Cute Therapy

April 6th

for today.....

outside my window...the sun and clouds are battling, but the sun is mostly winning

i am thinking...i need a nap, but it's too late in the afternoon for one

from the learning room...piano, driving, multiplication facts...

i am thankful for...four children recovering from a stomach virus, and that the others are well

from the kitchen...homemade chicken noodle soup for recovering kids

i am wearing...black pants and a grey sweater

i am reading...Multiple Blessings by Jon and Kate Gosselin

i am hoping...no one else gets sick

i am hearing...Abby practice piano

around the house...Abby and I are making plans for planting some flowers, lots of laundry as usual, organization of spring and summer clothing has begun

one of my favorite things...the intense green after a spring rain

plans for the week...baseball and softball practices, yard work, organizing clothes

A picture I'm sharing...

flowers from Tommy

thanks babe.

Read more daybook entries here...

Talking Over Oatmeal...

Wendy and Lily had this conversation over oatmeal this morning....

Lily, "When I grow up I want to have lots of babies, and I will hold them then put them in the floor to play."

Wendy, "When you grow up, Lily, God will put an egg in your body and it will grow. You will wait a long time , then you will have a baby. Then another baby, then, another baby, then, another baby."

Lily, "Mmmhumm."

Wendy, (with enthusiasm) "But FIRST, you have to pick a boy. A husband. IF your a girl you pick a boy, if you're a boy, you pick a girl. Right, Mama? (I nod yes.) Wendy continues...That boy will be your husband, Lily. BUT, you can't pick Daddy. He's Mama's."

Lily, "Mmmmhumm. I won't pick Daddy." (smiling at me)

Lily asks me, "Then who will you be?"

I said, "I'll always be your Mama, but when you have kids I'll also be Grandma." =)

Wendy adds, "But you'll have different hair, right?"

Rose walking....

Rose just started taking steps about a week and a half ago. She has been so determined to walk and walk fast! I have felt sad for because she falls hard on her bottom A LOT. It's another benefit for baby that she is cloth diapered 99% of the time:) I love these videos because she has that baby tucked under her arm. So sweet! (Thank you, Elizabeth , for the baby doll:)

They watch and mimic our behavior. Let us always be showing Christ -like behavior for them to follow...We can be so careful to protect them from outside influences and miss completely the greatest influence that they are watching most of the time.

I've been reminding my older kids lately of what I call "the trickle down effect". If they are bickering or picking on each other. It's not good enough to say "Oh, I was just kidding." The damage has been done. The little ones are going to treat each other the way we treat each other.

11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 1Cor. 13:11

Menu Plan Monday

Quiche with broccoli, cheddar, and turkey bacon

recipe at the end....

Breakfast Choices:

granola cereal

grapefruit

cream cheese toast and jam

applesauce muffins

pancakes

Lunch Choices:

pbj

ham biscuits

fried eggs

beans, biscuits

fruit

Dinners:

1. enchilada casserole, (doubled) rice, green salad
2. quiche with broccoli , cheddar, and turkey bacon
3. taco soup, tortilla chips
4. grilled trout, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies
5. stuffed shells, green salad
6. homemade pizza
7. McDonald's

Deserts: whole wheat chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies

Quiche with broccoli, cheddar, and turkey bacon

Ingredients:

6 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups whole milk

salt and pepper, and a dash or two of nutmeg

2 cups broccoli

4 slices turkey bacon

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

1 pie crust for 9 inch pie pan

Directions: Fry bacon and chop into small pieces. Saute or lightly steam broccoli. Preheat oven to 375* Form crust into pie pan. Beat eggs with milk and salt and pepper. Layer the cheese bacon and broccoli in bottom of crust. Gently pour egg mixture over the layers. Bake 35 minutes or until eggs are set in the center. Cool for 15 minutes and serve.

Note: I make two for my family.

This is the recipe I used as a guide.

Menu plan monday is being hosted by $5 dinners this week!

Super Saving Saturday

I built up a great stock pile of necessities from couponing and rolling extra care bucks at CVS before Rose was born. After a year of concentrated couponing I experienced a little burn out and thus disorganization. I've only bought a couple of newspapers this year and haven't felt the need to get more. I am still using my extra care bucks every few weeks to replace things we need and have great success using printable coupons.

Another way my shopping has changed is a shift from coupons to shopping at Sam's Club. It is quite the extreme from what I had been doing. Sam's doesn't even accept coupons! I mostly buy basic staple type whole foods at a great price and cook up big batches of things we love! I have been pleased the last couple of months with this method. I find that we are eating well consistently and I think I am actually saving more and getting more food by not going in the stores as much. This seems to be working well for my family and frankly it's a relief to have a break from so many coupons. I am glad that I learned that way of shopping so that if I ever need to go back to it I know how. Abby has learned a lot as well. CVS-ing is great for basic math skills!

Purchased at CVS and Walmart:

• 40 trash bags
• 7 pounds pet food
• 2 boxes organic granola cereal
• 1 pack of huggies diapers
• 1 huggies baby wipes
• 1 Suave hairspray
• 1 cvs D vitamins
• 3 coffeemate creamers
• 2 Palmolive dish soaps
• 1 dozen eggs
• 2 loaves of bread
• 2 Vaseline lotions

Total Spent:

$8.87 in cash

$5.68 on my CVS gift card (I had a coupon printed on my last receipt for a $25 gift card for a new or transferred prescription, which we needed. The same coupon printed again after I paid for the prescription today!)

Used 14 Extra Care Bucks

Earned 9 Extra Care Bucks

There a many great deals to be found with printable coupons. I found mine today from the following sites:

Money Saving Mom

Southern Savers

The Centsible Sawyer

Amish Baked Oatmeal

I've made baked oatmeal once before and it turned out kinda cake-y and we didn't love it. I kept reading about people making it and making it regularly because it was really good. I came across this recipe again recently and it seemed different than what I made before and was described as "like a cookie". And because I don't turn down a cookie, it was a go!
Here is the original recipe. And the following is the recipe with adjustments and approximate cost:

• 3 cups old fashioned oats 0.75
• 1 cup brown sugar 0.50
• 1 cup milk 0.25
• 1/2 cup butter melted 0.50
• 2 beaten eggs 0.25
• 1 tsp. baking powder 0.05
• 1 tsp. salt 0.05
• 1 tsp. cinnamon 0.05
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 0.10
• milk, nuts, fruit for toppings 0.50
• Total cost: $3.00, (and probably less, but I guessed on the high side)

Directions: Combine the ingredients and mix well. Spread evenly in 2 greased 13x9 baking dishes. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. (mine was done at 25m) Serve warm.

Everyone loved this. Some ate it with milk and fruit and nuts, some just plain. But, everyone loved this. I am serving a lot of oatmeal and this will be a regular on the menu.

I poured about an inch of milk in my bowl and warmed it in the microwave, then spooned in the baked oatmeal and topped with coconut and walnuts. YUM!

This post is a part of Frugal Friday.