Menu Making and Grocery Shopping

As I was sitting here thinking about what to write, one of the children reminded me of something I often say to them: Write what you know. And what do I know? Not too much, but since I spent a fair few minutes working on our menu and grocery list yesterday, I thought I'd write about that.

I've used hundreds of different menu planning methods, from just jotting down meals on scraps of paper to specialty forms. Some forms were better than others, but all of them lacked a little something. None of them were quite right for our family.

When we started the South Beach Diet in April I started planning snacks, too, not just meals. And because the SBD is carb-restrictive, I had to ensure that we weren't eating too many servings of carbs on any given day. In order to plan breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks, I needed a form with all those fields in it. Then I realized I actually needed two lunches, one for the adults and one for the kids, who are not on the SBD.

So I set to work, designing a form that would allow me to plan two weeks of meals, including all the fields previously mentioned, plus a spot for prep work. I tend to forget to do the prep work unless there's a clear reminder, so this is a must for me. I started with a basic table, then tweaked it each time I made a menu. It took several tries, but I now have a form that fits our needs perfectly.

When I'm menu planning, I start by printing a blank form and filling in any special days, such as birthdays, holidays or days we know we won't be home for dinner. Then I fill in around them, making sure to put easier meals on busy days and ones that will take a bit more work on slower days. Mr. Wonderful cooks on the weekend, so I plan meals he's particularly good at (or ones I'm particularly bad at) on those days. I always gather the masses and ask for suggestions, though most of their suggestions involve pizza or desserts.

Meal inspiration comes from many sources; my cookbook/magazine collection, favorite websites and occasionally, back of the box type recipes. Since we started doing the SBD I've had to be a little more selective, but it turns out that for the most part, we actually like eating this way and a lot of our old recipes can be tweaked to fit our new lifestyle.

After the menu is finalized, I type it into Word and than print it. The printed form is stuck to the side of the fridge. Having it where everyone can see it has two uses. First, it means no more, "Mom, what's for dinner?" Also, it helps keep me on track. Now that's not to say that we never deviate from the list. It's actually very rare that we stick completely to the assigned meals and I'm not against switching the meals around.

I use my handwritten menu for making my shopping list. I start at the top left square, the first breakfast, and work my way across. As I write up the ingredients for each meal, I cross it off the list. When the list is done, I shop my cupboards and freezers for anything I might have forgotten or overlooked. I also keep a notepad on the side of the fridge where we jot down anything we might need the next shopping trip, ie... deodorant, brown sugar, paper towels, etc... So those things need to be added to the shopping list, too.

We shop approximately twice a month, so I plan two weeks of meals at a time. We shop weekly, but every other trip is just a fill-in trip. We buy fresh produce for the week and anything I might have left off the main list. When I make my grocery list I plan the major shopping trip (split up into the three stores I frequent) and the second trip. That way I'm sure to stick to my grocery budget.

In addition to the regular grocery budget, we also have a small clothing budget twice a month. It's very helpful, because with 7 people in the house it seems that someone always needs socks or shoes or something...

Because Mr. Wonderful and I do the Walmart and Meijer shopping without the children (they're open 24 hours!), the next day the kids and I will finish the shopping. We do the clothing shopping and go to Sam's. We also hit the library and do any errands that need to be done, like making the house payment, filling the propane tank for the grill or stopping at the Post Office.

I don't mean to say that my way is right or best for everyone - but it is right for me. So tell me, Dear Readers, what works for you?

To Do List

Scooter has commandeered my To Do List and re-written it to read as follows...

1. Eat 1000 pickles.
2. Kiss a toad.
3. Lick a fish.
4. Tame a raccoon.
5. Eat brains.
6. Do the above in the order listed.
7. Buy IT.
8. Mass produce IT.
9. Sell IT.
And by IT, we mean really comfy headphones.

LMAO

Note to Self

Time moves pretty quickly. Remember days when all you had was time? Time to think, time to reflect? But now...now is for living.

Just live.

Wake up, tie your boots on and get out in it. Smell it, feel it. Roll down the windows so you can hear it. Listen. Make some noise and be a part of it. Put your hands in it. Deep. Pick it up and toss it. Break it open against the ground. Flip it over. Drink it up. Let it spill. Touch.

Take the time.

Take the effort to throw it a mile and kick it when it comes down. Hug it and don't let go. Stare at it. Clench your fists and scream it. Raise your arms to celebrate it. Hold it's hands and dance. Close your eyes and take that chance. Make it happen.

Crawl through it on your hands and knees. Surrender. Defy. Rebel. Let it break you down. Get up with it. Run with it until your legs give out and you can't move or breathe or shout. Encircle it. Let it in. Float in it. Spin...Smile...Ride. Stack it up into the sky. Burn it down to feel the heat. Chase it.

Tell it jokes until you cry. Cry with it until you smile. Laugh with it.

Make it pretty. Give it away. Cover it with mud. Let it stay.

Race it to the edge of the Earth. Jump with it. Fly above.

Dream about it.

Shower it with love. Protect it.

Never. Ever. Forget it.

Don't forget.

(note to self)



This is it.

Educational Gaming

It's been nearly a year since we first talked about letting The Boy play Dungeons and Dragons. In that time it has pretty much taken over the kids' lives. And not just The Boy, everyone except Pookie loves to play. They print character sheets by the dozen, then spend hours filling them in to get exactly the character they want. They've taken entire afternoons to make maps, tweak storylines and discuss the pros and cons of being a Ranger vs. a Wizard, or an Elf vs. a Tiefling.



I worried at first. Did they really need another violent game to play? They're wild enough without it. But then they started to play and I saw just how much they enjoy it and how much they're learning from it. Midge spends hours copying the words in the books and drawing the weapons and supplies pictured in the books. Pibb reads through the books endlessly (I'm fairly certain he's read all the D & D books we own, repeatedly) and then uses what he's learned to design characters and quests. Scooter spends most of her playing time working on making maps. She's very interested in cartography and loves to make maps with extensive legends and lots of traps or hidden doors.

And while they may not play by any officially sanctioned rules, they do play quite a bit. So many times I've listened from the next room while The Boy and Pibb do the dinner dishes and talk about armor classes or defensive rolls.

I know it's not for everyone and that some people think it's too violent or dangerous, but for our family, it's fun and educational. And that makes it a keeper.

A forceful reminder

Lately it seems I've had my fair share of "those" days. The ones where nothing goes as planned, everyone needs something at the same time and I'm running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. My temper has been quick, my reaction times slow and my patience... well, we reached the raggedy edge of my patience several days ago.

Between writing lessons, actually doing the schoolwork, housework, mowing, running errands, cooking and The Project, I barely have the time and energy to breathe some days, let alone to relax. Even Mr. Wonderful has commented that I'm obviously a little worn down.

Over the last several days I've gotten less sleep than I normally would and that, of course, has led to more crankiness and overwhelmed feelings. And because I didn't have enough to do already, three of the kids got sick. Not overly so and nothing serious, just runny noses and sore throats (from allergies).

I was working on The Project yesterday when Pookie fell asleep on the couch. After half an hour or so, he fell off the couch and just sat on the floor, crying. I scooped him up and held him on my lap until he was calm. He was running a fever, so I gave him some Tylenol and then we snuggled up on the couch.

At first I was unhappy at the interruption of my day. I had things to be done; I didn't have time to just lay on the couch. I was stewing about it, worried about how I was going to make up the time later, exhausted and nearly in tears at the thought of being up even later than usual when he leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"I love you. You're my favorite."

My heart melted. In that moment, time seemed to stop. Suddenly I wasn't worried anymore, I wasn't stressed out or exhausted. I felt blessed to have this opportunity to slow down, to remember why I chose this life. For one blissful hour I did nothing more than hold my baby and breathe.

And when it was time to get back to work, I did so with a much lighter heart.

Invictus

I've been looking at this screen for almost 15 minutes, my mind swirling with thoughts. Unfortunately, none of them seem to want to come out. I debated writing about poetry, music, art and pizza. But I couldn't get the words to line up properly and behave themselves. Instead, I thought I'd share one of my very favorite pieces of writing. This poem is called Invictus, by William E. Henley.

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me
Black as the Pit from pole to pole
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horrors of the shade
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid

It matters not how straight the gate
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul

Keep calm and carry on

For the last several months I've been working on a very large, very secret project. It all started innocently enough - I wanted to try something new and challenging. I looked high and low for inspiration until one day, I stumbled upon this particular project. Mr. Wonderful was on board, so I was set up and ready to go in just a few days.

It was crazy difficult in the beginning. It took several tries (and a few tears) before I realized my mistake and got it right. After that it was just a matter of keeping up with it.

In the three months since I started this journey, I've learned a few things about myself. Most obvious to Mr. Wonderful (and something I probably should have paid more attention to) is that I get bored way too easily for a project that doesn't really change or evolve along the way. I've also had to accept the change in priorities, as this endeavor is eating up no less than three hours every single day, and sometimes as many as five.

I've had to abandon pleasure reading entirely, as well as most writing. I still jot down ideas and bits of poetry (should the muse descend), but most of my "spare" time is spent working toward this one goal.

There have been many times that I've simply thrown up my hands and declared that I'd never finish, so why bother going on. I've cried and yelled and belligerently ignored it. I've snapped at the kids to stay away from me while I'm working ("take three big steps backward") and Mr. Wonderful and I sit on opposite sides of the room in the evening, just so I have plenty of space.

Any sane person would probably wonder why I continue to torture myself this way. What could possibly be worth all this trouble? And the truth is, some days I wonder that myself. But then I remember why I'm doing it and it all makes sense. It all falls into place and I'm able to take a few deep breaths and dive back in, determined to not only finish, but to excel.

Awkward first post...

My name is Rachel and I am a Swiss Army Wife. Urban Dictionary defines a Swiss Army Wife as 1. a wife with many feminine skills and 2. a wife who does everything. I think that pretty much sums it up.

I homeschool my five weird, amazing, creative children: The Boy (15), Scooter (12), Pibb (8), Midge (6) and Pookie (4). I've been married to Mr. Wonderful for nearly a dozen years and it just keeps getting better.

This blog is really just a place for me to write whatever pops into my head.