry, tub, lightswitches thru house
Friday:
Wee-one--toilet, bathroom door, bathroom towels
Eldest--bathroom vanity, bathroom switches
Saturday:
Both boys are to clean their rooms and vacuum--clear out under bed, clothing tidy in expedit, change and wash bed linens, tidy books in expedit, everything off floor and put away properly.
Sundays are choreless except prepping in the morning and afternoon.

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Menu Plan Monday...or Not

http://orgjunkie.com/menu-plan-monday-guidelines

Having all eatings planned out last week was *really* helpful...tho it all altered Friday evening and pretty much thru the rest of the weekend.

This week? I haven't a clue. And it's already taking a toll.


Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Holiday Traditions

For *YEARS* I have been trying to sort out OUR holiday traditions, but oftentimes days end up being "business as usual." I really want to do better with our meaningful celebrations or remembrances on these days--revisiting the how and why behind the "holiday" and making the day memorable and tangible for us.

Some I'm struggling with, especially since I can't fully-utilize all the information to be had on the internet (come on broadband!). What I want is at least one meal that ties into the day or geographic area, and at least one activity that is applicable. As an example--for Pioneer Day (I'll link the posts regarding our pioneer studies last fall when I can get online to do so) we plan to campfire cook dinner with recipes that were used on the trails and sing prairie hymns and/or prairie games.

Like many others, we were impacted by 9/11 on a tertiary level. It was my one day to reboot our place from guests that left 9/10 and prepare for guests arriving 9/12. I had the tv on for background while I was in the back folding laundry. The background noise altered and I trotted into the living room just as they switched to live coverage. We know, and have met people more directly involved and impacted.
Our guest not arriving for three weeks (on one of the first few commercial flights since everything was grounded) is nothing, absolutely nothing--families lost friends and loved ones in the Towers, in the planes, in the Pentagon, in the War on Terror....

In my opinion, this is another day that lives in infamy. I want to honor 9/11 and 12/7, but have not figured out how to do so meaningfully--in a way that becomes a family tradition without losing the reverence or the resultant determination. All we have thus far is our flag.

Six Word Saturday

HotWheels racing is whole family fun!

Tackle It Tuesday

The last few years we've been an autonomous kitchen--or a fend-fer-yerself kitchen, however you prefer to look at it. The kids would generally manage their own breakfasts, snacks, and lunches with Mama overseeing (and sometimes vetoing) decisions. There's been a bit of whining and contention lately so this weekend I sat down with my new fancy way of meal-planning and plotted.

First, I notated the activities for the week, then dinner selections were determined. Lunches were next, followed by breakfasts. Snacks and side dishes rounded it out.

What does this have to do with Tackle It Tuesday? Today was waffles, eggs, and bacon. I actually pulled out my feeble wafflemaker for the first time in years and USED it! I tackled the grueling task of dealing with this wafflemaker and my children had a filling brunch!

As a side-note: I don't care for the waffle recipe from Bisquick, even after adding some cinnamon and vanilla to it.


Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Menu Plan Monday

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5iXzzr1EADDu4mi-6KxT_IdNeI4oFw9NNqolLxJdI10ogS4kxsd9ux3QtsGHt77TdogLAaUNbk7OPHfEYah_Z4Zyylez9HMBphhomSIJa04ZBN1b-q5gvOg-sLVJd9bWMlCdcoWStzRUD/s1600/mpm-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5iXzzr1EADDu4mi-6KxT_IdNeI4oFw9NNqolLxJdI10ogS4kxsd9ux3QtsGHt77TdogLAaUNbk7OPHfEYah_Z4Zyylez9HMBphhomSIJa04ZBN1b-q5gvOg-sLVJd9bWMlCdcoWStzRUD/s1600/mpm-1.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://orgjunkie.com/menu-plan-monday-guidelines">http://orgjunkie.com/menu-plan-monday-guidelines</a></div>



Monday:  Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken with potatoes and marinated squash

Tuesday:  Stroganoff with broc/caul mix

Wednesday:  Chili with cornbread

Thursday:  Chicken Quesadillas with refried beans and salad

Friday:  Cheeseburgers with french fries and carrots

Saturday:  Pancakes with applicable fixins

Sunday: Crockpot Smothered Chicken; sides TBD


As for last week's menu:
-the sloppy joes never happened due to a dramatically late lunch (too much excitement at a pool party).
-the toad-in-a-hole never happened because of the baby' going-ons and DH was unavailable to relieve me. We had hamburger helper and a delayed bedtime once DH came in from outside chores.
-due to delays in getting the shopping done, the fryer was not defrosted sufficiently to prep the rotisserie chicken, so it swapped with the homemade pizza that was originally scheduled for this monday. This menu shows that adjustment.

Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are planned out for this week as well. We'll see how much this helps our household.

Happy Monday!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Saturday Centus

[To join the fun visit http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/2011/09/saturday-centus-what-kind-of.html]

What kind of pizza is this?
How will it come to be?
Are we going to gorge ourselves?
Take a nap and have some more?

Kind friends called to join us
Ignoring their other responsibilities
Now that this wondrous Pie
Devours the collective consciousness

Onions, peppers, mushrooms, cheese
Forget the anchovies, please

Pepperoni, sausage, ham
Ingredients of the carnivorous gods
Zip through the construction
Zone out in deep-dish daydreams
As our creation bakes in the oven

Intense anticipation
Simmers as we wait

Timer dings! Hot pads fly!
Hover while served
In this gooey, melty moment
Supreme bliss is achieved!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Six Word Saturday

College Football. Need I Say More??